Arissa found a spot down the street from Moe’s. Reaching the bar, she pulled open the door. The place looked far bigger on the inside than it did from the outside. Stone walls, a long walnut bar ran the length of the space. Shelves of liquor behind it, at least twenty taps along the counter. The stools lining the bar were filled. Tables clustered around the open space, most of them filled. The rafter ceiling had ceiling fans to stir the air, and bronze rustic chandeliers. Matching sconces lined the walls for additional lighting. The old wood floor was slightly sticky. In the back was a section that was separate from the main bar. Arissa was guessing that was where the infamous dart games were played. Her heart squeezed a bit at the thought.
“Hey there,” a man called.
Arissa’s focus shifted to the man behind the bar. Her guess, this was Moe, the same man who had informed her of Billie’s reluctance to leave his game that first day. The man looked to be in his seventies, with a shock of white hair. He wore jeans and a Jack Daniels’ tee. He was washing a glass, talking to a guy that was using his arms while telling a story, but Moe’s focus stayed on Arissa. He watched as she moved through the place to a spot at the bar.
“You the lady who called looking for Billie?” Moe asked as soon as her ass hit the stool.
“Yes, Arissa.”
He grinned and held out a hand. “Moe. Nice to meet you.”
“And you.”
“Did you get your plumbing problem solved?” he asked, but she knew he already knew the answer.
“I did.”
“Good. What can I get you?”
“Cabernet.”
“You got it.” But Moe’s attention shifted to the door before he called, “There they are.”
Arissa followed his stare to see the Belles had arrived. She watched, entertained at how people were drawn to them. Greetings were shouted as they moved through the bar. Maureen was dressed in a form fitting black dress and spiked heels, Millie in a pale pink sundress and Hyacinth in a Maxi dress with so many colors swirled through it that Arissa was sure if she started rocking back and forth she’d be able to hypnotize Moe’s patrons.
Maureen reached her first, her eyes moving to Moe. “I’ll have my usual,” she said then turned her blue eyes on Arissa. “We need a table,” she added. “Privacy.”
Before she could move, Millie grabbed her glass of wine, calling for a vodka rocks as she moved farther into the place and the table that sat in a corner. Maureen reached for the two glasses of clear alcohol, one with ice, that Moe had set down before gesturing for Arissa to follow Millie. Hyacinth held up the rear, holding a bottle of Jack and a glass.
They had no sooner taken their seats when Hyacinth poured herself a generous three fingers, drank it back in one shot, then leveled her gray eyes on Arissa. “So spill about the sheriff.”
Arissa didn’t like going behind Hank’s back but she wanted answers. She took a minute to drink some of her wine before she confessed, “There’s not much to tell.” That wasn’t true, but how the hell did she bring it up when the subject was Hank’s mom.
The sound of the Jack bottle hitting the table had those close glancing over. “I don’t believe that. From what I hear, he had you out to his place.”
That caught Arissa by surprise. She asked without thinking, “He doesn’t do that often?”
Millie chimed in. “Often, he’s not had a woman out there since Phoebe.”
And there was her opening. She took another drink of wine before she asked, “Who is Phoebe?”
It was Maureen who answered. “That would depend on who you asked, but for a time she was Hank’s girlfriend,” Maureen spat.
“You don’t like her?” Arissa asked, though it was clear Maureen wasn’t a fan.
Maureen wasn’t shy about filling in the blanks. “Phoebe was as beautiful as him, they looked so good together. They were pretty intense and then one day she just ups and leaves. Didn’t want the small town life. Wanted the lights of the city.” Maureen paused, her voice held a touch of empathy when she added, “Walked away from a man like that. Not just sexy and sweet but…” She waved her hand in the air. “I think she’s certifiable.”
Arissa hadn’t asked for another glass of wine, but one appeared.
“So what’s going on with you and the sheriff?” Hyacinth asked again.
“He made me burgers, gave me a tour of his house,” Arissa said. She hadn’t realized her voice had gone soft or her expression, her finger running circles on the rim of her glass as she reminisced. She didn’t tell them about the secret clearing, or that he orchestrated the lawn boys leaving so he could have alone time with her.
“Holy shit, from the look of you they must have been some damn good burgers,” Maureen declared on a shout that turned more heads. She leaned in toward the table and added, “I’d like to play with his meat.” She was greeted by hums of approvals.
Arissa was thinking about his taste, how she missed it, wanted it now when she answered absently, “Delicious.” Her fingers touched her lower lip, as she remembered the feel of his lips on hers.
It was the silence that pulled her back to the present to see the looks of envy on the women watching her. “So why aren’t you having burgers with him tonight?” Millie asked.
Because his mother’s making me doubt what’s happening between us. To the Belles she said, “He’s busy with town business.”
“Hmmm,” Hyacinth hummed with suspicion.
“I’m surprised Catherine hasn’t scared you away yet,” Maureen mumbled into her glass.
Arissa’s head jerked around so fast she got lightheaded, but this was what she wanted to know. “What do you mean by that?”
Maureen signaled for another drink before she turned her
