A Place with Briar

When Cole walked through the thick wood-paneled doors he was overwhelmed by a blast of Sheryl Crow’s “Winding Road.”

Jubilant shouts echoed from the men surrounding the pool table. Cole followed their attention to the television and saw that Chipper had hit a homer.

One of the pool players stalked to the bar and leaned over it, yelling into an open doorway, “Hey, Liv! Your man just hit one out of the park!”

Olivia walked through, carrying a heavy case of beer bottles and beaming. “That means you owe me twenty bucks, Freddie.”

“Aw, hell, Liv. I got a family to feed.”

“I’ll let this one slide—next time be more careful with your bets. Drinks all around, people!”

Hoots and whistles sounded off around the room as she took bottles out of the case and put them into eager hands. Cole stepped up to the bar to take one. When Olivia’s face lit on his, she smiled wide and said, “Hey there, cutie!”

Cole raised his voice over the intro to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” “Hey, Olivia. I’m meeting Adrian. Do you know if she’s here yet?”

“Don’t think so,” Olivia shouted. She stretched the thin material of her black tank top over the exposed line of pale skin at her belly. He caught a glimpse of a small, heart-shaped tattoo buried halfway underneath the beltline of her low-rise jeans. “She’s probably closing shop and carting Kyle over to Briar’s. While you’re waiting, though, I’ll give you something more potent than this.”

She snatched the bottle out of his hand and gave it to one of the regulars, instead. Then she went to work pouring, stirring and blending. In two minutes, she handed him a tall hurricane glass. “This is the best margarita south of the Mason-Dixon. Brace yourself.”

As he lifted the glass to his lips, he was aware that several of her patrons watched him closely. He did brace himself and took a sip. The surprising tang of salt and alcohol made a visible shiver worm its way effectively down his spine. “Wow,” he choked.

The nearest regular let out a whooping laugh and clapped a hand over Cole’s back. “Knocks your socks right off, don’t it, man?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, braving another sip. “Sure does.”

Olivia let out a bellowing laugh that made heads around the room swivel. She patted his cheek, leaning over the bar and exposing ample cleavage over the low scoop of her tank. “I knew you’d fit right in.” Shouting over the music, she announced, “Now who wants to buy me my first drink of the night?”

Excited shouts of “Over here, Liv” and “Right here, baby” echoed around him. Men muscled Cole out of the way in their rush to get to the bar. As he walked backward, he almost toppled over the woman standing close behind him.

“Bit overwhelming, isn’t it?” Adrian shouted with a knowing smile.

“Olivia or her customers?”

Adrian laughed and raised herself on tiptoe to brush her lips over his cheek in greeting. “Let’s get you another drink.”

* * *

BRIAR STEPPED INTO the tavern from the door behind the bar just in time to see Adrian give Cole a smooch. Her stomach plummeted to her toes. Determined not to feel crushed, she went to Olivia’s shoulder and waited until her cousin downed the two shots the rugged gentleman in front of her had bought. She wasn’t at all surprised when Olivia didn’t so much as flinch.

“That’s the way to start the night!” she shouted, leaning forward to give the man a hard kiss on the lips. “Whew!” She stumbled around and spotted Briar. “Oh, hey there, cuz! What’d you do with the little one?”

“He’s napping on the couch in your office,” Briar said, nodding back toward the door she’d closed to block out some of the noise. “Didn’t take him long to pass out.”

“Being a kid’s tough,” Olivia said. “What are you doing here?”

“Figured you could use some help since it’s Monica’s night off.”

“Could, yeah,” Olivia agreed. “Busier than an ant at a picnic.” She looked over Briar’s shoulder. “You could start by taking their orders.”

Briar turned toward the end of the bar and met Cole’s gaze. She hadn’t noticed him and Adrian grabbing two stools. Whirling back to Olivia, she caught sight of the smirk on her face as her own heated. “Liv, I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?” Olivia asked innocently.

“They’re on a date.”

“But notice, his eyes are on you,” Olivia pointed out. “And I’m the boss ’round these here parts.” She gave her cousin a good push in their direction. “Scat.”

Briar walked toward them on uncertain legs. She answered Adrian’s smile of greeting before leaning over the bar and raising her voice. “Kyle’s in the back room sawing logs.”

