“And y’all know how much I love this place, folks, and all y’all, too. I couldn’t retire and heal from what happened to me, to heal my heart, if I didn’t trust the new owner completely,” he said, looking across the room at Ethan.
Lily got a little choked up. God, she was glad she hadn’t killed him.
“But I know this place’ll be aw’right,” he said. “’cause I’m giving the keys to one of our own. Ethan Bubba Brand.” Then he shoved the mic into his back pocket and started a slow clap.
Everyone joined in the applause, albeit half-hearted, and Ethan looked Lily in the eyes.
“You’ve got this,” she said. “Face that nightmare head-on. Look around the room. These people want to be behind you. Now go tell ‘em what they need to hear. That you’re exactly who they always thought you were. Orrin’ll get the video for your manager. Two birds, right?”
“How do you always know what to say?”
“Trust me, I don’t.” It was an automatic reply, straight from her gut. She wanted Ethan, of all people, to know who she really was. She didn’t know the right thing to say. Her mom had, though. She’d just said what she thought the first Lily would have said.
He gave her a nervous nod, got up, and made his way to where Manny was standing. He did not need to climb up on the box as he stood a head above most people in the room.
He said, “Hey, folks,” and he waved awkwardly. A few people waved back, but most just watched him, waiting. “Y’all know my story. As a baby, I was left on the doorstep at the Texas Brand and adopted by Garrett, who married my aunt Chelsea. That’s the happy part of the tale and the part I don’t mind sharin’. But there’s a dark side to my hist’ry. The gossip rags got that part right. The man who sired me was a full-on criminal.”
A murmur rolled like a wave through the crowd. Lily got out of her seat without forethought and wove carefully and slowly through the patrons toward where Ethan and Manny were standing.
“And it’s true what you’ve read—that he…he killed my mother.”
This time the murmur was louder. Lily pushed a little more aggressively. No one was seated, everyone had risen on their feet to see and hear. She navigated between bodies and tables and chairs, trying to keep an eye on Ethan as she went. He looked shaky.
“’Course, I never knew him. I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I didn’t know much of anything. But now, well, he died in prison. And he named me in his will, but I’ve already declaimed it or disclaimed it or however you say it in legal terms. I don’t want his blood money.”
People muttered, and Lily heard snippets.
“Sure, he can afford to turn it down…”
“…could’ve done some good with that kinda money.”
“I knew he’d never take it. He’s a Brand, through and through.”
She stopped moving, because she’d broken through the crowd to the three feet of open space between her and Ethan. She turned, though, to see who’d spoken last. A reed-thin man with a handlebar mustache and a face like a baseball mitt sent her a wink and she knew it was him. He worked at the feed store, she thought. Arthur…something. Bryce, that was it. Arthur Bryce. He had Ethan’s back.
Lily moved closer to Ethan, out into the open space between them. He saw her and relaxed visibly. He wiggled his fingers at her, so she went up to stand beside him.
“What happened with this place is a little bit different,” Ethan began.
“Yeah, it’s different aw’right.” Manny reached up to pluck the mic right out of Ethan’s hand. “I sold it, an’ now it’s yours. What the people want to know, Bub—Ethan, is what you’re fixin’ to do with it.”
Manny and Ethan locked gazes for a long moment and Lily held her breath. Then Ethan’s chin lowered so slightly it was barely a movement at all. And yet, it spoke volumes. He was taking Manny’s unspoken advice to leave out the details of how the cantina came into his hands. It was nobody’s business, anyway.
Manny handed the microphone back to Ethan and said, “Tell ‘em, son.”
Ethan took it. Lily squeezed his hand.
“What I have in mind is to grow this place into a top-notch, full-fledged honky-tonk.”
Silence. Lily cupped Ethan’s hand with her own, pulled the mic down low where she could reach it, and said, “And he’s keeping the tacos.”
Applause burst out, swelling until she thought it should lift the rafters. Lily took the microphone from Ethan’s hand, found the button and turned it off, then handed it to Manny to put away.
“I was fixing’ to introduce you and tell ‘em how long it’ll be closed and whatnot,” Ethan said.
“Why not end on a high note?” she asked. “We can put the details out tomorrow.” She took Ethan’s hand and pulled him back toward the table.
He turned his hand around to clasp hers, though. She glanced back at him, surprised. Their eyes met, and his were full of something. He was probably grateful for the moral support.
