behind me. “Wyatt’s waitin’ for you, and he’s got his undies in a twist.”
Not surprising.
“Did he mention why?” I asked quietly enough that I hoped he wouldn’t hear me.
“Nope. He just took a seat and ordered a coffee. He’s on his third cup, so now he’s extra wound up.”
Great.
“Thanks.”
She laughed, but I knew if she thought he was a threat to me, she wouldn’t be so jovial. It was more likely she was hoping to watch me hand him his ass on a platter.
Too bad she hadn’t been in the parking lot of Greener Pastures a couple of hours ago.
Ignoring Wyatt, I headed for the family sitting in the booth at the front of the tavern. Annette and Eric were seated across from each other, and relief filled her eyes when she saw me coming toward her.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here earlier,” I said, sliding into the booth next to Eric. “This was my first afternoon off in weeks and I got detained running errands.”
“Oh, you don’t need to apologize,” she said. “I think I should apologize to you. I think one of your bosses is upset about us being here.”
“Max?” I asked in surprise. While I probably should have cleared this with him, I doubted he’d care. We had lots of empty tables at this time of day, and I was usually trying to find work to do. It looked like Annette had ordered drinks for her and Eric as well as a basket of fries. Max was a shrewd businessman. He’d see it as money he wouldn’t have had otherwise. Hell, some of the nightly regulars took up tables for hours and spent less than this.
I glanced over to Max at the bar, and he responded a grin.
“No, not the guy behind the bar right now,” Annette said. “The guy at the end. With a cup of coffee. He was servin’ drinks when we first got here and I asked for you.”
“Ohhhh,” I said, drawing it out. “That’s not my boss. That’s my boss’s brother, and while he’s been helpin’ out lately, he won’t be here much longer. You don’t need to worry about him.”
Her eyes flew wide. “That’s Wyatt Drummond?”
“You don’t know him?” Given how large the Drummonds loomed over Drum, I’d figured everyone in the area would know him by sight.
“I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never seen him. My husband takes our car to Greeneville for maintenance and such.”
Which meant she likely had a newer car.
She still looked uncomfortable. “I don’t want to step on any toes.”
“No toes or any other appendages have been stepped on,” I said with a laugh. “Wyatt’s not very happy with me today, and I suspect he was taking it out on you. I’m sorry you were made to feel uncomfortable. I’ll make sure it’s handled.”
“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble,” she said with a frown.
“Don’t you worry about that,” I assured her. “How about you get out Eric’s work, and I’ll help you both figure out how to do the problems?”
Relief washed over her face, and we spent the next fifteen minutes working through a few problems together until Annette and her son felt comfortable trying some on their own.
I left them to get started and headed over to the bar to check in with Max. As I slid behind it, Wyatt shot me a deadly glare.
“Where the hell have you been for the last hour and a half?”
“You have no right to ask me that,” I said in a short tone. “We’re not together anymore, and even if we were, you wouldn’t have the right to dictate my comings and goings. The fact is, I didn’t ask you to follow me. I didn’t want you anywhere near me.”
Fury filled his eyes. “I’m tryin’ to keep you safe, Carly. Maybe if you weren’t acting like a child, you would put aside your hurt feelin’s and see that.”
My mouth dropped open, but I decided not to blast him, however much I wanted to stab him with my words. I inhaled deep, refocusing my energy. “What did you say to that mother seating in the booth in the corner?”
He darted a glance in that direction, and a sheepish look washed over his face. “Let’s just say you weren’t my favorite person when she asked to speak to you.”
Max stepped over, eyeing us like we were a pair of skittish horses. “Is havin’ you two in the same place gonna be a problem?”
Wyatt grunted “no” as I said “yes.”
Max