“I know you wouldn’t leave him anywhere alone.”

“What can I get you two tonight?” Briar asked, putting on her brave face.

“We’re not going to be here long,” Adrian considered. She turned to Cole. “Crown and Coke suit you?”

“Suits me just fine,” he said, his eyes never straying from Briar’s face. He took out his wallet. “Let me get it.”

“No, this is on me,” Adrian protested.

He laid a hand on the one she’d used to open her purse. “You’re nice enough to show me around town. Let me pay for the drinks.”

When she shrugged acquiescence, he turned back to watch Briar mix the drinks behind the bar, pretending she hadn’t heard their exchange. A moment later, she set the glasses on the bar. “That’s three dollars.” She smiled at Adrian. “Olivia says you get the official family discount.”

“How sweet,” Adrian said with a smile and a wave at her friend across the room, tipping her glass to her lips.

Cole took a ten-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it over the bar. “No change.”

She took the bill uncertainly, eyeing him in surprise. “Are you sure? That’s seven dollars.”

“A tip for a good bartender,” he said as he raised his glass and drank, watching her over the rim.

“Thank you,” she said, heart hammering as she walked away. More blood rushed to her face. She bit her lip to choke it back.

Olivia caught up and muttered in her ear, “Wow, what was that all about?”

Briar sent her an imploring, sidelong look. “It didn’t mean anything. He was just being nice.”

“A dollar is nice,” Olivia pointed out. “Three dollars is generous. Five dollars is damned chivalrous. Anything more than that is just plain love.”

Briar glanced back to where Adrian and Cole had been sitting. Something inside her shrank when she saw that they were already gone. She tucked the whopping tip in Olivia’s jar before turning back to the bar.

Olivia gestured to the couple sitting on the far side. “There’s Roxie and her squeeze. Go introduce yourself while I mix a couple more margaritas.”

Briar pushed Cole out of her mind and pasted on another smile.

Roxie lifted a delicate hand when she recognized Briar. “I was hoping we’d see you tonight. This is Richard.”

“Nice to meet you, Richard. I believe you’re acquainted with my father,” Briar said as she shook his hand. “Hudson Browning.”

“Ah, yes,” Richard said. His tall, gangly build towered over his companion’s. Briar gauged him to be in his mid-thirties. With his subtle green eyes and dull brown hair, he looked the part of professor in a pin-striped shirt tucked neatly into pressed khakis. “The defense attorney. I didn’t realize he had a daughter.”

Surprised, Briar’s eyes widened. A barb she was all too familiar with dug in against her heart...where it’d been lodged for some time. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you move into the shop today, Roxie. I wanted to, but—”

“I know you’re busy,” Roxie assured her, sympathy crawling into her eyes. She took Briar’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “It’s a tough time. But I’m as willing as Olivia and Adrian to help.”

“Um, thank you,” Briar said, uncomfortable. “Olivia should be done with those drinks in just a second.” Before Roxie could protest, she turned away to escape into the back room. She bypassed the office and surged into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She splashed cold water on her face as the fear and humiliation built at the back of her throat.

This was not the time to give in to panic again. She took a minute to breathe. In and out. Just breathe.

She looked in the mirror and saw her mother in the eyes staring back at her. The tears came quick, choking her. She covered her face with her hands, shame and regret dragging her under.

The door behind her opened swiftly. “Hey, I thought you were here to help,” Olivia said.

Briar clenched her teeth together. “You really need to get that lock fixed.”

“What the hell’s the matter, Briar?”

Her voice shook. “How dare you?”

Olivia put a hand on her shoulder. “Briar...”

“Don’t touch me!” Briar swatted the hand away and whirled. “How dare you tell her about my problems?”

“She has a right to know,” Olivia said. “She has as much right as I do now that she’s a part of this place. And she’s willing to help.”

“I don’t need her damn help!” Briar shouted in a blinding burst of anger. “Why do you all think I’m some weakling who desperately needs saving?”

“No one thinks that, hon.”

“You and I know everyone thinks that. You, Adrian, Roxie, her fiancé...even Cole Savitt.”

“Cole’s just a nice guy who likes you.”

Briar shook her head as more tears fled down her cheeks. “Cut that out, Olivia.”

