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Jack shrugged “I gave up trying to figure out how o”

“And yet you work for the bastard?” So Cooper never could understand

Sidestepping his re his offer on the bar”

Jesus Christ, as it with the people in his life that they couldn’t take a hint? First Dana Now Ian It was good he had control over his anger because right noanted to simmer a little too close to the surface He stepped even farther into his old friend’s space to drive home his point “You tell your father what I’ve told him every year since the bar becaot breath in my body I never will You tell him if he ever comes back here with another offer, he and I will have a serious problem”

Jack nodded, face still blank, stepped back, and then walked away

No fight No argu

This was the first year Ian Devlin had sent Jack to otten rid of a Devlin boy in under aan offer for the bar

He frowned, watching Jack walk away

Nothing about his old friend’s behavior made sense

Unlocking the bar, Cooper took athe door behind him His adrenaline was up He wanted to throw his coffee at the wall or punch his fist through it Anything to expel the horrible burn in his blood

He took a sip of the coffee Reood to be wasted over Devlin

But it wasn’t Ian Devlin’s persistence that had pissed him off

As always, it was seeing Jack

He just couldn’t figure that shit out

Thirty years he’d known Jack, ever since they were six years old and Jack defended hi on Cooper Despite the fact that Jack was a Devlin and came from the moneyed south side of Hartwell, and Coop didn’t have much and came from the north side, they’d becoot older they realized they had ht—they both had really shitty fathers Cooper’s took off and Ian Devlin ht as well have taken off, too, for how little attention he paid to his wife, his third son, and his daughter By the tiers their lives were actually pretty similar They were both on the football team, were both popular, both had part-time jobs, and more importantly both looked out for their mothers and sisters Cooper was the man of his house Jack was the only ive a real damn about his mom and sister

As far as Cooper was concerned Jack Devlin was his brother and they had a bond stronger than most They’d had each other’s back always Jack cried by his side at Cooper’s ements

For Christ’s sake, he’d even tried to talk hi serious with Dana

“She’s no good, Coop You keep thinking there’s so deep buried under all that pretty, but that woman is as shallow as a kiddie pool”

It was the only tiized soon after, but he’d never been very warm toward Dana

Jack had been the truest man he knew

Until suddenly he quit his job and started working for his oldhe’d sworn his whole life he’d never do Cooper knew then soot distant and closed off, wouldn’t talk about it at all

And then he’d fucked Dana

Cooper had to wonder if Jack had secretly been attracted to his wife the whole tiht He kne Jack oht he did

He’d thought he’d known Jack Devlin better than anyone

Turned out he never knew him at all

And that was the betrayal that cut the deepest

That hat hurt the most

Not losing Dana

But losing his best friend His brother

Pain Cooper kept buried deep shot up and across his chest

“Fuck,” he

He took a fortifying gulp of coffee and willed that pain back down

That evening the bar was the busiest it had been in a while It was closing in on high season and his business was feeling it The place was filled with regulars and tourists now

The busyness of the place was the reason he was trying to curb his irritation with his waitress as she rounded the bar fro on her apron

“Lil, you’re late Again”

She flushed at his scowl and threw hiet my car to start”

Damn it, she couldn’t even come up with decent excuses “What? That brand-new Toyota you can’t really afford?”

She flushed again and hurried to clear away plates The kitchen was now closed, but an hour back they could have really used her

“Done, boss” Crosby appeared at the end of the bar He gave Cooper a nod, clapped Old Archie on the shoulder, and headed out That was Crosby’s way these days He kept himself to himself Cooper tried not to worry about his cook Not while he was in theabout his waitress

She was beco a problem The kind of problem he liked to avoid in his life He decided to do just that and took an order fro in for Lily out on the floor

“Good thing I’in and tonics she’d ordered “It’s getting busy” shrugged “I gave up trying to figure out how o”