After Skylar walked out of Peggy’s Pub, Ethan slid into the booth across from Lily. They ordered a couple more drinks and sat in silence. Eventually, he rubbed a hand over his face and drew himself up. When he met her gaze across the chipped table, his expression wasn’t creased with concern about a crime boss on their tail. It actually softened a tad.
“I’m sorry I blew you off when we checked into the lodge.”
She blinked. She’d been so focused on the Phantom that she hadn’t expected that. Oh, so we’re going there? That must be some bourbon.
“I guess I got kind of … scared.”
“You face down rapids and bears and defy the laws of gravity. What could you possibly be scared of?”
“Falling for you.”
She stared back, surprisingly calm. Compared to everything else, dealing with her feelings for a man was a reprieve. “Would that be so bad?”
“The opposite of bad. The best, really.” His mouth twitched into a smile, but the rest of his face didn’t join in. “But then what happens?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what I want to do with my life after this holiday.”
The server dropped off their fresh drinks, and Ethan became overly interested in the flier for the karaoke competition taped to the edge of their table. Okay, so maybe her family was right about the foot-in-mouth thing.
She nudged his foot with hers to get his attention. “But I know one thing I want.” She threw him a sincere look so he understood she meant him and not sex—okay, well, not just sex.
A boyish grin lit his face, and he nudged her foot back. He understood. “That’s a start. But it’s not you I’m really worried about. My last relationship … in fact, every relationship in my life, I inevitably screw up. Long distance is hard enough to maintain as it is. But with my track record …”
“So, you’re scared to even give it a shot? You’re going to have a tough time starting that family if you avoid relationships because they might fail.”
“I just … I don’t want to fail you. You deserve better than that.”
They held each other’s gaze, and she knew they were finally on the same page. But they were at an impasse. Neither of them seemed to be in a place for a one-night stand. He wanted a relationship with a better success rate than long-distance love, and she wasn’t sure she could be away from her family.
It all felt highly logical, like an argument presented in a courtroom. The lines had been drawn, yet the alcohol was strong and very effective after their long day. The lines were getting a little blurry.
She slid her drink away. “I think if we stay here any longer, I might get drunk … er.”
“We do have an early day tomorrow,” he said. “And we have to be on our guard. Skylar was right about avoiding credit cards. I can’t do anything about the payment for our rooms, since they already have my card info, but thankfully, I’ve got enough cash to get us to Seattle.”
Without another word, they got up and headed to the bar, where the till sat. Their server met them and pulled out the bill.
“Calling it an early night?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Ethan reached for his wallet. “We’re ready to …” He shoved his hand into his other pocket and fished around. Then he patted himself down before searching the sticky floor around them. “My wallet’s gone.”
Lily scanned the floor too. “Are you sure you brought it with you this morning?”
“I definitely didn’t leave it in the room.”
“I hope you didn’t lose it climbing.”
As a small group entered the pub, the server shifted her stance impatiently.
Lily stepped up to the till. “Why don’t I pay? Then we can look together.” She reached into her jacket pocket, the hidden one on the inside. The fabric felt too soft, too flexible beneath her fingertips. She gasped. “Mine’s gone too.”
The server’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to get Peggy, the owner.” She turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
Lily turned back to Ethan. “We could always ring someone. Your sister, maybe.”
“I am not calling my sister. We can call your mom.” There was a cheeky curl to his lips.
They both knew that would never happen. “Touché.”
He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “I can’t believe we were robbed.”
“Robbed?” She mentally ran through the events of the day. Then she caught sight of his “I told you so” expression. “Oh, no. Do not say Josh. He was perfectly lovely all day.” Except at the end, she added to herself. “He invited us to go rock climbing. He even put up with you tagging along and giving him a hard time.”
“Oh, please. Who else could it have been?”
“I don’t know. Your friend said that he couldn’t use his credit cards. Could he have taken ours instead?”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “He’s a good friend of mine. I’ve known him forever.”
“And Josh is my friend.”
“That’s completely different. You barely know him.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but it wasn’t important. What they needed was a solution. “If you’re so sure we were robbed, then why don’t we ring the sheriff’s office? We spoke to them earlier, so they already know we’ve had some trouble.”
“When I said the Phantom has eyes everywhere, that includes the authorities. We don’t know how far his reach goes. I’d rather not risk it.”
The server appeared again, so they stopped talking. A brawny woman in her thirties followed her. She wore a shirt that revealed her tattoo sleeves and a scowl that implied “bouncers need not apply.”
The server jerked a thumb their way. “This is them, Peg.”
She planted her fists on her hips. “I hear you two can’t pay your bill.”
Ethan straightened up like he was about to pull out his lawyer magic to get them out of the fix. What had Piper said? He had a silver tongue?
“I’m good for it,” he said. “We’re just staying at the lodge. My car is stuck at Sam’s shop until he changes the tires tomorrow. I’m clearly not going anywhere, so I’ll get the money in the morning and pay the tab before we leave.”
Peggy crossed her arms. “Tourists come and go daily. You want me to take an IOU from someone I’ve just met? Pay up or I’m calling the sheriff.” She held out a palm like he could create money out of thin air. “You can always contact the credit card company and explain. They’ll take care of the bill.”
“I … er, don’t have a credit card.”
Lily suppressed a groan. That silver tongue must have needed a polish. There was no way that could be true, but they couldn’t exactly tell her the real reason they weren’t able to ring the credit card company.
Peggy’s eyebrow arched. “That’s convenient. And not my problem.”
The server drew closer. “Hey, Peg. They can always stick around for the entertainment.”
Peggy threw her head back and barked a laugh. Her eyes scraped over Lily and Ethan, sizing them up. “At the very least, it would give me some entertainment until I call the sheriff.”
Lily was afraid to ask. “You don’t mean the karaoke competition, do you?”
“It starts at ten o’clock. Winner takes home three hundred bucks. More than enough to cover your bill.”
Ethan’s lawyer face slipped. “Karaoke? I’m definitely going to need another drink.”
“Why not? Drink away,” Peggy said, her hospitality returning. “What’s the difference? One way or another, I’ll get my money. And don’t even think about running. There’s nowhere in town you can go that I won’t find you.”
Ethan’s focus slid to Lily. “Do you sing?”
“My mum used to make me sing for my church choir.”
“I guess that will have to be good enough.”
Peggy cackled. “I forgot to mention, it’s a duets-only competition, meaning you both have to sing. I recommend the song ‘Jailhouse Rock.’” Cackling again, she slipped behind the bar. As she left, she pointed to her eyes and then to Ethan and Lily.
I’m watching you.