Page 6 of The Last Goodbye

“That’s not entirely true.” I shifted on my seat, unsure if I should get ready to bolt. They were clearly all friends, so Gracie and Tatum might’ve been rethinking their invitation for me to join them for a glass of wine. “We’ve made him a very generous offer to relocate.”

His mouth formed a straight line, and he narrowed his gaze. “He’s worked hard to build that place. It’s also one of the best locations in town.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

“I’m well aware.” I met his gaze. I wouldn’t be intimidated by a man who had no idea what the offer we’d made Bass was, or the fact that his friend had a lease for the land beneath that building that was going to be up in two years anyway. He was going to have to relocate no matter what; we were just offering him a nice fat check to do it sooner than planned.

“Well, good luck. I don’t think you can offer him anything that will make him move his restaurant any sooner than he legally has to,” he said.

I blew out a breath. “Well, I think I should probably find another place to have a glass of wine.”

He didn’t argue, and Gracie’s eyes widened as she looked at him, then back at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a public place, and we invited you to join us.”

“Exactly. You’re being rude, Brody.” Tatum shot him a look that made it clear they were very close; they appeared to be communicating without words. “I’ll take a glass of red, and of course we’ll do the Tater Tots. And maybe come back with a better attitude?”

He rolled his eyes as he turned to Gracie.

“I’ll have a glass of rosé, and my friend here will have…?” She paused to look at me.

“I’ll have the same.” I kept my voice low because this was incredibly awkward, and I felt bad for putting these two women I’d just met in an uncomfortable situation with their friend.

I’d pissed off Bass Bennett less than an hour ago, and now this guy appeared to hate me, too.

I’m really scoring big points in Blue Sky Bay already.

He turned and walked away without another word.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I probably should have told you who I was.”

Tatum looked a little concerned as she faced me. “You aren’t kicking him out of his restaurant, are you?”

“No. I mean, we’d like him to take the offer we’ve made him.”

Gracie studied me for a few beats. “You made him an offer, and he can choose to accept or decline it, right?”

“Yes. The company I work for is building a luxury hotel here, and they currently own the land beneath his restaurant. And he’s the last one left to agree to sell to us.”

“Well, the way I see it, you’re doing your job. He can decide what’s best for him, and take your offer or reject it. You’re just the messenger. And you know what they say…” Tatum looked up when Brody walked over with our drinks and a basket of Tater Tots. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

“Yeah, well, they also say that you shouldn’t trust a stranger,” he hissed, irritation radiating from him.

“Please. You own a bar. You’ve never met a stranger,” Tatum said before popping a Tater Tot in her mouth.

“Oh, you own the place?” I asked, offering an olive branch.

“I do. Are you going to try to buy me out too?” He glared at me before stalking away.

I sighed and reached for my glass of wine. “I’ve only been in town for a few hours, and I’ve already managed to piss off the two men I’ve met thus far.”

“They’re just all really close. Don’t take it personally,” Gracie said, holding up her glass as she waited for us to do the same.

“Cheers to meeting new friends,” Tatum said, and we all clinked our glasses together. “He’ll settle down once Bass tells him you aren’t the enemy.”

“Not so sure that’s going to happen anytime soon.” I took a long sip and sighed.

“So how long are you staying in town?” Gracie asked. She took a few Tater Tots and put them on her plate before passing the basket to me.

“I’m here until Bass Bennett agrees to relocate.” I chuckled.