Page 5 of Whiskey Wednesdays

Sometimes forcing manners on people was a good way to throw them off. He automatically took my hand, then seemed to regret it. His handshake felt limp and weak, and he pulled back quickly.

“I’m Noah McCoy, Connor’s brother.” He sounded like I should know this already. “It won’t take that long. I also need it gassed up.”

I folded my arms. “Today’s Saturday. It’s my dad’s day off.”

Noah sneered. “So?”

For Dad’s sake, I tried to be civil. “I also wasn’t aware he’s responsible for maintaining vehicles.”

Noah’s eyes were glassy and flat. “He’s the maintenance man. He does whatever we ask him to do.”

“We? I didn’t know you were also his employer. I thought it was just Connor. And Dad already worked half the day, even though today’s one of his days off.”

My dad gently took my arm and pulled me back. “Isa, I’ve got this.”

He turned to Noah. “There’s a car wash in Rancho Mirage with a gas station next to it. That’s your best bet. Have a good day, Noah.” He guided me over to the passenger seat, then walked around and got in.

Noah scowled back at us, and I saw his left eye twitch. I couldn’t help myself. I gave him my best resting bitch face.

The botanical cactus garden in Palm Springs was one of my happy places, I decided. It also helped me shake off some of my anger at the McCoy brothers. The variety of cacti was astounding, and the specimens were some of the biggest I’d ever seen. Two large desert turtles also lived there.

Dad and I wandered slowly around the pathways, then through the greenhouse with the smaller specimens. Some of them looked like long hairy snakes and others were almost florescent in color. I had no idea there were so many kinds of cacti.

As we strolled around, we talked about what he did and didn’t miss about Seattle.

“I don’t miss the rain and dampness that sinks into my bones in the winter,” he admitted. “But I miss being able to grow almost anything.”

I sighed. “Yeah, it’s only October and the rainy season is already in full swing. But fall is spectacular.”

He smiled nostalgically and glanced at me. “Are you seeing anyone?”

“I see lots of people every day.”

He shook his head. “You know what I mean, smart mouth.”

“No. I don’t have time.”

“If you found someone interesting enough, you’d make time.”

At least once a month, Dad dutifully asked me the same questions. And every month I gave him a variation of the same answers.

He knew me well. My mom used to say Dad gave her tingles and made her heart flutter, and I hadn’t found anyone who did that for me. Mom had suffered for so long before she died, and I’d seen the light in my dad’s eyes dim and fade over time.

We ate lunch at a little tiki bar located in the Caliente Tropics, one of Palm Springs’ iconic lodges not far from the cactus gardens. I wanted to soak up the sunshine and warmth before I had to head back to Seattle the next day, so we sat out on the patio by the pool.

Dad nudged my knee under the table. “It seems like Liam and I just went to your college graduation.”

“Yeah, I only have six months to go. Now I just need to figure out where I’m going to work after graduation.”

Sunday morning, before I flew back to Seattle in the afternoon, I got up early and hiked the Bump and Grind Trail to watch the sunrise. Dad decided to sleep in.

When I got back to the estate later that morning, Noah was coming out of the large garage behind the main house. When he saw me drive in, he turned and started walking toward me. I winced inwardly and slowly got out of Dad’s car.

Noah walked right up to me and stepped into my personal space. “Are you planning to move in, or what?”

I instinctively backed up against the car door and put a hand up to keep him from getting closer. He tilted his head and looked me up and down.

My heart started racing. “Back up.”

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