Wake My Heart (Jasper Falls 1)

Maggie shrugged. “If you think it would make you happy, sure. The money’s just sitting there.”

“Maggie, this is a big deal.” She raked her fingers through her short blonde hair. “A really big deal. I mean, this could be huge.”

She smiled. Seeing her sister light up after weeks of tears was a beautiful sight to behold. “Then let’s do it.”

Perrin spun on her heels and caught Maggie’s shoulders. “For real?”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Oh my God, we’re buying a bar!” She screamed and jumped up and down, rattling Maggie’s teeth with her excitement.

“First, I have to see what they’re asking. Let’s just keep this between us for now.”

Perrin dropped into the chair across from her and squeaked. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Especially not Mom,” Maggie said with complete seriousness. “If we do this, it’s ours, Perrin. She and Dad keep out of it.”

“Agreed.”

Perrin had always been the easier child and therefore, the favorite. But since Maggie’s last run-in with her mother, she made a difficult decision. She wasn’t going to feel guilty anymore if she couldn’t get along with the toxic people in her life, her mother being top of the list.

It was fine if Perrin kept a relationship with their parents. Maggie wouldn’t expect anything less, since they treated her differently. But she was finished pretending anything about their relationship was normal.

Her mother had never liked Nash. Even when he was a kid, she used to call him that boy and make reference to the way he dressed. Whenever Maggie mentioned his talent, her mother would make a snide comment about low rent musicians wasting their lives away on foolish potential that would never pay the bills.

Her parents refused to offer their blessing when Nash proposed, angry that he hadn’t come to them first. They made no secret of disapproving of the wedding, thinking she and Nash were both too young and foolish to know what was best. And when Nash died, Maggie saw the relief in her mother’s eyes. Only when Maggie didn’t bounce right back and find a more suitable husband, did her mother realize she still wouldn’t get what she wanted.

After Perrin left, Maggie peeked out the window and saw Ryan’s cousins were still over. It was game day, and she figured she had a few hours before he came looking for her. Just enough time to run an errand and do some research about the bar.

On account of the game, O’Malley’s had a full lot. She pulled her bike around the back and walked to the front. Van Morrison played on the jukebox, and she shivered as a memory of Nash crept through her mind.

A woman tended bar. Maggie pulled herself up on the rail and waited to get her attention.

“What can I get you?”

“I’m looking for Kelly McCullough.”

The bartender eyed her from top to tits. “Who should I say is asking?”

“Maggie O’Malley.”

The bartender’s brows lifted. “O’Malley?”

Maggie raised her chin. “That’s right. He knows who I am.”

The woman left the bar and disappeared into the back. Maggie blew out a shaky breath. She should have ordered a drink.

The bartender returned and Kelly followed. Seriously, was there a day when he just looked average? She climbed off the bar ledge and walked over to him.

“Maggie, everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine. Could I talk to you privately for a minute?”

Curiosity flashed in his eyes, and he waved a hand for her to follow him to his office. Every time she walked through that hall, she remembered how Ryan had saved her from a panic attack. Now, the pub didn’t seem so scary.

Boxes cluttered the dated office. A large dry-erase board hung on the wall with the schedule drawn in. She noted that the bartender on duty went by the name Sue.

“What’s up?”

She figured it best to get right down to business. “How much would it cost to buy the bar?”

He blinked, his blue eyes going a bit wide. “Who’s asking?”

“Me.”

He sat back, crossing his arms over his chest and studied her. “You have that kind of money, or are you asking for your in-laws?”

She frowned. “First of all, my in-laws are perfectly nice people, and I’d appreciate it if your family stopped acting like they were lepers. Second, this has nothing to do with them. No one knows I’m here.”

“What about Ryan?”

“I’d appreciate it if we kept him out of this.”

Kelly pinched his chin, folding a finger over his mouth as he continued to study her. “You’re serious about this?”

She nodded. “I know your aunts and uncles own it outright, but I figured I’d come to you first. I thought you might be able to put in a good word before I approached them.”

“Being that I no longer have the time to run the pub and no one else wants the job, they have no choice but to sell—so having a good word won’t make a difference. It has to go. What would you do with the property if you bought it?”