"You heard my dad. I'm not sure he even has confidence I'm running Riley's the way he likes."

Tyler chuckled. "That sounded more like good-natured teasing to me."

She pulled up one of the stools and half sat on it. "You don't know my dad. He may sound good-natured, but he's fiercely protective of the bar. And he's traditional. He'd never go for an expansion idea."

"And you'll never know that if you don't discuss it with him. How's the capital situation?"

"Plentiful."

"Then put a business plan together and present it to him. It's a good idea, Jenna, and one where you could capitalize on your natural talent."

"You're really pushing me on this. Why?"

"One, because I think your talent is being wasted on being a bartender. Two, because I think if you opened up a second bar, you could sing there, which would make you happier because you'd actually be doing something you love to do. Three, because it's a sound business investment. You already know how to run a successful bar. I think you could make this work."

Everything he said made sense. It was logical.

But she wasn't going to do it. She shook her head and slid off the stool. "Too risky. Dad would never go for it."

More important, she would never go for it.

She started out of the room, but he took her hands. "Then make him go for it. You're the most argumentative woman I've ever known. You're telling me you can't stand up to your father? Go to him armed with a sound business plan and make him listen. Sing for your parents. Take them to the club we went to and show them how this could work."

She jerked her hands away. "No. I'm not going to do this. Just because you think it's a great idea doesn't mean it's something I want to do."

"You're afraid to take this step, just like you're afraid to sing in front of your family."

She glanced down the hall to make sure no one had heard. "I'm tired of having the same conversations with you. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

But Ty obviously wasn't going to let this go. "At first I thought it was a fear of failure. Now I think you're afraid to succeed."

"That's ridiculous. I just don't think a second bar is a good idea."

"Which has nothing to do with singing in front of your family. You're afraid you're going to be so good they're going to want to hear you again. Or maybe they'll get the idea you should do something with that spectacular voice of yours. And then you'll be forced to step outside your comfort zone-this coc.o.o.n you've so carefully wrapped yourself in-and do something about being so unhappy."

"What? Where is this coming from? I'm not unhappy."

He stepped in closer. "Yeah, you are."

She moved back. "No, I'm not, and you have a h.e.l.l of a lot of nerve presuming to know how I feel. I'm perfectly content with the way things are. I was content before you came into it and I'll be content after you're gone."

He arched a brow. "You trying to get rid of me, Jenna?"

"No. I don't know. Stop pushing me. I don't like it."

"I'm trying to help you."

"You're not helping me. This isn't what I want. And if you think it is, then you haven't been listening all the times I've told you."

He took a step back and raised his hands. "If that's what you think, then I'll back off."

She nodded, but felt miserable, like an invisible wall had just been raised between them.

"I'm going into the living room so they don't wonder what we're talking about in here."

"Fine."

She walked out, leaving Ty alone in the kitchen.

Well, that went well.

TYLER GRABBED A SODA FROM THE REFRIGERATOR, needing a few minutes to cool down and collect his thoughts. He took a step outside in the backyard.

It was cold out. He should have grabbed his coat. Ah, f.u.c.k it. He'd survive. He lived on the ice, anyway. The cold might clear out his brain cells, give him some clarity where Jenna was concerned.

"You training for some iron man endurance contest?"

He looked up to find Mick standing on the steps. Mick closed the door behind him.

"Uh, no. Are you?"

Mick laughed. "h.e.l.l no. It's bad enough I have to play football in the cold. Not a big fan of it."

"And here I thought you were the tough, macho quarterback."

"Hey, I like dome stadiums. Comfortable seventy-two degrees. Don't ruin my rep by leaking that one to the media, though."

"Now I have ammunition to use against you. Bad move on your part."

"Come on." Mick moved off the steps and led Tyler to the garage. They went in through the side door. It wasn't heated, but it was a d.a.m.n sight warmer than standing outside with the bitter wind biting through their clothes.

Mick leaned against one of the two cars that sat covered in the garage. "So what's going on with you and my sister?"

Tyler arched a brow. "In what way?"

"In the I-heard-you-arguing-in-the-kitchen way."

"None of your business."

Mick's lips lifted and he scratched the side of his nose. "Probably what I would have said to someone who tried to interfere in my relationship with Tara."

"There's nothing going on. I care about Jenna. We just don't always see eye to eye on things."

"My parents like you, and so does Jenna. I can tell."

"Then that should be good enough for you."

"It should be."

"But?"

"You know, as the oldest, and especially having a little sister, it's always going to be my job to look out for her."

"Of course."

"But I also know she's stubborn as h.e.l.l. She doesn't make it easy for guys."

Ty decided to listen and see where Mick was going to go with this.

"She can be...difficult."

"Understatement," Ty said.

Mick laughed. "She's independent, tough as any man, and she'll dig in her heels if you try to change her."

"I wouldn't want to change her. I like who she is."

"But she's also fiercely loyal to the people she loves. And she's never brought a guy around before, so she thinks you're something special."

Ty looked down at the ground, then gave Mick a sidelong look. "Well, thanks for that. I think she's pretty special, too. I just don't know how to give her what I think she really wants."

"What do you think she really wants?"

"That's not for me to say."

Mick crossed his arms. "Okay, now I'm confused."

"Sorry, man. There's only so much I can say without betraying a confidence."

Mick pushed off the car and slapped Ty on the shoulder. "That's okay. She trusts you with her secrets, and you keep them. That's good. And I don't know how to talk about something I don't have all the facts about, but if you think there's something she wants and she isn't going after it, push her."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"She'll hate that."

Mick laughed and nodded. "Yeah, she will. But do you think she'll ever be really be happy if she doesn't get what she wants?"

TWENTY-TWO.

JENNA WAITED FOR A WHILE, CHEWING ON A HANGNAIL while Ty cooled his heels in the kitchen. Mick had gone in there, so she figured he was shooting the breeze with her brother.

He finally surfaced and hung out with the family for a while, but it was obvious the dynamic had changed between them. Ty took a seat next to her dad and focused his attention on the race. Jenna sat with Liz and Tara, listening to wedding planning, but she didn't give the conversation her full focus. She kept skirting glances across the room at Ty, who hadn't looked at her at all.

He was mad. Or hurt. Or something She couldn't help that. She knew what she wanted, and what she didn't want.

Another bar would be nice-one where there'd be music and singing instead of sports, but that was a fantasy that would never come true. Ty pushing her about it wasn't going to make it happen.

She should have never sung for him, should have never allowed herself to even think it was a possibility. Then he'd never know, and they wouldn't be having this ridiculous fight.

"Jenna, would you help me in the kitchen for a minute?"

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and stood. "Sure, Mom."

Her mother had made two pies-a cherry and a coconut cream. She loved homemade pie and her mother made the best in town as far as Jenna was concerned.

"Get out the plates and the whipped cream from the refrigerator. I'll get the forks."

"Okay."

Jenna busied herself with taking plates and utensils out to the dining room. When she came back into the kitchen, her mother was slicing the pie into serving pieces.

"Did you and Ty have a fight?"

Leave it to her mother to have superpower hearing. "No. We're fine."

The look she gave Jenna told her she wasn't buying it. "Want to try that again?"

"Really, Mom. It's not a big thing. We just don't see eye to eye on a few matters."

"Let me ask you a question."

"All right."

"Is he good to you?"

"Is he what?"

"Does he treat you well?"

"Of course he does. I wouldn't be with him if he didn't."

"Is he respectful of you?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel when you're with him?"

"Mom, really."

"Just answer the question."