Page 34 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

“Hey, darlin’, what can I get you?” Melanie brushed my shoulder on her way past. “Usual?”

“Please.”

“Coming right up.”

Kitty was a frequent visitor to this place, so I learned a lot about Melanie by association. She was a kind, deeply caring woman who had poured her heart and soul into this place. The events she used to host out back in the barn were sorely missed, but she didn’t have the funds to repair all the water damage.She often joked that the barn was one bad rainstorm away from complete collapse, and the sadness was clear in her eyes each time she laughed.

She, and so many like her, were being screwed over by Samuel. Time really did change people.

She set a glass of Scotch down in front of me with a wink, then moved on to serve another customer who had approached the bar. I toyed with the glass, watching the ice cubes tilt back and forth inside while some smooth jazz played from speakers buried behind too many bottles.

And my thoughts turned back to Kitty. I had given in to her. More than I should have. The imbalance with our age and my responsibilities played heavily on my mind. I liked her. I liked her a lot. More than I should. If I were a decent man, I would have handed in my resignation and walked away because she didn’t deserve someone like me hanging over her. Sure, she liked me back, but for how long? She was young. Feelings were fleeting. Me? I’d aged enough that once a feeling was concrete inside me, it stayed there. There was no escaping it.

I’d let her initiate most things to make sure I didn’t overstep, but did that really give her power? I couldn’t decide whether I was taking advantage of her or if I was just tricking myself because if I thought about it, if I really thought about it, what kind of life could I even give her?

If we wrapped up the threats against her life and everything turned out the way she wanted and she no longer needed me to protect her, would she still want me? Was my security part of the allure?

And if that were all true, would Kitty really want to spend her life with some old soldier? Surely, she would want the freedom of her youth rather than being attached to me.

Those thoughts and more wove around my mind like a sickness, and in the end, I tried to silence them by quickly draining my glass.

“Rough day?” Melanie appeared back in front of me as I set my glass firmly down on the coaster.

“Something like that.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Wouldn’t help.”

“You sure about that?”

When I glanced up at Melanie, she was smirking. “I’m sure.”

“You know, a problem shared is a problem halved. You’d be surprised at how amazing I am at giving out advice.”

“Are you looking to give advice or just digging for gossip?” I quirked a brow.

Melanie laughed and turned away from me. When she turned back, she had the bottle of Scotch in her hand. “Honey, if I wanted to gossip, I wouldn’t be trying to pry it out of you. I’d be talking to Mrs. Simmons over there. She's been sleeping with the new delivery driver for the flower shop, and she thinks no one knows about it.”

I followed the direction of Melanie’s nod to a blonde woman who was seated at a table with an older man. The man was speaking, but the woman was clearly more interested—and excited—by whatever was on her phone.

“Damn. Poor guy.”

“Oh, no.” Melanie snorted. “He’s been fucking that young thing down at the motel for over a year. They’re both as bad as each other.”

“Damn.”

“See? I don’t need you for gossip. But I do know the look of someone when they’re hung up on something. Or someone.”

That caught my attention immediately. I turned back and watched Melanie pour me another drink. Then, she set the bottle aside and leaned on the bar with both elbows.

“I’m not hung up.”

“Oh, come on. Yes you are. You think I didn’t see how you and Kitty were looking at each other the other day you were here? You were both seconds away from tearing each other's clothes off and fucking right here on the bar.”

An unexpected heat warmed my cheeks. “Was it that obvious?” If Melanie had worked it out, how long until the wrong person did?

“To me, sure. Because I know Kitty and I know when she’s into someone. Of course, she’s been into you for months, so it’s nice to finally see that you did something about it.”

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