“Let’s think up a plan, then,” I say.
“Plan?”
“For you to get the girl. Unless you’re planning on simply appearing on her doorstep?”
His lip curls. “That was the idea.”
“Not good enough.” I dismiss the thought. “Has she shown any interest after you ran away?”
“She sent me a text. Said my dad was asking after me.”
“That’s good.” I ponder this. “Yeah.”
“Is it? She couldn’t sound more disinterested.”
“She wrote,” I say. “That is something. Your dad could easily have called you himself.”
“He did, later,” he admits. “Not that I’d talk to him about this.”
“Yeah. I feel that. Some things are not family-friendly material.” Not that I have any such experience. “So… a plan.”
“A plan about what?” a new, bass male voice says and a literal shadow falls over us.
“Atticus,” Zach breathes.
“You!” I snarl. It’s the older guy who decided to punch me for fun as I’d talked to Coco, acting as if he owned her. I jump off my stool and glower, ready to pick up where we left off. “Back for more? What the fuck do you want?”
He chuckles. The fucker chuckles at me and scratches his gray beard. “I own this place.”
“Bullshit,” I snarl. “Own as in…?”
“I’m the main shareholder.”
“Fuck. This’s news to me,” I mutter. “I’ll still punch your face, you entitled asshole.”
He chuckles some more. “I guess I deserve this.”
“You sure do. What the hell.” Scowling, I turn away. “Looks like I should stay away from here from now on.”
“Don’t,” he says gruffly. “That night… I thought you were pushing her into something. I realize in hindsight that I might have been wrong.”
I go still. Then I turn back around. “Are you… apologizing?”
He bites his lip. Grins. “Let’s call it… a confession.”
My hands curl into fists. “Not good enough.”
Zach is watching us, sipping his drink. “This should be interesting.”
“Want any popcorn with that?” I growl.
Zach laughs. “I’m good.”
“Yeah, both of you, keep laughing.” I lift a hand in a brief salute. “I’m outta here.”
“Wait,” Atticus says. “Let’s have a drink.” He snaps his fingers at the bartender. “Drinks!”
I turn my glare back on him. “Why should I have a drink with you?”
