Chapter 5
Rafe
“Gran finally took my advice and sold Crockett’s,” Country announced before taking a bite of his chicken biscuit. His mouth was full as he continued, “Got a pretty penny for it too.”
“Seriously?” I couldn’t believe it. Gladys was always telling folks how her husband had bought Crockett’s when they’d first gotten married, and how hard the both of them had worked to keep it up and going. She’d always been extremely proud of the place, so it was a shock to hear she was closing the place down. “I didn’t realize she was serious about selling. Thought it was just talk.”
“Yeah, I think it’s been a long time coming.” Country shoved the last bite of biscuit into his mouth as he told me, “She’s just too old for this shit, brother. All the long hours and crap falling apart has finally gotten to her. She got an offer she couldn’t refuse and took it.”
“Damn. And you weren’t interested in taking over the place?”
“Fuck, no. That place is going to hell in a handbasket.” Country shook his head with a grumble. “There’s always something breaking down or a debt some asshole hasn’t paid. I don’t have the time or the desire to deal with that kind of bullshit. As far as I’m concerned, she did the right thing by selling.”
“So, that’s it.”
“Reckon so.” Country took a drink of his coffee before saying, “Gran’s planning to sign the papers later today, and if all goes well, she’ll be closed by the end of week.”
“What about her apartment? Will she have to move?”
“Yeah, but she’s got some time to find a place. Won’t have to move until the end of the month or so.”
My mind drifted to earlier that morning when I’d dropped Marlowe off for work. Country was right. The place was just an old hole-in-the-wall bar with no real prospects for any kind of promotion, but I’d always liked the place. And from what I could tell, Marlowe did too. The way she’d talked the night before, it was pretty clear she really liked working there, and if I had to guess, I’d say she wouldn’t be happy about having to find another job. “What about Marlowe? Does she know Gladys is shutting down?”
“I’m sure Gran mentioned something to her.”
“So, you got any idea what she’s gonna do?”
“Can’t say that I do.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “But she’s a smart girl. I’m sure she’ll figure out something.”
“I get that, but damn, seems like Glady is putting her in a tough spot.”
“Maybe so.” Country turned to look at me with furrowed brows. “But why are you so worried about it anyway? You barely know the girl.”
“I know her well enough.”
“Umm-hmm.” He gave me a condescending glance as he scoffed, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a thing for her.”
I thought about the time I’d spent with Marlowe the night before, and there was no denying it. Country was right. I was interested in her. In fact, I was very interested, and if the kiss we shared was any indication, I’d say she was too. I just hadn’t figured out what I was going to do about it. Something told me Marlowe wasn’t the hit-it-and-quit-it type, and I wasn’t sure I was up for anything more. I also had to contend with Country and wasn’t sure how he’d feel about my making a play for Marlowe, so I asked, “And what if I am?”
“I done told ya, brother.” He patted me on the back like he was trying to console my broken heart. “The chick doesn’t do dicks.”
“Hate to break it to you, but you’re wrong about that.” I stood up and looked down at him with a knowing smile. “Bad wrong.”
Before he could ask me what the hell I was talking about, I turned and walked out of the kitchen. I’d just started down the hall when Lynch called out to me. “Yo, Rafe! You got a minute?”
“Yeah.” I continued in his direction. “What’s up?”
“Wanted to see if you could cover my shift at Stilettos tonight. Stacey passed her final, so I thought I’d take her out to celebrate.”
“Yeah, I could do that.”
Appreciate it, brother.” Lynch gave me a slap on the forearm. “I’ll return the favor.”
“I’m sure you will.”
I gave him a nod, then continued towards the parking lot. As I walked out the back door and over to my bike, I had no idea where the hell I was going. It was too early to head to Stilettos, but I needed some fucking air and to clear my head. My conversation with Country had gotten to me more than I’d realized. Fuck. My head was reeling as I whipped in and out of traffic. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand why Gladys was closing Crockett’s. Hell, if I were in her shoes, I would’ve done it years ago, but I couldn’t shake my concern over Marlowe. It wasn’t only because she’d be out of a job, that in itself was bad enough, but the fact she lived here in Nashville without any family or close friends only intensified my unease and that had me driving over to Crockett’s.