“You’re happy.” The guy in the suit comments from his bar stool. “It’s got to be a woman who put that smile on your face.”
The third drink is the charm with this guy. He’s finally cracked open.
I walk back to where he’s sitting. “It’s a woman.”
“A woman put me here.” He pats the top of the bar. “I never thought I’d get this torn up about her.”
I’ve had this conversation enough times to know that he wants me to ask a follow-up question, so I do. “What’s her name?”
“Gina.” He exhales. “Gina Calvetti.”
I pick up a bar towel and start wiping down a row of wine glasses. “What’s Gina Calvetti like?”
“Like a perfect storm that blows in when all you think you need is calm.” He takes another sip from the glass. “She’s beautiful chaos.”
He’s as far gone for this woman as I am for Katie.
“Have you told Gina that?” I question with a raised brow. “Does she know how you feel?”
“No.” He finishes what’s left at the bottom of his glass.
“Why not?” I realize the irony in my question as soon as I ask it. I’m the coward who couldn’t tell Katie how I really felt before I broke her heart.
I wanted her and I wanted my daughter.
If I had spoken those words five years ago, I might not have lost all this time with her.
“She’s my best friend’s little sister.” He pushes the glass at me. “She’s forbidden fruit.”
Katie’s brother was never my best friend, but we had a bond, so I give this guy the best advice I can.
“Tell her how you feel.” I scrub a hand over the back of my neck. “You can’t know how the chips will fall until you’re dealt the hand. Her brother may surprise you.”
“He may kill me.” He tugs a wallet from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Two hundred dollar bills hit the top of the bar. “Thanks for the advice, Gage.”
I pop a brow, surprised that he knows my name.
His offers his hand to me. “My dad used to own this place. I’m Daniel Lawton.”
The pieces fall together at the mention of his name. He’s Marlin Lawton’s son. Marlin owned Lawtons before I bought it from his estate and rebranded it as the Tin Anchor.
I take his hand for a hearty shake. “I’ve heard great things about your dad from his regulars.”
“Believe every word.” He stands and straightens his gray suit jacket. “One of the last things he said to me was to grab hold of Gina before she slips away for good.”
“He was a smart man,” I say as my phone chimes.
He smiles. “He’d be glad you’re running the ship now. Your advice is right on par with his.”
It’s a compliment I welcome.
“Get back to your girl.” He motions to my phone. “I’ve got a lot to think about.”
I take the few steps to my phone and glance down at the screen.
Kate: Dinner tomorrow?
I’ll take it.