Page 12 of The Fixer

Germaine slid from her barstool and flounced to the front door. Dixie turned a cocked russet eyebrow on Joy. “Might want to watch who you tangle with next time.”

“But I … I didn’t start it …” she trailed off as Dixie turned her back and rushed to the front podium, where more people had crowded in. “What’s Dell’s?” she called after Dixie’s retreating form.

Mere seconds passed before a new body slid onto the stool beside Joy. “Dell’s is a run-down salmonella factory jokingly called a restaurant one street over.” The new barstool occupant beamed a smile at Charlie and greeted him in a kittenish voice. “Hi, Charlie.”

He beamed one right back and added a wink. “Hey, Neve. The usual?”

Was the barstool some kind of rotating portal for women hot to trot after Charlie Hunnicutt? No idea, but the fodder Joy was gathering glued her butt to her stool. She had the best seat in the house for watching thesekooky characters and one contractor who was giving her all kinds of ideas—for her book—with each breath of his carved chest.

Chapter 4

Charlie Hearts Zoe

“Well, that was interesting.Can’t remember the last time I threw a woman out of my bar,” Noah mumbled beside Charlie as he scooped crushed ice into a glass.

“Well, you didn’t exactlythrowher out, and that woman is Germaine, so …”

“Good point, baby bro.” Noah fastened his eyes on Hailey’s retreating form as she sashayed into the dining room to deliver drinks.

Baby bro.God, Charlie hated that. They were only two years apart.

“Jesus Christ, you live with the woman! You can’t peel your eyes off her for one second?”

“What’s eating you?”

Charlie slid his gaze toward Joy Holiday. She had pulled out a notebook, whose white pages she was attacking with a sloppy scrawl. Huh. She was left-handed too. She glanced up at him, frowned, and quickly looked away. Her writing seemed to speed up. What the hell was she doing? Cataloging his every move? Writing down bullet points for all the reasons she wanted to fire his ass before he could even get started?

“Besides you calling me ‘baby bro’? Just frustrated that they’re dragging their heels on the train depot reno.”

“That’s it? If that’s the case, then ‘baby bro’ definitely fits. I thought you resolved yourself to the long haul just a week ago. Figures your patience didn’t go very far.”

“No, though having all my cash tied up is making for some sleepless nights.” Charlie puffed out a breath.

“Ha! Don’t whine to me about your cash being tied up.”

Charlie ignored him and groused, “There’s also this job that isn’t lining up the way I expected. As for that little scene, the bony dark-haired one started it when she bragged about her eight-hundred-dollar shoes.”

“Herwhat?”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Who is she anyway?”

“Joy Holiday. My new client.”

“Oh shit.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Charlie flashed his brother a fake smile before handing Neve her margarita. “There you go, Doc. Sweet and salty, just like you.”

“Aw, Charlie, you say the nicest things.” She raised her glass to him and took a sip, her blue eyes twinkling.

Neve Embry was the town vet and had grown up with Charlie and his brothers. She was one of Charlie’s closest female friends—without benefits, though most of the town believed they swapped benefits on a weekly if not nightly basis. Usually, their assumptions didn’t bother him. Neve was beautiful, funny, smart as hell, and an awesome vet. What manwouldn’twant people thinking they were together? His oldest brother, Reece, was the only one Charlie could think of. Reece was sure something was going on between Charlie and Neve, and Charlie couldn’t convince him otherwise.What a dumbass.

Charlie helped Noah prepare an assembly line of cocktails which were whisked away by Hailey and Luanne, one of the tavern’s longtime waitresses. With a break in the action, Noah nudged him to the end of the bar, out of Joy’s earshot. “So she’s Helene Holiday’s other daughter?”

“Yeah, and she’s a real piece of work. She wanted to demolish Helene’s store!”

Noah’s mouth twitched with a knowing smile. “Got it. She definitely started off on the wrong foot with you.”

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