Page 9 of Fallen Hearts

“I can show you the emails, if you like?”

“No thanks. And I really am sympathetic to your predicament, but circumstances have changed.”

“Please—”

“I’m taking over for the time being, and Heritage Hill is bleeding money. It can’t afford someone like you.”

“As I told your father, with a few small tweaks I really think this place would be easy to turn around.”

“Thanks for coming.” He walked toward me, giving me no choice but to back up and walk with him. “But I’ve got a lot to take care of. Leave your card, and I’ll gladly compensate you for your traveling expenses. Are you renting in town?”

I nodded, mortified that he was actually going to send me packing. “Above the coffee shop.”

“I’ll take care of your deposit and talk to the landlord to get you out of the lease.”

I didn’t want to get out of the lease. I wanted this job. But Mason was walking me toward the door. I couldn’t very well refuse to leave.

“I…” What else was there to say? He didn’t care that his father hired me. Or that I’d quit my job and moved across the country to be here. Part of me wanted to curse him out, but I had to remind myself—again—the guy had just lost a parent.

“Thanks for coming by. I’ll be in touch.”

He looked right through me, as if not even noticing I stood in front of him. The guy would be impervious to arguments of any kind. I could see that clearly. He was almost militant.

“I guess… that’s it then?” It couldn’t be. Had I really moved to New York for absolutely no reason?

“Have a good day, Miss Russo.”

Yep. That was it. I wouldn’t grovel. “Same to you, Mr. Bennett.”

With that, I was hardly out of the door before he closed it. Not quite on my face, but close.

What. The hell. Had just happened?

4

MASON

“Show-off.”

Beck shot me a “no shit” look from behind the bar. He knew full well his bottle-flip antics were impressing the girl sitting in front of him. I’d never seen her before, which meant she and her friends were probably tourists.

“Anyway,” I continued to Parker, “they said I’ll know about my leave request in a day or two.”

O’Malley’s Pub sat on the east corner of Cedar Falls town square. Although Heritage Hill had been built well before the town of Cedar Falls was established, the location couldn’t be any better, within walking distance. Since O’Malley’s was one of only two bars in town, even during the off season it was pretty much packed most days of the week.

“That seems quick,” Parker said, taking a swing of beer.

“Captain called my situation an extenuating circumstance.”

“By ‘situation’ you mean Papa Bennett?”

“Apparently.”

My father loved coming to O’Malley’s and meeting new people. He really was tailor-made for the service industry, unlike me. He had also enjoyed busting Beck’s ass. More often than not, my friend would text me things like,Papa Bennett is at the bar tonight. He just told a woman who I had a 100 percent chance of taking home to stay clear of me. You’ve got to do something about him, dude.

So of course I’d text my father, who’d gotten a good laugh over his cock-blocking success. That time, he’d said the woman was too young for Beck anyway.

“What is it?” Parker was watching me.

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