Page 2 of Smokin' Situation

There had been grumblings that Jay had a history with the chef he was trying to coax into moving to Butterfly Ridge. I only knew what I’d heard from other people, because he was uncharacteristically tightlipped about the situation, but I knew once he had his mind set on something, he rarely let it go. That was part of why he’d been so successful in getting his distillery operational and all his plans for expansion in motion in such a short time. I admired that kind of drive, but it also felt like maybe I was getting left behind as he transitioned into this new part of his life.

“You know, I think the two of you would work well together,” he casually mentioned, not looking at me while he ran a cloth acrossthe smooth wooden surface of the bar. “I’m going to need someone who can develop a cocktail menu. Know anyone who might be interested?”

It wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned working together, but I didn’t want to mix business with pleasure. Especially with how unsettled our situation felt lately. I’d seen how awful it could turn out when a relationship ended with a coworker, and even though I’d been much younger then, I didn’t have anywhere to go if things turned out like that again.

“I’m good where I’m at,” I whispered, not wanting to elaborate. “But thank you.”

He nodded and dropped the subject, thankfully able to take a hint. I appreciated he thought I was capable, but working with him on a full-time basis was not a risk I was willing to take.

Reese had built a life in Sage Springs, and since my sister and I were all each other had left, I was happy maintaining the status quo and continuing to run the bar with Hudson. I didn’t have grand plans to open my own business, so I was comfortable right where I was. And despite being an introvert when I wasn’t working, I liked the challenge of it. Sure, it could get tiresome dealing with the college students, and every once in a while, we had some stubborn asshole tourists who created chaos, but I had bouncers—and sometimes servers—I knew would take care of it.

“Want me to follow you home?” he asked, tossing his dirty cloth toward the bin underneath the counter.

“Nope, I’m a big girl. I can handle navigating dark country roads at night.”

He nodded, pursing his lips while he scratched at the scruff covering his chin. “Just be careful. I know you can handle your own, but with the festival and the holiday coming up, sometimes people get behind the wheel when they shouldn’t. Just promise to text me when you get home.”

“You worry too much.”

The fourth of July was less than a week away, and every extra cabin in the county was currently rented out to the summertourists who came to admire the beautiful mountain views. It was good for business, but there were also dangers when you had new people driving on poorly lit mountain roads at night in a place they weren’t familiar with.

Reese had been telling me the same thing with her job as a nurse at the hospital. She’d dealt with her fair share of the usual sprained ankles from inexperienced hikers and heat sickness from people who didn’t hydrate themselves at an increased altitude. She’d also mentioned she already had treated some nasty burns related to fireworks—even though we were currently under a burn ban.

It was something I hadn’t mentioned to Jay. He was still reeling after seeing what had happened to his brother and I didn’t want to stir up bad memories since he’d told me he had reservations about his brother joining the volunteer fire department now that he was back for good.

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t worry enough,” he sighed, then flipped off the lights over the bar before he led me toward the back door of the warehouse. “And I just want to make sure that you’re safe.”

At the door, he backed me against the frame, pulling me into a tight hug and kissing the top of my head. I squeezed him back, appreciating that he was so concerned, but I’d been alone long enough that I could handle myself.

“Text me when things wrap up tomorrow,” he whispered into my hair.

Nodding, I released him and leaned back, looking into his eyes. “Everything will be fine. There are usually enough volunteers around that I’m sure if I get busy, I can rope someone into helping.”

He cupped my cheek, rubbing the pad of his thumb across my skin as he stared down at me. “I’ll be back before the end of the week. My schedule will be less hectic after the festival, and we can spend some more time together. I promise it’ll be different when I come back.”

But his schedule wasn’t the only thing different when he returned.

Annie

“Wow,andIthoughtI’d had a rough night,” Reese chuckled from across the room where she was curled up on the couch. “What happened to having the night off?”

“Insomnia strikes again,” I sighed, trudging toward the coffeemaker and going through the motions of changing out my sister’s decaffeinated tea pod for my extra dark brew. Despite working regular twelve-hour shifts, she rarely drank caffeine and often lectured me about my consumption. With our family’s history of heart disease, and the generational curse of dying young, we kind of had the deck stacked against us.If you believed in that kind of stuff. I wasn’t convinced, but most of the people in our family hadn’t celebrated their fiftieth birthdays either.

“You need to talk to Dr. Foster about that. It’s not healthy for your sleep schedule to be as disrupted as it is with how much you’ve been working. You’re going to burn yourself out.”

That was how Reese had handled the aftermath of our parent’s death. By being extra diligent about every aspect of her life. She lived a regimented lifestyle of maintaining a clear work-life balance, regular exercise, and a very strict diet.

I, on the other hand, regularly ate cereal because I was too tired to cook and lived on a steady diet at the bar of chicken fingers and tater tots. Part of the perks of working in food service, you never have to worry about paying for a meal. Even if it was probably unhealthy to consume mostly bar food.

Ioccasionallyhad a salad. Key word being occasionally.

“Yes, Mom,” I sighed, returning my attention to my coffee cup and adding a splash of flavored creamer that I knew my sister would never touch.

“Well, maybe if you listened to me just once about your health, I wouldn’t have to act like your parent. You’re not exactly a child anymore. I shouldn’t have to tell you a balanced diet might help you feel better.”

Rolling my eyes and biting back the sarcastic remark on the tip of my tongue, I took a deep breath before I responded. “Can you not pick a fight with me this morning? I’m going to have a long day, and I just need to drink my coffee in silence so I can muster the energy to pretend I’m an extrovert for the next ten hours.”

“Youcouldhave said no to working at the festival.”

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