“What?”

“I’m not interested in your matchmaking,” Briar said bitterly. “All it’s ever done is bring Adrian more disappointment. How do you expect it to work out any better for me?”

“You’ve had your guard up ever since Paris. I would never set you up for a fall like that again.”

“Please. I need you to just stop playing games with me and Cole. He’s not interested.”

“Yes, he is. It’s so obvious!”

“I said stop! I don’t need anyone in my life. Especially not some stranger who’s here for a couple of weeks and then gone. If I get one more stone thrown at me, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand alone again.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Olivia assured her. “I just want to help, Briar.”

Another wave of anger geysered up, fast and blistering hot. “Well, help yourself. You haven’t had a decent relationship any more than I have. Spend your time finding someone you don’t have to drive away after a month or less.”

Olivia’s eyes darkened, her jaw firming. For a moment, she only glared. Then she jerked her chin in a resolute nod and sucked in a breath. “You’ve made your point. I’ll leave you alone.”

Briar closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m a mess and I’m taking it out on you. I didn’t mean that, Liv.”

“Yes, you did,” Olivia said. “I know you, Briar. You mean everything you say.”

Briar sank to the closed lid of the toilet seat and rocked herself. “Maybe. But your love life isn’t the issue. I shouldn’t have dragged it into this.”

Olivia shrugged as a tense silence carried over them. “Yeah, it was a cheap shot.” She leaned against the sink, watching Briar’s pained face. “Listen, if you really don’t want me around the inn anymore, I’ll give you some space.”

She shook her head. “You’re all I’ve got left.”

Olivia slung an arm around Briar’s shoulders. “That’s ridiculous. You’ve got Adrian and Kyle, too. We’re family, the four of us. And I mean it when I say I’m here for you, cuz.”

Briar sighed. “I know.”

Olivia patted her cheek. “Are we better now?”

Briar sniffled, nodded. “I think so.”

“Then fix your makeup because we’ve got a bunch of thirsty people to charm before the night’s done.”

“Right.” Briar squared her shoulders and locked composure into place, a practice she’d mastered long ago. “Back to work.” Work would save her, even if nothing else could.

* * *

“SO WE’VE ESTABLISHED that you were a detective,” Adrian said as she dipped her fries in ketchup.

“Yeah, in Narcotics, mostly,” Cole admitted and instantly felt a tightening in his belly. Adrian’s tour so far had revolved around Fairhope and the everyday lives of the people who lived here. She had shown him the downtown area, the parks and the most notable restaurants, insisting they stop at one—Fly Creek Café. Since the sun had set and a nice, cool breeze was blowing off the bay into the harbor where the restaurant was cozily nestled, they’d chosen a picnic table on the sand outside. There was a live band playing and the atmosphere was almost serene.

If he’d been able to relax, he would have really enjoyed it. All night long, though, he felt that he’d had to step carefully around Adrian. She was sharp. He had a good sense the cunning wisdom he saw in her eyes had been gained from experience. Their conversation hadn’t ventured that far into the past, and he was thankful for it. It had been a long time since he’d had dinner with anyone new, but he did know that if she opened up about her past, he would be forced to open up about his.

And that was a whole can of worms he wasn’t ready to open.

“I can see you in Narcotics,” she said with a nod. “You’ve got this determined look about you.”

He took a bite from his shrimp po’boy to cover the fact that his mouth had fallen open at the observation. He’d been so careful. Had she been reading him the whole time? Swallowing, he raised a brow and said, “Which means?”

“I don’t know,” she said, tilting her head as she studied his face. It was akin to being under the lens of a high-powered microscope. “It’s just this vibe I’ve been getting. Like a ‘wary hunter’ sort of thing.”

“Weary hunter is more like it,” he muttered, picking up the last of the po’boy and washing it down with the beer in front of him. “How’d you get into the flower business?”

She pursed her lips, knowing he was evading. She took a moment to wipe her hands on her napkin before deciding to answer the inquiry. “My parents own a plant nursery. Since I was little, they made me work there. Taught me how to grow, nurture, care for plants of all varieties. When I got older, I was in charge of the greenhouses with the annual flowers. I grudgingly started to like it. Eventually, I realized I wanted to branch out and make arranging flowers my business. About five years back, I finally saved enough for a start-up. Briar’s mother gave me a good deal on the shop space, and the floral business has been keeping me busy ever since. Mom and Dad deliver peace lilies and ferns for me to display and sell.”

