Page 96 of Broken on the Mountain
Travis immediately grabs a loaded chip, strings of cheese stretching obscenely as he pulls it toward his mouth. "God, I love this place."
"You love any place that feeds you," Knox points out. "Speaking of hungry bears, where's Beau?"
"Babysitting duty," Jamie says, grinning. "Molly needed someone to watch Maisie while she helps her sister with something. Beau drew the short straw."
"Beau Callahan. With a seven-year-old." Travis shakes his head. "I still can't believe that's a thing. Surely that's a disaster waiting to happen."
"Or, because Chase is moping around, it'll be the funniest thing that'll happen all week," Knox adds. "Twenty bucks says Maisie has him wearing a tiara by bedtime."
"I'm not moping!"
"Fifty says she's already convinced him to play tea party," Jamie counters, ignoring my like the rest of these assholes.
I take a pull from the beer Jamie brought. It's one of Charlie's newer craft selections, something hoppy with notes of citrus that's probably got some ridiculous name likeMountain Mist IPAorTimber's Tears.
It's good, though. Everything Charlie serves is good.
Jamie settles into the chair across from me, stretching his legs out. "Brooke's meeting us in a bit. She got held up with a patient at the station."
"How's she doing?"
"Good. Great, actually."
Something soft crosses Jamie's face. The same expression he gets whenever he talks about Brooke. Like he still can't quite believe she chose to stay.
If only I could have convinced my girl to stay.
"She's talking about expanding the clinic," Jamie continues. "Maybe hiring another nurse."
The wordnursehits different than it should, and I grab another dart to stop thinking about the prospect ofPiperbeing that 'other nurse.'
Knox leans against the wall beside me, arms crossed. "So when does your girl get in tonight? I'm assuming you're ditching us the second she lands."
The dart slips from my fingertips but I catch it before it hits the floor.
"What?"
Knox smirks and shakes his head. "Piper. You know, the hip to your hop. The ying to your yang."
"Oh." I frown. "She's not coming."
The words come out flat, like I'm reporting the weather at morning brief back at the station.
Travis is so shocked, he drops his dart. It bounces off the toe of his boot and clatters across the hardwood floor.
"What do you mean she's not coming?" Knox's voice goes sharp. "It's Friday."
"She's got a thing in Chicago."
"Athing?"
I line up another throw, but my hand's not steady. There's a reason I haven't told the guys why Piper's not here. Why she's not coming. I didn't wantthis.
"I thought she liked coming here." Knox's voice remains too high-pitched for a bearded mountain man. "Hoity-toity as she is, but still."
I shrug and take aim again. "Yeah, well. She's got some gala. For her parents' foundation."
"And she chose that over—" Travis gestures vaguely at the tavern, at Stone River, atme. "Over this?"
