“Business?”
“You said something about it this morning,” I remind him, “when you were texting me.”
“Oh, so I did. Yes, it’s all dealt with.”
“Sorry you had to work on a Sunday.”
“It’s all right.” Nate chuckles softly.
“So, what did you have to do?” I ask, pressing him for a bit more detail. “Something to do with the club? Did you have to count up all the drink receipts?”
“No, nothing like that.” He pauses for a moment. “It wasn’t so much business business as it was family business. I was assisting with the preparations for my brother-in-law’s funeral.”
“Oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s all right,” Nate says quickly. “My sister is understandably upset and not handling it well, so I took care of some of the arrangements.”
“When is the funeral?” I really want to ask for details about what happened to his brother-in-law, but I can’t come up with a polite way of asking.
“Wednesday,” he says causally. “There is a public viewing in the morning. Then the burial will be held privately later in the afternoon.”
I resist the urge to drag my laptop over and start poking around for information, but I don’t even have a name to search for, and the very idea is so stalkerish, I have to stop myself.
Jessie said that the whole east side of town showed up for Nate’s brother’s funeral, and I wonder if that will happen again for his brother-in-law. Should I plan on attending? I don’t even know the man’s name.
“What kind of coffee drink did you order at the lodge?” Nate asks, clearly opting for a new topic.
“A latte. Why?”
“Just trying to learn your preferences.”
“Well, I like the coffee strong but with a lot of cream in it. How about you?”
“Oh, just black for me, but I do like it strong. Did you listen to music in your car?”
“I flipped around the radio stations,” I say. “I haven’t found one that really calls to me yet. Do you have a favorite?”
“I like the heavy metal stations,” Nate says with a laugh. “Loud music relaxes me. Does that make sense?”
“Not at all.” I laugh along with him, but I’m still thinking about coffee. His question reminded me of my conversation with Cher and the slight amount of information she provided that just made me want to know more.
Maybe I should come out and ask Nate about the whole thing. After all, he is part of one of the feuding families and should be privy to a lot more detail than I could get out of my casual conversation with Cher.
I hesitate, trying to pick the right words for the question forming in my mind. I take a deep breath, readying myself to blurt it out before it’s too late, but Nate speaks first.
“I should let you go,” Nate says. “It’s getting late.”
And my opportunity has passed.
“As much as I’d like to spend the whole night talking to you,” Nate says, “I know you’ll need to call Melissa early tomorrow to get that interview. I’m sure they need someone to start right away.”
“Well, I was planning on calling her in the morning.”
“Wouldn’t want you to arrive to an interview unprepared due to lack of sleep, especially when it would be my fault.”
“You seem pretty confident about me getting this job.”
“I am. You are more than qualified for it, and if you do well, there are better positions in your future, should you want them.”