“So it’s a family enterprise?” he ventured to guess.

Her eyes narrowed. “I like to think of the shop as a solitary effort, but they knew all the best suppliers. I probably would’ve never gotten Flora off the ground if it hadn’t been for them. I admit, it helps having parents who know people who know people in the industry.”

She didn’t like the implication that Flora’s success was due to anyone but her, though, Cole noted. “Well, congratulations. You seem to be doing very well.”

“Thanks,” she said, dipping her head. “Now you again.”

“Oh, boy,” he said and took another sip of beer.

“Why’d you get out of Narcotics?”

The frown came instantly. He couldn’t fight it or the dread that sank into him. He hated to remember how everything had gone downhill. From the divorce to his profession... It was all one big messy blur. But he knew the exact moment things in Narcotics had gone sour. Rarely did he let himself dwell on it.

He took a deep breath, spinning the beer bottle on the tabletop. “You’re better off not knowing.”

“Did something go wrong?” she asked.

He scanned her face and saw what she was waiting for. “They didn’t take my badge, if that’s what you’re asking.”

She nodded and a small relieved light flashed in her eyes. “That’s a relief.”

“I left for personal reasons,” he said. “When you’re around cops long enough, you hear a lot about something called ‘burnout.’”

“You burned out,” she surmised.

“Not completely,” he told her. “I could’ve kept going. But things were unraveling around me. There’s a numbness that you have when you’re exposed to enough bloodshed. It doesn’t completely protect you, but it’s usually enough to get you through.”

“You stopped feeling numb?”

He paused for a long moment. Was he really going to relive this again? “Something broke through.” Clearing his throat, he shifted on the hard picnic table seat. “My partner and I had been tracking a meth lab into the woods outside the city. We secured a warrant, but we were a day too late. There was an explosion, and everyone in the house was killed.”

He stopped but couldn’t quite bring himself to look at her. His mind was back in the woods outside Huntsville, a place he rarely allowed himself to go. “It wasn’t the first time I’d investigated a meth lab after an explosion and seen the dead bodies. But this time there was a family living in the house, too, with small children.”

She nodded. “I can see how that would affect someone.”

The part he didn’t reveal to her was that one of the children had been the same age as his own son and that the meth lab investigation had happened around the same time that he realized Gavin could be taken away from him. For weeks, he couldn’t sleep. When he’d finally gone back to work, he hadn’t been able to focus on anything but the crime scene photos...and the face of that little boy.

With a court battle approaching, it had been the worst time to lose his job. But without focus, he could see himself slipping up in the field just long enough for his partner to be unprotected. One mistake was all it took. And the long hours he’d spent on the job over the past decade hadn’t boded well for him in the fight for custody, either. Tiffany had used that very fact as one of her main striking points.

It was a lose-lose situation, whatever he did. He’d given up the job he’d dedicated his life to, and he’d lost his son. All in one horrible year.

“How long ago was that?” Adrian asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the table.

“A little over a year.”

“And you’re still drifting.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I lost my family and my job. It’s hard to start over when there’s no center.”

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to move on?” she asked.

Wasn’t that why he was doing this wicked errand for Tiffany, for the promise of a new life? “Maybe. But it won’t come without...work.”

“Speaking as someone who has hit rock bottom—” she lifted her bottle in toast “—it’s not easy, but it can happen.”

There was the source of that shrewd judgment he’d seen under the surface. She was a single mother who had obviously been through hell with her ex and had come out on top—and all the better for it. Lifting his own beer bottle, he tapped it against the neck of hers. “Thanks.”

“Be careful, though,” she added. “Make sure the ends justify the means and you don’t end up hurting someone you love in the process.”

Someone you love. She was speaking of his son. But he couldn’t help thinking of Briar back at the tavern. When had he gone from thinking of her as the pretty innkeeper to someone you love?

Gavin was that someone. Gavin was his only chance at a content life, happiness. He couldn’t lose sight of that for one second, especially where Briar Browning was concerned.

