“What’s that?” Cal sips his beer, eyes fixed on my face.
“Allowing oxygen to flow through the body and reach the brain prompts the brain to release feel-good chemicals that influence positivity. Tell them to think of exercise as a natural antidepressant, so they’re tending both mind and body when they work out.”
“Thanks.” He takes a sip of the beer and makes a yummy noise. “That’s really good.”
“I’ll tell Griffin Walsh you said so.”
He grins. “I meant the advice, but the beer’s good, too.”
Stepping aside, he reveals the next customer in line. The fact that she’s two feet shorter than Cal is why I didn’t see her before.
“Hi, Soph.” I smile and grab another taster glass. “Root beer, grape soda, or ginger beer?”
“Ginger beer, please.” She reaches into the tip jar and plucks out a slip of paper. Frowning, she reads the advice. “‘Ask yourself ‘and then what?’ when you’re stuck on a negative thought.’”
“It helps sometimes when you’re feeling anxious. It’s a way of getting unstuck.” I hand her the glass of golden liquid and she gulps it down.
“Blimey, that’s scrummy.”
I’d almost forgotten her British cursing habit. “I take it that’s a good thing?”
Soph grins. “Delicious.” She sets her glass on the bar. “Dad made a different version of this when we lived in Sacramento. It had hibiscus, so it always looked kinda pink.”
“I’d love to try that.” Honestly, I’d love to try just about anything created by Griffin Walsh. “Are you a culinary master like your dad?”
She smiles. “I love baking. Cooking, not so much.”
“I can’t do either, so you’re ahead of me.”
Soph cocks her head. “If I teach you to bake, could I come over more and see Leonard?”
“You can come over anytime.” I refill her glass, fighting the urge to do a celebratory dance. While I won’t treat Soph as my patient, I can be a good listener if she wants to talk.
“Cool.” The girl grins. “I’m going to a sleepover tonight. You know, in case you wanted to come over and kiss my dad.”
She grabs her drink and hustles away, leaving me laughing in her wake. What would it be like if I could see Griffin for real? If we somehow put the Gabrielle situation behind us and dated like normal people?
There goes my brain with the ableist language again. I turn back to the line and see there’s one person remaining, and he’s my brother.
“Hey, Mari.” Cooper grins and leans his arms on the bar. “Can I have another taster of grape soda, please?”
“For you, I’ll make it a full glass.” I pluck one from under the movable bar and fill it nearly to the brim. “You having a good time?”
“You know me.” He flashes his movie star smile. “I always have a good time.” There’s the tiniest hint of sadness in his eyes that I’m not sure everyone sees, but he hides it with that famous grin.
“Are those vegetarian samosas all gone?” I ask. “I didn’t get a chance to try them.”
Coop grins wider and lifts a cocktail plate. “I grabbed the last three for you.”
Familial fondness floods my system, and I take the plate with a lump in my throat. “Thanks, Coop.”
“No sweat.” He wanders off, and I watch him go, hoping he’s settling okay into life in rural Oregon. Of all of us, Coop’s the one with the biggest adjustment to make. The youngest brother, the family golden boy, he bore the weight of our parents’ expectations in ways Gabe and Dean managed to avoid.
“Looks like you don’t need this.” I turn to see Griffin approaching with a plate of food. “I thought you might be hungry. Didn’t look like you got much of a break.”
“I’m starving, so I’ll happily add that to what Coop brought.” I hold out my plate and Griffin arranges a couple bruschettas and three mini meatballs around the edges. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Think you can bust out of here soon?”
I scan the underground space, observing the dwindling crowd. “I think I’ve gotten through everyone who wanted advice.” I touch the tip jar. “This was a brilliant idea, by the way.”
“Yeah?”
“People who weren’t comfortable sharing kept fishing in there and pulling out scraps of advice. It’s like a fortune cookie.”
Griff grins. “If the fortunes were written by a professional psychologist with a doctorate from UCLA.”
“With a specialization in working with unique populations like celebrities.” I smile, pleased he knows something about my educational background. “UCLA has several licensed supervisors dedicated to that competency.”
“I know.” Griff gets an odd look on his face as he sips from his pint glass. “My ex-wife went out of her way to find a shrink with that background. Someone she had to go all the way to LA to see.”
I swallow hard, catching the edge to his voice. It’s fainter than it used to be when he mentioned Gabby, but still there.
This morning I left another message with her manager, pleading for a call back. To my utter shock, he texted an hour later agreeing to pass my request to Elle Julia. If I could just get her to sign that form—
“Your family’s pretty great.”
Griff’s words jolt me back. “How so?” I don’t disagree, but I want to hear more.
“You’re all so different, but you’re always keeping tabs on each other.” He nods toward the exit. “When Nick Armbrust came to fix the motorized ladder, I watched Gabe steer Lauren away so they didn’t interact. And Dean stepped in to shoo off some guy hitting on Lana when he wasn’t taking the hint from her.”
I laugh and take a sip of ginger beer. It’s spicy and bubbly and leaves my belly feeling like I’ve swallowed a fireworks display. “That bugs the crap out of Lana sometimes, being the baby and all.”
“And you, looking out for Cooper.” Griffin nods to where Coop’s striding toward the freshly replenished buffet table. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you keeping him supplied with booze-free beverages.”
“Just looking out for him.” I watch Police Chief Amy Lovelin track Cooper with her eyes as he moves across the room. Interesting.
Griffin lays a hand on the bar, and it’s all I can do not to lean over and rest my breasts on it. What the hell is wrong with me?
“I’m just saying,” he says. “I never had that as an only child. I’m sure there’s challenges growing up with five siblings, but it must be nice knowing someone always has your back.”
“True. I probably take that for granted.”
Also, he probably had a point the other day about me walling myself off. I still can’t believe he talked me into taking a bigger role with this event, playing psychologist bartender. If it weren’t for Griff, I’d have been fine on the sidelines like always, watching, helping, but not really part of things like my siblings. “My family has its pluses.”
He smiles and brushes my knuckles with his fingertips. “And you’re right at the center of that. Mari in the middle.”