Erika held out a hand. “None for me, thanks. People sneeze and touch the garnishes left on bars,” she said. “So many germs.” She shuddered.

“Nah... These have only been sitting out for a week, tops,” Reed said, attaching the lime slice to her glass and handing it to her.

Her mouth opened then snapped shut again, as though she were biting back a smart retort of her own.

Too bad. He’d like to see what she was made of. She had to possess more than this frosty exterior...though he’d only ever gotten evidence of that once, and only briefly.

Next to her, Cassie removed the lime wedge and took a long sip of her drink.

“What brings you to Wild River?”

“A vacation,” she said tightly. Her eyes scanned the bar and he’d never been so proud of the tacky holiday decorations. The look of disgust on her face when her gaze landed on the Santa figurine peeing in the snow that was attached to a beer tap was worth every penny the thing cost.

“Most people find those fun,” he said, sliding a bowl of bar nuts toward his sister.

“Really? I can’t imagine why,” Erika said, sipping her own drink.

He waited to see if she liked it, annoyed that it mattered, but she left him hanging, turning her attention back to her surroundings. She glanced from side to side over her shoulders toward the back.

“Bathroom’s in the far corner, past the pool tables on the left.”

“I’m fine.” She crossed her legs to sit awkwardly on the stool.

Right. Germs. “How long are you staying?”

“Two weeks.”

Cassie’s drink flew out of her mouth, showering him with sticky cranberry juice. He reached for a napkin and wiped his forearm, handing her one for her face.

“Two weeks? Wow,” Cassie said, grabbing a handful of bar nuts and stuffing them into her mouth.

Erika nodded. “Or not... I don’t know yet.”

Holy awkwardness. Obviously his sister and her former best friend were learning quickly that sometimes friendships didn’t last into adulthood.

“Was that a little girl I saw leaving before we came in?” Erika asked.

“That was the owner’s daughter,” he said, glancing at his sister. As suspected, the mere mention of Tank and Cassie’s thoughts were written all over her face. His sister and his friend had been doing this protracted dance around one another for years now. He wasn’t sure what was going on, except that Cassie got flustered and flushed whenever Tank was around. She often babysat Kaia for Tank and the two had been friends for years. He suspected the man’s single dad status might be the main reason the two hadn’t hooked up yet.

“He brings his daughter in here?” Erika sipped her drink again.

“Until the bar starts to get busy, yeah.”

She shook her head.

“You got an opinion on that, Ms. PhD?” He leaned against the bar. She was there five minutes and had succeeded in insulting the bar, the bar’s owner and him. She had a knack for putting people off. Always had, but for some reason, it irritated him more now.