She pointed her chin toward the bar. Standing behind it was a sandy-haired man, good-looking, though not in a “Grado boys” kind of way. I’d learned that was what Cos and his brothers were known as. If I’d thought I’d been the only one to recognize their unusual good looks, I was mistaken. Not surprisingly, the Grado boys were considered prime real estate in the bachelor market around here. Thayle’s words, not mine.
“Owen Smith,” she said. “His family owns the bar.”
I raised my pint glass to him, and Owen nodded, smiling. More accurately, flirting.
“They’re the same ones that own the general store too?”
“Yep. And half of Kitchi Falls. Owen’s the same age as Cos, or maybe he’s only thirty-one. Not sure. But his dad recently retired too. Owen manages the store and the bar.”
“KC Taphouse,” I murmured, mulling over the name. “Is the ‘KC’ derived from Kitchi Corners?”
“Yep. The store came first. Not sure when the bar opened, but it’s been here as long as me. Back in the day, my dad would bring me in here when I was still underage. I sat over there.” She pointed to tables in the corner by the pool table. “And did my homework.”
“I can’t imagine it was easy to concentrate on homework in a bar.”
“It wasn’t. But my mom died when I was six and my dad was an alcoholic. So,” she shrugged, “I spent a lot of time in here.”
Jesus. “I’m so sorry, Thayle. I had no idea.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” I could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. “How about you? Mom? Dad?”
“My parents divorced when I was young. After about ten years old or so, I didn’t hear from my father much. He kind of moved on.”
“From his own daughter?”
Like her, it wasn’t something I loved to discuss. “Yep. Mom remarried twice. She’s with number three in North Carolina. I like the new one, though. Hopefully third time’s the charm.”
Thayle raised her glass. “Here’s to not having a perfect childhood and coming out on the other side.”
I clinked glasses with her and drank. “Do you actually know anyone who did have the perfect childhood?”
She thought about that as a new song came on the jukebox. And I didn’t mean a digital one. It was as old-fashioned as you got, just like the inside of this bar. And the entire town. Kitchi Falls was like taking a step back in time. When I’d first arrived with Thayle and headed to the ladies’ room, I’d stopped short as I encountered a cigarette machine. Thankfully, it was a nonsmoking bar, but the machine was completely stocked. I tried to imagine seeing that in the city.
“No. I mean, with the exception of the Grados.”
“Are they really as perfect as they seem?”
“Well,” she said, “I wouldn’t say perfect. Mr. Grado Senior can be tough at times. GVV is his baby and I think there’s a lot of pressure there because of him, even after he retired. But you’d never know it as an outsider. He’s one of the most gregarious guys you’ll ever meet. And Mrs. Grado keeps him in line.”
“What’s she like?”
I noticed Owen looking at me from the corner of his eye. Didn’t someone say he had a girlfriend? I reminded myself to ask Thayle.
“You met Min, right?”
“Yep.”
“Then you’ve met Mrs. Grado. They are literally like the same person separated by a few decades.”
“And you guys grew up together?”
“We met in kindergarten and have been friends since. She’s more like a sister to me. But I swear, I never in a million years imagined I’d end up working at Grado. Min, on the other hand, has known forever that she wanted to help run the family business.”
“But here you are.”
Thayle took a big swig of beer, so I did the same.
“Here I am.” She glanced around the bar. “Kitchi Falls. Love it or hate it, this town, the lake, all of it, gets into your soul. I just have to shake off some of the cobwebs of my past still. Otherwise, it’s really not all that bad. Especially working with your best friend.”