Amy pursed her lips. “Two reasons. One, to make him jealous so he’ll be motivated to put a ring on it. Two, Ursula wants a meal ticket, and the fatter, the better. Noah’s like an insurance policy she keeps in her back pocket in case someone wealthier doesn’t come along. Those are the prevailing theories anyway.”
“Is hethatrich?” Wealth was an unpleasant vibe Hailey had dealt with plenty of times—one that often came with an equal dose of entitlement—but Noah didn’t put off those airs.
“The family’s got money. I think she’s counting on him having access to the fortune someday. She helped him blow two million right after he got his hands on his trust fund money eight or nine years ago, and I expect it’s tough to give that up once you’ve gotten a taste.”
Hailey nearly spat out the cappuccino she’d swallowed seconds before.“Dollars?”Amy nodded. “How do you go through two million dollars?”
“You rent mega-yachts for you and your closest friends and travel around the Virgin Islands. You ski the most exclusive resorts in Europe. You buy luxury sports cars and wreck them because you also drink too much top-shelf liquor. Doesn’t take long to drain a bank account when you’re living instyle. Not that I would know,” she added playfully.
Hailey gasped. “Very few of us would.” Then again, she’d watched plenty of athletes party beyond their means, though not at the two-million-dollar level.
“I heard that once it was gone, his family cut off his access to the stack.”
Hailey sat back. “Wow. I wouldn’t have guessed. I mean, he’s got the tavern and a nice truck—”
“And loans to show for them.” Amy sipped her tea.
“But he seems soresponsible.” Hailey’s mind skipped to his precision with running his bar before leaping to the simple furnishings in his loft. “I guess running through two mil would do that to me too. No wonder Ursula has her sights on him,” she mumbled.
“Well, let’s not overlook another theory.”
Hailey raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Old family ties. A pairing of Fall River royalty. They may not wear crowns, but the old guard likes matching their offspring to other founding families. I always thought that’s why Ursula and Noah were together, almost like it was prearranged between their families. Her family goes back almost as far as Noah’s, but unlike the Hunnicutts, the Joneses lost their fortune a few generations back.
“It reminds me of those rich American women in the nineteenth century who traveled to England and married destitute lords. She got a fancy title attached to her name, and he got money to keep the family estate from crumbling. Only in this case, it’s the penniless lady and the wealthy male heir.” Amy’s dark brows crunched together. “I’m not sure what Noah gets out of the arrangement, though. Well, besides the most gorgeous woman this side of the Divide, but the price tag’s high. She comes with a boatload of headaches that can lead to a permanent frowny face.”
The most gorgeous woman. Hailey tried to ignore the salt being rubbed into the raw spot inside her.
Amy continued. “I know Noah’s super serious a lot of the time, but underneath that grumpy exterior beats the heart of a softie who has some whacked-out sense of loyalty. Why else would he put up with guys like Micky mooching off him?”
Hailey couldn’t disagree. Hewasa softie, even if he used scaly armor to hide his acts of kindness. Maybe she owed Noah Hunnicutt an apology after blowing off his attempts to see her last night. It wouldn’t recover the lost opportunity, but it would soothe her guilty conscience.
As her head spun, a mild ache settled in her chest. See? She was no good at this stuff, and here was one more reason why she couldn’t get carried away by rangy good looks—even if she couldn’t unsee his biceps and forearms bunching and elongating as he worked the cocktail mixer.
Amy’s words shook Hailey from the ridiculous vision. “It’s so much easier for us commoners. No one gives Micky and me a second thought unless they’re wondering why a local is with a newcomer.” Her smile told Hailey she didn’t mind what the locals thought of their relationship … though she should probably be concerned with how her lug nut-wrenching mechanic looked at other women.
“But you’ve lived here a long time,” Hailey pointed out.
“Unless you’re born here, you’re an outsider, especially if you look likeme.”
“Do people treat you poorly because of your … heritage? God, is that the right term, or am I muffing this whole thing and coming off as biased and extremely rude?”
Amy’s answering laugh was light and easy, putting Hailey at ease. “Not at all. I wish everyone was so candid. And while I run into haters once in a while, the people here treat me well, so it’s very comfortable. In case you’re wondering, my dad is Black Irish, and my mom’s family emigrated from Mumbai. When my parents met, it was love at first sight. It caused quite the scandal when he whisked her away.” A devilish grin sprouted on Amy’s face. “I see an epic romance novel in their love affair.”
“And I’d carry it in my Denver bookstore!”
Amy’s eyes popped wide. “You have a bookstore in Denver?”
“Not yet, but someday. That’s my dream, but I have a looong way to go.”
“I get that. Sometimes I wonder how on earth I started my own business. Besides needing a way to mainline coffee, it was probably a combination of naivety and feeling invincible, along with a healthy dose of cray-cray.”
“Nah, more like determination and guts.” Hailey gave Amy a friendly elbow bump. “I’m really impressed. You’re my hero.”
Amy’s dark eyes brightened. “Why not open your bookstore here? We could sure use one, and you’d be on the ground floor of the town’s revival.”
“Revival?”
