Page 43 of Billionaire Unexplained: Kaleb

“You finally got yourself a woman, Kaleb?” Silas asked as he started to prepare the coffees.

Silas moved like a guy half his age sometimes, especially when he expertly served up a fancy coffee or a tall glass of beer on tap.

I shook my head as Silas sent me a quizzical look.

Fuck! I loved this town and most of the people here, but I occasionally hated the way everyone expected to know my business. “Like she said,” I answered shortly. “She’s here for a visit.”

Anna merrily introduced herself to Silas and explained her cover story about being here for business.

“Silas Turner, young lady,” the older man said as he slid a mug topped with whipped cream in front of Anna. “But you can just call me your boyfriend.”

Nonplussed, Anna shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Silas asked with a frown as he put her cinnamon roll in front of her.

“I’ve heard rumors about you, Silas Turner,” Anna teased. “You aren’t a one woman man, and I like a guy who knows how to be faithful.”

Silas chuckled because he liked Anna’s sassy attitude. “I’d give them all up for you.”

Anna stirred the whipped cream into her coffee and picked up her fork to devour her cinnamon roll. “I’m pretty sure all charming two-timers probably say that,” she said lightly.

Silas laughed again as he pushed my coffee across the bar to me. “She’s a feisty one,” he observed.

“You have no idea,” I said flatly as I took my coffee.

“I hope you’re going to show her around and have some fun while she’s here. You could use a little sunshine like her,” Silas said seriously, dropping his flirty tone. “You work too much. Your mama tells me that all the time.”

“Like you can talk about working too much?” I asked him. “You never bothered to retire, and you’ve worked hard your entire life.”

“I’d be bored to death if I had nothing to do. And I only work here in the mornings now most of the time. I got help to handle the bar at night. I know how to have fun, boy, and I’m a whole lot older than you are. You and your brothers are wasting your best years.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

“Hi, Kaleb. Are you going to introduce me to the new girl in town?” a soft female voice asked.

I turned to look at Tina, a woman close to my mother’s age who owned the only beauty parlor in town.

Anna stopped downing her coffee and cinnamon roll like she needed them to stay alive and smiled at Tina.

She didn’t wait for me to provide an introduction.

Anna grinned at the woman. “I’m Anna Moore.”

Tina introduced herself, and Anna started talking to the older woman like she was an old friend.

I had to hand it to Anna. If she wasn’t already a superstar in music, she could probably be an actress. She had Tina smiling and chatting in no time by asking about her salon.

Anna had a way with people. Most likely because they could sense that she was genuinely interested in what they had to say.

Eventually, a small group formed around us to meet Anna.

Not a single person suspected that they were conversing with Annelise.

“Look at that,” Silas observed with a snort as he moved right in front of my seat at the bar. “You’ve lived here most of your life, you’ve turned into a very rich and powerful business guy, and your lady friend is more popular than you are.”

“She’s prettier than I am,” I told the older man as I started to relax.

“I’m not about to argue with you about that,” Silas commented. “She’s sweeter, too.” He leaned his elbows on the bar, getting closer to me so no one else could hear him. “Do you want some advice?”

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