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Shane spent his morning getting to know Mimi. But mainly he spoke about himself. Every time he had tried to steer the conversation to the family—or more importantly, his father—Mimi brought the subject back to him. With little to no information from Mimi, he’d hoped he’d get to meet his grandfather, but the man was MIA. According to Mimi, he was extremely busy with work, and Shane would get the chance to meet him very soon. She sounded optimistic, but Shane wasn’t.
He wanted to believe her, especially since the man had to have been a hard worker to acquire his wealth, but something in the back of Shane’s mind made him think work had nothing to do with his grandfather’s absence.
After all, there had to be a reason Mom hid this part of his family from him. What weren’t they telling him? He hoped he was overthinking, looking for the worst-case scenario, but his entire life was filled with curve balls and disappointment. He wasn’t ready to believe that now he’d found the people where his bloodline originated that everything was going to be okay.
Mimi had hugged him at least four times before he was finally able to leave the house and make his way to McConnell Pub. He’d been pleasantly surprised by how easily Mimi and Uncle Grady had accepted him. He only hoped that pattern continued when he met his cousin.
He walked down Main Street toward the pub. He regretted selling his car now, but it was either that or have Mimi pay his way, and that hadn’t been an option.
Fifteen minutes later, he reached the pub and headed inside. Embossed tin lined the ceiling, and a brick wall that looked original to the building sat behind the polished wood bar that was fully stocked with hundreds of bottles of liquor. High-back stools with black leather seats were mostly empty except for a man at the far end who turned as soon as he entered.
“Hey there,” the man said. His long black hair was pulled into a ponytail, and the fine lines around his eyes put him in his late-forties, early fifties.
Shane nodded.
“New to town?” the man asked before Shane could manage a word. He was starting to think he had a sticker on his forehead that said,I’m new here. Ask me about it.
“I am. I’m actually looking for Connor.”
“He had to run down to The Book Nook to drop Jean’s lunch off. He should be back in a few minutes.”
“Does he always leave the place unattended?” As far as Shane could tell, there were no other workers in the building, and the man was in the middle of eating a burger and drinking a beer, which made Shane think he was a customer not an employee.
“Oh yeah. I told him I’d hold the fort down until he returned.” The man wiped his palm on his pant leg then held his hand out to Shane. “I’m Hal.”
The name sounded familiar, and as Shane walked toward the man to shake his hand, he remembered Olivia and Milo’s conversation from the night before. “You’re the Alice Cooper impersonator?”
A big grin crossed his face. “Have you seen one of my shows?”
“I haven’t been so lucky,” he said. “Friends of mine told me about you. Said you’re a must-see talent.”
His lip tugged hard to the right but never fully formed, like he was trying to remain modest. “I’m playing here tonight. You should check out the show.”
“I’ll do that,” Shane said.
The door opened, and Hal pointed to the door. “And here he is.”
Shane turned, and Connor walked in; a close-trimmed beard like Shane’s surrounded a welcoming smile. His dark hair was cut short on the sides but longer in the front, and his eyes were green just like his father’s.
“You must be my long-lost cousin,” Connor said, taking his hand and instantly pulling him in for a hug. Connor patted his back and pulled away. “Nice to meet you, man.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you, too.” Shane tried to hide the shock in his tone. It’s not like he had expected Connor to have tossed his ass out on the pavement, but he didn’t expect the friendly embrace either. Though, after all of Mimi’s hugs, he was starting to wonder if the McConnell’s were just an affectionate family.
“Long lost cousin,” Hal said. “Am I the first to find out about this?” The excitement in his voice had Shane lifting an eyebrow.
“It hasn’t hit the town gossip mill yet,” Connor answered. “But I’m sure it’s only a matter of how long it takes you to finish that beer.”
Hal picked up the pint glass and downed the rest of its contents. He grabbed the half-eaten burger and got up from the stool. “Wait till I tell Jean about this.” Hal hurried out the door, burger in hand, while Shane stared after him.
“I hope he paid,” Shane finally said, and Connor laughed.
“He helped me restock the bar today, so lunch was on the house.”
“Does he work here?”
“Sometimes,” Connor said. “My dad said you were looking for a job.”
“I am. Mimi has been gracious enough to give me a place to stay, but I need to work. I don’t like to sit around, and I like to have my own income.”
