Beck winked at her and said, “We are. Talking about how much we love ’em.”
Corinna waggled her eyebrows. “Love, huh? Wow! As I live and breathe, Beck O’Malley. Are you confessing love for Lucy? We already know Ethan adores Gracie.”
Patrick turned to Beck with surprised humor in his eyes, “Yeah, Beck. You confessing love for Lucy now?”
Beck sipped his beer and met Ethan’s twinkling gaze. “Sounds like it, doesn’t it?” Yeah, might’ve been good to confess that one to Lucy first.
He’d been waiting for the right time, a moment when they were alone, which had been rare lately.
After taking care of another customer, Ethan returned to them, rested a forearm against the bar, and leaned toward them, gaining their undivided attention with the look in his eyes.
“I want to ask you about something, and, Beck, I want you to hear me out before you answer, okay?”
Beck and Patrick both nodded and waited.
Ethan chewed his lip while he chose his words. “We have a situation that will hopefully be coming to a head sometime this summer. I’d like to get you involved. Both of you, if you’ve a mind to.”
Ethan wouldn’t ask him to get involved in anything that wasn’t legit so Beck waited, mirroring Ethan’s posture. He’d always be willing to help a friend.
“Some friends in Lusty are looking for help with a case involving Chloe and Carrie Rhodes.”
Beck frowned and nodded for Ethan to continue wondering what was up and why their help was needed. It was a relief that the reflexive pain response to hearing her name had disappeared.
“The Lusty Town Trust has hired two investigators, Mel Richardson and Connor Talbot, to see if there’s any way to get them some justice from the man who stole their inheritance and abandoned them to the foster care system. Mel and Connor believe this man, who was their parents’ business partner, killed the lawyer who would’ve represented their girls’ interests. This resulted in them falling through the cracks in the system and they both suffered abuse in their foster homes as a result. Carrie and Chloe have come to mean an awful lot to Grandma Kate, and she and the Lusty Town Trust have charged Mel and Connor with finding closure for the girls. They also hope to recover whatever remains of the inheritance if possible.”
Beck felt guilty that Ethan knew more about Chloe’s past than he did. He’d known that her parents had been killed in a tornado while they were on a trip away from home and that she’d grown up in foster care but he’d never pressed her for details about a time that was no doubt painful for her. His heart ached, but in a good way, that the people of Lusty had embraced her so lovingly into their community because he knew an investigation like that had to cost a pretty penny. If he hadn’t been able to give her what it was she’d needed, he wanted to at least help her find closure.
“They’ve tracked a man they suspect is responsible for the lawyer’s death and for stealing the inheritance to here in Divine. They’ve been gathering information and doing surveillance and have even involved Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier.”
“That fucker is as good as caught then,” Beck replied. “Those guys don’t fuck around.”
“When the time comes, would you like to be involved in catching this son of a bitch?” Ethan asked, looking straight at Beck.
Beck didn’t hesitate at all. “I’d be happy to help. Just tell us what you need.” He looked over at Patrick and his best friend nodded affirmatively. Beck put his empty glass down. “It’s the least I can do.”
Patrick said, “I’d be happy to help however I can, too, Ethan. It’s wrong what that jackass did to those little orphan girls.”
Ethan nodded and seemed pleased. “I think it’ll be good for you, Beck. I know the way she left never sat well with you. Sometimes we never understand the ‘why’ of things. You needed closure.”
“One question?”
“Sure.”
“They aren’t using the girls for bait or anything, are they? To draw him out?”
“No need to. I think Chloe may know what they’re doing but I think she won’t really know the details until after the fact. I don’t even know that she’d have to testify in a trial if it goes that far.”
“Good. She’s a part of my past but I still care about her. I wouldn’t want someone innocent put in harm’s way.”
“No worries there,” Ethan said, sounding pleased. He knocked on the bar and looked at their glasses. “Another round, on me this time?”
“Hell yeah. Set ’em up, barkeep.”