“It’s settled, then.” Dixie turned on her heel and hurried into the back.
What’s settled?
Noah seemed oblivious to Dixie’s assumption as he dipped a spoon in the stew and blew on it. “How was the Loose Moose?”
“Lovely. With a really comfy bed.” She turned to Charlie. “You’ve done a nice job updating it.”
Charlie polished off his coffee-colored stout. His bowl was already empty. “Thanks. It’s been a fun project.”
She looked between the brothers. “How did the place get its name?”
Charlie stood. “All, yours, bro.” He patted Noah’s shoulder and loped toward the back.
Noah finished off a bite. “The owners added egress windows to the basement years ago because they were popping out kids and needed more room. One day they heard a loud crash and ran downstairs. Somehow, a moose yearling had fallenintothe window well, breaking out the glass and landinginsidethe basement.”
Hailey’s mouth swung open. “What happened?”
“Wildlife officers tried to coax it out, but it turns out that holding kibble and saying, ‘Here boy,’ isn’t a good approach for a panicky moose.” His chest rumbled with a chuckle.
“Gee, imagine that,” she deadpanned.
“They eventually tranquilized it and hauled it up the stairs. They had to take out railings and doorjambs to get it out. I guess it was quite a mess. Charlie says there’s a framed newspaper article that usually hangs on one of the living room walls, but the owners stashed it during the rehab.”
“Did Charlie get to restore it?”
“No. It happened twenty-some years ago, so he would’ve been about six years old. But if he’d been old enough, he definitely would’ve landed the job.”
“Small-town favoritism?”
“No, he’s that good. Don’t let Mr. Casual fool you. He’s got a heavy dose of OCD and goeswaybeyond specs. He has a waiting list of clients from all over the Western Slope, including some Aspenites trying to hire him.”
“Not the guy who owns Dell’s, though, right?”
Noah’s brows knotted in puzzlement. “Right, but how did you know about Dell’s?”
Oops!Hailey let out a high-pitched noise meant to be a laugh. “It’s amazing how much a girl can pick up in this town in such a short time.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t take long to get the lowdown on everyone. I gather you know he and I aren’t exactly friendly rivals.”
She busied her mouth sipping her soda. “So I’ve heard.”
“If he weren’t such an arrogant dumbass, he wouldhave hired Charlie. Dell’s has been under construction for six months, but he can’t get shit to pass because his contractor doesn’t understand the town’s codes.”
“Is his contractor a dumbass too, or is he not a real contractor?”
“I think he’s legit, but we’re a historic district, and we have strict construction codes. Charlie’s on the building committee, and he helps shape those codes. Why not hire the guy who knows that shit inside and out? Instead, the guy’s out the wazoo on the remod and is stuck serving out of his outdated kitchen.” Noah flashed a devilish smile. “Not that I’m complaining.”
She watched as he dug into his stew with gusto and took a few more bites of her own meal. “What’s up with Bowen Street anyway?”
He raised a questioning gaze to hers. “It’s the main street through town.” The statement came out as a question; the only bit he left out was “duh.”
“Iknewthat. But Dixie alluded to something else, like the street is significant, and I should know why.” Hailey pushed her bowl to the side.
“Oh. She probably meant it’s our mother’s maiden name.” He placed his empty bowl to the center of the table, rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt, and shoved the waffle-weave up his forearms. Her mind took a detour down Weird Alley to ponder whether Noah sported any tattoos like those she’d noticed on Charlie.
She gave herself a mental shake. “You mean, like your mother coincidentally has the same last name or …”
“The ‘or’ part. Our mother—our father too—is descended from the original founders of Fall River.”
