Page 104 of Worth the Chase

“Is this typical?” he asked.

I shook my head right as a bunch of men crowded the bar and stared at me.

“Gentleman,” I said because I couldn’t greet each one of them by name. There were just too many, and to be honest, I didn’t know everyone who was currently staring at me with concern and sympathy in their expressions.

“We heard what happened.”

That was all it took. One person to speak first, and they all started talking over one another, each one louder than the last.

“Yeah, we wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“No one messes with our girl!”

“Do you need anything?”

“My wife baked you a pie.”

A pie suddenly appeared on top of the bar, and I could smell it through the cellophane wrapping.

“Thank you,” I managed to say through my shock.

The people of Sugar Mountain had literally left their homes to make sure that I was okay. I put both hands in the air to quiet the group, feeling like a school teacher trying to calm a bunch of rowdy kids after they’d eaten a bunch of sugar.

“I really appreciate that you all came in here to check on me.” I started to speak, but when I looked up and noticed that there was literally a line of locals waiting to make their way to the bar, I lost it. It was so unexpected and kind. The tears that filled my eyes and blurred my vision started rolling down my cheeks.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. We just want you to know that we care about you.”

“This wasn’t your fault—you know that, right?”

“I do know that,” I responded, even though I had no idea who had even asked.

The next hour went on in exactly the same manner. People poured in to come andsee me with their own eyes. There were more baked goods. Numerous offers to beat the guy to a pulp and a lot of questions about how Matthew O’Grady was handling the news and what Chief Marin was doing to catch the guy who had tried to hurt me.

I answered everything the best that I could, knowing that the gossip mill would do its job and spread the word so I didn’t have to keep dealing with the same questions over and over again for the next week. And while I didn’t particularly enjoy being the subject of town gossip, their concern made me feel loved and cared for when I’d least expected it. And it also filled Ben in on the events of the night before so that I didn’t have to.

Speaking of, he’d been amazing behind the bar today. I forgot what it was like to have a coworker who knew what they were doing and didn’t break a glass every ten seconds. He also seemed to really like the atmosphere, so I was hopeful that he’d stay for the long haul.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that it was finally almost closing time when the bells on the door chimed. My eyes moved to the door on instinct, and I noticed Matthew walking in. Our eyes met, and a small smile crept over his face as he made his way toward me.

“Hey, babe,” he said as soon as he sat down at one of the stools. Most of them were empty now.

“Hi. Fancy seeing you here.” I grinned because it was nice to see him. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having him hang around.

“Matthew, this is Ben. Ben, this is my boyfriend, Matthew,” I said, introducing the two to one another. Even though he’d worked at the Saloon, he wasn’t usually bartending when Matthew hung out.

“I know who you are, man. Nice to meet you,” Ben said as he reached out his hand and gave it a shake.

“Nice to meet you too,” Matthew said before dropping his cell phone on top of the bar.

“Do you want a drink, or can I get you a beer?” Ben asked.

Matthew shook his head slowly. He barely seemed to drink anymore. He’d take a few sips of a beer now and then before throwing the rest out. I guessed he really had drunk more than normal just to be around me.

“Nah. I’m good, thanks. Was there any trouble today?” Matthew directed the question toward Ben, and I watched as he dried off a glass while he spoke.

“Not that I saw.”

“That’s good. Let’s hope it stays that way,” Matthew added, and I felt like I wasn’t even in the room anymore.

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