* * * * *

After the judge’s decision, Tate and I kept a close watch on Jonas.

He tried to hide it but he struggled with conflicting emotions of relief, guilt and worry about his mother.

In an attempt to counteract that and create a new routine for his son, Tate encouraged him to call her frequently.

Jonas didn’t call her frequently but he called her.

The conversations were brief, clearly confusing and equally clearly hurtful.

Therefore Tate stopped encouraging his son to call his mother.

* * * * *

It was four days after Tate got Jonas, I was on day shift, Tate was behind the bar and it was around three o’clock when Krystal and Bubba walked in.

I hadn’t seen him in ages and, in that time, I didn’t bring him up to either Krys or Tate because I knew both of them were feeling intensely unhappy feelings about Bubba. So intense, I steered clear from unleashing those feelings – not for Bubba’s sake, or my own, but for theirs.

Bubba looked rough, straggly hair, eyes red rimmed and bloodshot, face hangdog.

Krystal looked far more than her usual angry at the world. She looked fit to be tied.

My eyes moved to Tate to see his were on Bubba and his face was granite.

“Got it at home, Tate, don’t need it here,” Bubba muttered, his hand lifted, palm out, toward Tate and I pressed my lips together as I felt my belly start to burn.

“Laurie, darlin’, keep cool,” Jim-Billy whispered to me, sitting beside where I was standing at the bar.

Krystal didn’t say a word, she just disappeared down the back hall.

Tate headed down the bar our way as Bubba slid onto a stool beside Jim-Billy opposite from where I was standing.

“Hey gorgeous,” Bubba called quietly to me, avoiding my eyes.

I opened my mouth to speak but Tate had arrived.

“I want out,” Tate declared without preamble and Bubba looked up at him.

“What?” Bubba asked Tate.

“Out,” Tate replied. “You and Krys need to get it together and buy me out. You also need to put up the sign in the window. Laurie’s givin’ notice. She’s gonna work for me.”

My wide eyes moved to Tate.

I was?

“What?” Bubba repeated.

“You heard me,” Tate answered.

“You can’t –” Bubba started.

“I can,” Tate cut him off. “Sick of this shit, Bubba. Didn’t buy into this. You made me promises, a f**kload of ‘em, and you broke every f**kin’ one of ‘em.”

“Tate, man, you can’t –”

“I can and Laurie can. We got Jonas at home. We’re needed there,” Tate stated.

“I heard about that but Pops and Stell –”

“Can’t count on them all the time, that’s not cool. They got lives and I got work. I don’t need to be on the road, worried about Jonas, Lauren and the bar. Gotta scrape somethin’ off and it’s the bar.”

“But Krys –” Bubba began.

“Krys knows what’s good for her, she’ll scrape somethin’ off too,” Tate returned.

We all knew what that meant, Bubba, Jim-Billy and me. Bubba’s back went up and his face got tight. I looked at Jim-Billy, he felt my gaze and he looked at me, his eyes wide.

It was then Krystal joined our group.

“What’s goin’ on?” she asked, instantly feeling the bad vibe.

Everyone looked her way.

“Tate wants us to buy him out,” Bubba answered and Krystal’s gaze shot to Tate.

“What?” she whispered.

“We’ll get the accountant to look at the books, decide what’s fair,” Tate answered and I watched Krystal’s face pale.

At that, I thought it was time to intervene so I said softly, “Captain –”

Tate spoke over me to Krystal. “Lauren’s givin’ notice. Got work, Jonas and Laurie, don’t need to be on the road half the time, in the bar the other half and havin’ to deal with paperwork. Lauren’s gonna take care of that for me and the half of my life I free from the bar, I spend with my family.”

Krystal’s eyes then shot to me and I saw instantly her guard was down. There was pain in her face, and betrayal.

“Krys –” I whispered.

She tore her gaze from me and looked back at Tate. “We had a good summer but part a’ that is because Laurie’s here. The boys love her. She goes, they ain’t gonna come in and hang with Twyla.”

“Not my problem,” Tate stated.

“Captain –” I tried again.

“I lose Laurie, I lose the drinks she sells, I buy you out, I’ll be hurtin’,” Krystal pointed out.

“Again, not my problem,” Tate reiterated.

“Tate, honey –” I tried yet again.

“I don’t believe this shit,” Bubba muttered and Tate’s gaze sliced to him.

“You don’t?” he asked curtly. “How? Christ almighty, Bubba, I told you once, I told you a thousand times, you don’t pull your shit together, I’m gone. Now I’m done tellin’ you. I’m gone.”

“I know shit’s whacked around here and heard about Neet and Jonas, Tate. I shoulda sorted my shit out and it was a crap thing to do, leavin’ while you all were in the middle a’ that but, bud, that’s done. Krys and I talked and –” Bubba explained.

Tate interrupted him. “Heard this before, don’t believe it anymore.”

“But, Tate, swear to God –”

“Don’t believe it.”

“But –” Bubba pushed it.

“He’s gone,” Krystal whispered and everyone looked at her to see her gaze pinned to Bubba.

“What?” Tate asked and slowly her head turned toward him.

“Bubba, he’s gone,” Krystal said.

“What?” Bubba shouted, coming off his stool but Krystal didn’t tear her eyes from Tate.

“Would you help me buy him out?” Krystal asked and my belly stopped burning but I felt my heart start beating wildly.

“What’re you talkin’ ‘bout, woman?” Bubba demanded to know.

Krystal ignored Bubba. “Whatever you want, Tate, I’ll sort the bar, I’ll make the deal you need, but Bubba’s gone.”

Bubba started rounding Jim-Billy and me to get to Krystal but Tate also ignored him and spoke to Krystal.

“We buy him out, you find another bartender, we make Lauren a manager and she gets a pay hike. She handles the schedule, she handles stock, she handles payroll, personnel and orders. You hate that shit anyway and she’s good at it. Frees your time to be front of bar. She works the floor, only days, shorter shifts, ten to five. Office work before opening, five days a week, every other weekend off,” I stared at Tate in shock because he seemed to have this all thought out and hadn’t mentioned a word to me but Bubba had made it to Krystal and lifted a hand to latch on her arm. Tate’s eyes cut to him and his voice was an angry growl when he warned, “Touch her, Bubba, I won’t f**kin’ like it.”