Colton frowned. “I didn’t know you were in the landlord business.”
“I’m not.” I hesitated, but it wasn’t a secret. He’d find out one way or another about Wren. This was a small town. Frankly, I was surprised he hadn’t heard of the new Yankee waitress at the grill. “She happened to need a place to stay, and I had one available.” My tone was light, but Colton’s gaze widened, his expression clearing as a wide smile spread over his lips.
“Atlas Ranes,” he scolded. “You’ve gotten yourself a girl and haven’t told me about her? What the hell, man?”
He stood from his chair and ambled over, clapping me on the back.
I pulled back, not a hint of a grin in my expression. “She’s not my girl,” I snapped, sounding more defensive than I intended. “She’s new in town and needed a place to stay. She was sleeping in the damn park, Colton. I couldn’t leave her on the streets.”
Colton stiffened, his face falling. “Are you serious?” He leaned against my desk, staring at me in disbelief. “Where did she even come from?”
“Somewhere up North, I think.” I still hadn’t asked around about her, but I knew she was from somewhere that wasn’t the southern United States. From her reactions sometimes, I think she might have come from the city. Not that she acted like a city girl, exactly. But the way she looked at the town and the river from up on the bluff, with this sort of mystified look on her face, made me think she hadn’t seen much of the world or what nature had to offer.
“You think?” Colton leaned toward me, his eyebrows shooting so far up his forehead they almost disappeared into his thick, jet-black hair. “You don’t know? Why is she here?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t asked.”
Colton blinked. “You haven’t asked? This chick is living on your property, and you don’t even know where she’s from?” He shook his head. “You should look her up in the database.”
Heat rose up my spine as I shook my head. “No.” I wasn’t going to spy on her. Wren would share what she wanted to, whenever she wanted to share it. It wasn’t my business to use my resources to look her up. I wanted her to tell me herself.
“So, you’re letting a girl you found sleeping in the fucking park live at your house without asking her anything about herself?” He sounded stunned.
I supposed it sounded ridiculous when he put it like that. But that’s not how it was. Wren wasn’t just some girl. She was…my friend.
I met Colton’s eyes with a hard, piercing stare. “Just because someone is struggling doesn’t mean they don’t deserve grace. I’m not here to judge her. I’m just trying to help her. She has a job at the grill, and Ty says she’s a hard worker. I don’t care where she came from. I care about where she’s going and how I can help her get there.”
Colton let out a long breath, crossing his arms over his chest. “Okay, okay. I get it.” He looked me over, his eyes softening. “You’re a good one, Atlas. Be careful, all right?”
My brow furrowed. “Be careful about what?”
He gave me a knowing expression. “Girls, man. Women. They have this ability to steal your beating heart right out of your chest, especially when you’re least expecting it.”
He looked away, his face crumpling as he swallowed hard. He got a far-off look, one I recognized: grief.
Colton didn’t grow up in Cypress Falls, so I didn’t know his whole story, but something brought him here. Something big enough to make him run and hide away in a sleepy little town like this.
I stood from my chair, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Wanna get a beer later? I could go for a cold one and a basket of fries after this shift.”
Colton shook away the lingering sadness and grinned, though it was somber and not his usual one.
“Yeah.” He nodded, turning his back on me as he headed back to his desk. “That sounds good.”
The Riverfront Grill was bustling with people coming off the dinner rush. Colton and I sauntered through the front doors and the hostess greeted us with a dazzling smile.
“Hey boys,” she said with a wave. “Taking the bar tonight?”
I nodded, and she held up a laminated paper. “Go on up then. Y’all need a menu?”
I glanced at Colton, and he shook his head as we approached the staircase. “Not tonight, Lily, but thanks.” He winked and a flush crept up Lily’s neck before she turned hastily back to the entrance.
We climbed the stairs to the bar set against the right-side wall. A football game was playing on the mounted TVs. Colton glanced at the score as we took our seats at the high top and grumbled under his breath, obviously dissatisfied with the way the game was going. I didn’t care much for football, which was akin to a sin down here, so I didn’t talk about it much.
Ty popped his head up from behind the bar. I wasn’t surprised to see him, but a trickle of nervousness ran down my spine as our eyes met. He’d been avoiding me at the house. His lip was still swollen, and a yellow bruise marred his cheek and jaw. A bruise that matched the ones on my knuckles.
Colton cleared his throat. “I like what you’ve done to your face, Ty.”
My heart sank, and Ty’s eyes flicked to Colton. “Shut up, asshole,” he grumbled.