He glanced at Twister, who gave a small nod.
“Cord, ma’am.”
“Nice to meet you, Cord.”
He nodded again and went to pour my soda.
“You own a bar, but you’re not a drinker?”Twister asked.
Cord set my soda in front of me and then disappeared.
I took a sip and shrugged.“Happens when you’re around something all the time.Britta barely eats burgers anymore after making them constantly.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense, doll.”
“So, when are you guys going to be done with the renovations?”I asked.
Twister grunted.“We’ve been a bit derailed.Had some city inspector drop in today and drop a bunch of violations on us this morning.”
My jaw dropped.“Are you serious?”
Twister nodded.“As a fucking heart attack, doll.Guy was so full of shit.He didn’t even come in to look around.Said there were some public complaints against us and then said the permits we applied for don’t apply to the work we are doing.”
“Did he tell you what permit you needed?”
He shook his head.“No, and it wouldn’t really fucking matter because I didn’t apply for any fucking permits.This is our home that we’re fixing up.Pretty sure building a few walls, slapping some paint on them, and putting in new floors doesn’t need permits with the fucking city.”
“Maybe it’s all a technicality,” I said.“I’ve dealt with the city before, and it was all pretty easy.I had to change the ownership of the bar into my name, and it was totally painless.I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding.”
Twister sipped my beer.“Gramps is looking into it.He lives for paperwork and numbers.We’ll get it figured out.”
I set my drink down.“You know what I think you need?”
“What do I need, doll?”His eyes connected with mine, and my heart fluttered.
I cleared my throat and took a quick sip of my Coke.“Have you had a chance to explore Madison more?”
He shook his head.“Not much time.Clubhouse and Saints’ Smash has kept us busy.And now with this permit violation shit...”
“The what?”
“Saints’ Smash,” he said with a grin.“That’s what we’re calling it.”
I laughed.“That’s actually kind of brilliant.”
I drained my Coke.“It seems like you have a bit of time now.How about a guided tour?”
He raised a brow.“From you?”
I smiled.“Why not?”
Chapter Sixteen
Twister
She smelled like vanilla and wind.
Tempi's arms were wrapped tight around my middle, and her cheek rested between my shoulder blades.The city blurred around us as we rumbled down State Street.The buildings on either side were glowing with that soft, sleepy amber from streetlamps and neon signs.