CHAPTER FIVE

NEAR TEN O’CLOCK, Adrian and Cole made it back to the tavern. Standing outside the doors, the jukebox could be heard blaring an old Hank Williams song. Adrian smiled at him. “Pretty rowdy in there.”

“Is it always like this?” Cole wondered aloud.

“Liv lives for it,” Adrian said. “She’s as rowdy as three drunks on a bad night. She’s got help, Monica Slayer, most evenings. On others, we try to lend a hand, whoever has less to do. But if she had to, Olivia could hold this place up with one hand and have strength to spare.”

Cole hesitated before asking his next question. As far as Briar was concerned, his curiosity wouldn’t stop prodding. Though he and Adrian had talked of little else but the inn and the three shops adjacent to it all night long, he’d managed to keep the subject off the innkeeper. Until now. “And Briar?”

Adrian lifted her shoulder. “She’s been doing what she does ever since...well, she had to, really. But it’s wearing her down. She refuses help, but we can all see the responsibility of the inn weighs on her, heavily. The past year’s been especially difficult.”

“Her mother,” Cole surmised. Yes, he’d heard more of the conversation between Briar and whoever she’d been on the phone with than he’d have liked. The more he learned about Briar and why the inn was in such bad financial straits, the more he was riddled by guilt over what he was doing there.

“Yes,” Adrian said and not much more. Solidarity, he knew. Her dark eyes slit, scrutinizing. “Why are you so curious about Briar?”

Shifting, he glanced out over the bay. “She just... It really seems like she... I don’t know. Needs someone.”

Her lips pursed. “You’re interested in her.”

Alarm filtered through him swiftly. “I’m not the kind of man she needs.” It was the truth—as much for himself as to assure her.

Adrian lifted her chin in a short nod. “Not everyone’s brave enough to share the load she has. Or care for her the way she deserves to be cared for.”

Words formed on his tongue, but he stopped them before they could spill out. “You’re right about that.”

Her hand lifted to his arm. “Cole, I like you. And it’s because I like you that I’m going to be completely honest with you. Briar’s one of my oldest friends, and I don’t want to see her hurt again. If you’re just passing through, it’s best just to leave things be.”

He frowned over her shoulder at the bay again. “Adrian, I never had any intention—”

“I know,” she said with a small smile. “But I saw the way you were looking at her today.”

Avoiding her gaze again, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You’re looking out for her. I get it. But trust me. The last thing I want is to cause Briar any trouble.” Veering around her to the tavern door, he reached for the handle. “And you’re right. That’s all I’d ever be to her.”

“Cole—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, pushing the door open. “I’ll see you around, Adrian.” Before she could reply, he shouldered his way in, losing himself in the crowd.

He could use another stiff drink.

The place was twice as crowded as before. Over the heads of the people on the barstools, he caught a glimpse of the two women working there.

Cole edged toward the wall to avoid getting shouldered by any of the people milling about. For a moment, he simply observed.

Briar maneuvered her way through the crowd with two large pints of draft beer in each hand. She took them to a table, set them down and pocketed the patrons’ money. The gracious smile she aimed at them sucked Cole in. Made his pulse dance irregularly in that dark place it’d dwelled during the past few years.

Cole watched as a large man with a ruddy face coated with a prickly red goatee cornered Briar, laying beefy hands on her shoulders. She jerked in surprise, spinning around only to find herself locked between his solid, two-hundred-and-fifty-pound bulk and the wall behind her. His booming voice resonated across the tavern. “Careful there, little lady. Don’t want you to trip and hurt that sweet face.”

“Then you shouldn’t stand in my blind spot, Clint.” She tried to outmaneuver him by ducking under his arm. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have orders to fill.”

“Why the rush?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and steering her toward a table near the back of the room where lights were dimmer and Olivia didn’t have quite so well a view of what transpired between her patrons. Cole saw Briar’s eyes flash around the room, looking for an escape. He took several steps forward.

Clint’s meaty paws squeezed her shoulders and he leered close as his buddies at the table looked on and sniggered. “Give me some sugar. You know you want to.”

She turned her nose up, digging an elbow into the man’s ribs in another effort to dislodge his attentions. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Clint. Now knock it off so I can get back to work.”