“Good morning.” She held the door partly closed, blocking his entry. “Andy’s not quite ready yet. Give him five minutes.”
“Can I come in?”
Avery rubbed one eye with two fingers. “Fine.” She stepped aside to open the door. “You know, you’ve spent a lot of time with us these past ten days. I hope whatever your reasons are for sticking around town, they aren’t about me.”
“Everything isn’t about you.” Matt crossed his arms, having the gall to appear indignant. “But I do want to talk to you before Andy comes out.”
Avery held up her hand. “I’m not interested in sharing confidences. If Andy has something to tell me, he can do it in his own time.”
“What if waiting costs you your chance to save this house?”
Avery tilted her head. “Well, that certainly got my attention.” She sat at the kitchen island instead of in the living room, having no desire to make things cozy. “What are you talking about?”
He looked a little too pleased with his victory. Determined not to beg him for details, she waited.
“Did Andy tell you much about the night of the accident?” Matt remained standing, his elbows resting on the counter. His blue eyes scanned her face and took a quick inventory of the rest of her, too, eyes lingering on the knot just below her chest.
She tucked the top half of her robe together for additional modesty. “You mean about how he didn’t see Grey on the bike, or about the ice on the roads?”
His gaze moved back up to her face. “No, I mean about what happened before he got in his car.”
She crossed her arms and legs, impatient with his Twenty Questions approach. “Only that he’d been out for drinks with his buddies.”
Matt straightened up, glancing toward Andy’s room before continuing. “Apparently those guys hooked up with a bachelorette party at the OS.”
The “OS,” locals’ shorthand for the Outpost Saloon, was a decades-old popular hangout among the ski instructors and local ski bums. Cheap drinks. No posers. The kind of joint she and her friends used to haunt to scope out the cute guys. Guys like Matt, in fact.
“Oh, what a surprise. A bunch of skiers hoping to take advantage of drunk women.” Why Matt considered this news helpful, Avery surely didn’t know. She uncrossed herself and began to slide off the stool.
“Hold up.” Matt pulled out the stool next to Avery and sat down. “Apparently Jonah Barton was bartending that night and had the hots for one of the girls. He wanted to keep her at the bar, so he kept pouring everyone rounds of shots despite their increasing rowdiness.”
Avery waited for the big revelation. When Matt said nothing, she flipped her palm toward the ceiling. “And?”
“Jonah served obviously drunk people more alcohol. Every bartender knows that’s against the law. Insurance companies require bar owners to enforce it. So it’s possible the OS could be held responsible for the consequences of Andy’s accident.”
Avery sat up straighter, intrigued but wary. “If that’s true, why haven’t Andy’s lawyers already raised this defense?”
“It’s not a defense to the criminal charges. And in Colorado, the intoxicated person can’t sue the bar. But a third party can.” Matt shook his head when she didn’t connect the dots fast enough. “Grey Lowell can sue the OS. These cases are real long shots, but if Lowell gets money from the OS, maybe you won’t be forced out of your house.”
Avery’s mind raced in several directions while processing the possibilities. “Why is Andy confiding in you instead of me?”
Matt shrugged, his expression softening in response to her distress. “Guilt and shame have him gun-shy. He’s also worried exposing the extreme partying could actually hurt his criminal case.”
Could it hurt Andy? Avery felt her forehead crease. She returned her attention to Matt, who seemed to be studying her reaction. If only it were anyone other than him delivering this news.
“So why are you breaking Andy’s confidence?”
“Andy says you think Grey Lowell doesn’t plan on taking your family to the cleaners. Unlike you, I’m not convinced that guy’s a selfless hero.”
Avery felt a smug, if inappropriate, sense of satisfaction when she heard the jealous bite in Matt’s voice. “I never said he was a hero, but Grey isn’t the bad guy either. And if he did have a case against the bar, his lawyer would’ve already pressed it.”
“They haven’t filed suit yet, so they haven’t taken Andy’s deposition. All they have is the police report and some eyewitness testimony from the scene of the accident. As far as I know, Grey and his lawyer have no idea what went down that night beyond where Andy was drinking. But you can tell Grey.”
Avery sat back and crossed her arms again, watching Matt, whose eager grin reminded her of a puppy begging for a treat. “What are you hoping to gain from this, Matt? Because you telling me sure isn’t going to sit well with my brother.”
“I’m just trying to be a good friend. You deserve the truth, especially if it keeps you from losing the house I know you love. And I’m convinced Andy will start feeling better once it’s all on the table.”
The pair engaged in a silent showdown. She could hug him for his help, but she couldn’t afford to let him slip behind her defenses. Thankfully, Andy showed up before she said anything further.
“I’m all set.” Andy, now fully dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt, smiled at them, unaware of what they’d been discussing. He glanced around the room and then teased, “Hey, no broken glass. Are you two friends again?”
Matt stood, his expression blank, and nodded at Andy. Unfortunately, her brother’s poor joke provoked a flash of anger that short-circuited Avery’s patience. Before outing Matt for breaking Andy’s confidence, she glanced at him apologetically, although he knew her well enough to have predicted she’d tackle this news head-on.
Turning to Andy, she quipped, “I didn’t have time to throw anything. I was too intrigued by a story about a certain bachelorette party.”
She noticed Andy blanch before he scowled at Matt, who braced for an argument. No matter how much she might like to see Matt tossed out on his ear for other reasons, she wasn’t about to let her brother attack him for telling her something Andy should’ve admitted weeks ago. “Andy, why didn’t you tell me this sooner? More importantly, why didn’t you tell Grey?”
Andy closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose. “Because I’m worried about my criminal trial.”
“How does the bartender’s recklessness hurt your criminal case?” The cobwebs cleared from her brain, allowing rational thought to prevail. “The blood tests are conclusive, so the lawyers and judge already will know exactly how drunk you were. There’s no hiding from that evidence.”
“I don’t know, Avery. I’m not as smart as you, okay?” Andy’s hands were on his hips as he began pacing behind the sofa, head bowed. “I’m scared. I don’t want to be in jail for one day, let alone years. Telling everyone I’d been throwing back endless shots probably won’t help my cause. Besides, Jonah didn’t force those drinks down my throat.” Andy paled as he raked his hand through his hair. His green eyes creased with worry when he looked at Avery. “If Grey files a suit against the OS, everyone in town will start talking again. They’ll say I’m trying to blame someone else for my mistake. Mark and Cindy have been decent to me since this happened, but if their bar gets dragged into this mess, I’ll have two more enemies.”
“Hey, if Jonah was reckless and broke the law, maybe the OS should be sued. Surely it is more responsible for the fallout than the victims. At the very least, Jonah’s behavior contributed to your accident. He should’ve stopped pouring shots or called you a cab. He did neither. Now Dad, Mom, me, even Grey, we all stand to lose, and none of us have any blame in this situation.” Avery shook her head, fueled by a fire in her gut. “I know you’re scared. But you’ve got to face what’s coming and let the chips fall. The people who love you will stand by you and help pick up the pieces. Jeez, you know this, Andy. I know you know this.”