Page 83 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

Daryl picked up the glass and took a sip. He nodded and licked his lips. “Not bad. What is it?”

Despite himself, Cyril’s chest swelled a little at the praise. There’d been many times over the years that he’d made a blend or found a new beer and wondered if Daryl would like it. “It’s my blend.”

Daryl’s brows rose. “You make the beer here?”

“Not all of it. I typically stock from small local breweries and a few of the mainstream beers for those not into craft beer. I just make a small batch of my own brew each season. When it’s gone it’s gone.”

“And you’re wasting a glass on me?” Daryl asked with a raised brow.

Cyril shook his head. “It’s not a waste. I haven’t had a drink with my cousin in a while.”

Daryl let out a slow breath. He took another sip before his lips twisted into his crooked smile. “Remember when we used to sit and listen to our dads talk about work, life and women.”

Cyril let out a soft laugh. “Those were the best times. It’s why I opened this bar. I wanted a piece of those good days.”

“Did you use the insurance money to start this place?” Daryl’s voice wasn’t accusatory or angry, still the words put Cyril on the defensive.

Cyril met his cousin’s gaze. “Some, but not all. I took out a small business loan. Got a grant to help fill the gap.”

He nodded slowly. “My mom is sure you used up all of the insurance money to start over down here.”

“My dad was the primary beneficiary. He gave all the money to me. What I didn’t use for this—” he looked around the bar “—I put aside.”

“What are you saving it for?”

Cyril shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I just know that spending it all seems like letting go of the last thing my mom gave me. Even if it’s something I never wanted in the first place.” He lifted the glass and took a long swallow.

Daryl cocked his head to the side. “Now you know Aunt Vera would call you out for not using it.”

“I’d like to think she wouldn’t encourage me on this. I think she’d understand why I held on to it.”

“Probably so,” Daryl said softly.

They were quiet for a several minutes. Both sipping the beer and letting the memories of the past drift around them. Cyril’s impatience got the better of him. Sitting and talking with Daryl felt too much like old times. He couldn’t let his guard down.

“Why are you here, Daryl?” he asked. “Is it to scope out the place before Aunt Gayle comes to make accusations in front of all my customers?”

Daryl flinched. “She’s at the hotel. We’re staying in the hotel near the interstate.”

That answered one question. If he decided to visit her and try to talk it out, he knew where to go. That didn’t answer the rest of his questions. “Why didn’t she come here with you?”

Daryl leaned one elbow on the table. “When she walked around town earlier to try and get information on you and your dad, all anyone had to say was great things. It’s just like back home. Everyone loves the Dash men.”

“We don’t try to make people love us. We’re just here to start over.” Cyril was surprised he hadn’t heard about someone asking about him and his dad. Even more so that she hadn’t gone against the praises by accusing them of being murderers.

Daryl nodded. “I know that. I don’t blame you either. I’m glad you were able to start over.”

“Why didn’t she use the opportunity to ruin our names?” He tried to make light of the words, but they caught in his throat. Peachtree Cove was his home. When they first moved there, he hadn’t expected to care so much about the town or the people in it, but the connections they made meant almost as much as the connections he’d lost back home. His heart ached at the idea of having the people who’d welcomed him with open arms now shun him and push him away.

“She didn’t. She listened and the more she heard, the more she got mad.”

Cyril’s spine stiffened. “What is she going to do?”

“She’s trying to find the woman Uncle Preston is marrying. She says she’s here to make sure she knows the kind of man she’s marrying.”

“They’re not getting married anymore.”

Daryl blinked. “Are you saying that to get rid of us?”

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