Page 50 of Movers and Shakers

“Really?” He had to have broken his sobriety. As much as I wanted to believe he had stopped drinking, I didn’t. I leaned in, using my nose to try and detect any of his favorite habit.

“Are you smelling me?”

“I’m making sure you’re not drunk.”

“I quit.”

Okay, maybe I was wrong.

“You could have broken,” I said, “but I forgot how stubborn you and Ruth can be.” My anger was fading at his sheerconfusion and now I doubted he knew a damn thing. “Just forget I was here.”

His hand clamped on my shoulder. “Why would you come visit me because I asked about Lila Wilde? Was it just to see if I was drunk?”

Why was he touching me? Why was he even beingnice?Weren’t we supposed to hate each other? I shrugged it off and he pulled away. “It’s nothing.”

“It?”

I turned to him. “Since when is what I do of any interest to you? Aren’t you too busy running the family business?”

“It’s not that hard to run it.”

“Dad made it seem that way.”

“I’m not Dad.”

I appraised him. “Head of the company? Telling me running it isn’t hard? Could have fooled me.”

I expected him to snap back. I certainly would have if I were in his shoes.

But he didn’t.

“Fair enough,” he replied. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

I didn’t expect to see his eyes on the ground. He looked smaller, like he was filled withregret.

And he’d never looked less like Dad to me.

“Really?”

“Yes. I already asked Ruth about her and she told me to come to you, but I should have known you wouldn’t want to be bothered. I’m sorry. For both bothering you and for pushing you to talk about your life.”

You accused him andhe’sapologizing?that little voice said.Come on, Barry.

“No.” It hurt to admit I was in the wrong, but it was the right thing to do. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I came over here in the wrong headspace.”

“Because I asked about Lila Wilde?”

“Yes. You asking—you even just texting me—came out of nowhere. I thought that if you were drunk, you might be using the fact that she’s been in the bar to get something from me.” And she’d just left, souring my mood even further. Clarity felt like a bucket of cold water. “But that’s a Dad move. Not you.”

“Why would anyone care if she’s been in a bar?”

For such an intelligent man, I didn’t get how he wouldn’t see it.

“A major pop star? In a small bar in Nashville? It’s not like her. Her fans would pick it apart and they’d find me. Do you know what would happen if Lila was connected to anyone other than that boyfriend of hers?”

“I don’t.”

“It would be like what happened with Ruth, but twenty times worse.”

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