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trash bag and handed it to William. “If you clear the tables, I’ll wipe them down.”
    He went from table to table, picking up bottles and any other trash left behind. “This place was surprisingly busy.”
    “Surprisingly?” Kara chuckled as she began to wipe down the tabletops. “Well, believe it or not, this place isn’t such a shithole that nobody comes in.”
    William smirked. “Touché, Kara, touché. If business stays steady, why are you not making more of a profit?”
    Kara stopped cleaning and looked at him; her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How do you know anything about how the bar is doing?”
    Fuck . William shrugged and went back to throwing away bottles, quickly trying to think of a reason he’d know such information. “I think Ben mentioned it once.” He winced at the half-truth, but what was he supposed to say? My father dug into your business affairs, and now I’m here to buy the place so we can tear it down? For some reason, one he definitely didn’t want to think about, the original plan formed a lump in his throat.
    “Ben said that?” Kara asked as she went back to wiping down the last few tables. “The truth is, no, I’m not making much of a profit. My grandfather built this place, and since it’s so old, simple things like the utility bill are killing me. Any money I make, which isn’t much, goes to my living expenses. After that, whatever is left gets put into a savings account so one day I can hopefully make some much needed renovations.” Kara stood behind the bar, stretching her neck side to side as she sprayed some cleaner on the countertop.
    William tied off the filled trash bag and set it by the back door, then walked up behind her and took the rag from her hand. “What kind of renovations do you want to make?” he asked as he took over the cleaning. Her exhaustion was evident in every stiff move she made as she pulled out a stool and sat down.
    “The entire place could use a fresh coat of paint, I’d love to remodel the bathrooms, and the dance floor has lots of chipped planks…” Kara sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Honestly, everything needs redoing. I don’t know where I’d even start, and unless I win the lottery soon…”
    “Have you ever considered selling the place?” William asked as he walked behind her, removing her petite hands from her neck and replacing them with his own.
    Kara moaned in appreciation as his fingers massaged small circles into her tight muscles. “I could never sell it. Not without doing everything in my power to keep it. My grandfather raised me and left this place to me when he died. Selling it would be like shitting on everything he worked for. He deserves better than that.”
    “Why did he raise you?” He felt her shoulders stiffen under his hands, and then she was gone.
    “It’s not important. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?” She asked as she grabbed a broom from beside the register.
    William didn’t know why, but he wanted to help her. He needed to help her. “I’m somewhat of a handyman. Let me help you with some things.” He saw the surprise on her face but continued before she could turn him down. “I can paint, for example. That’ll save you a lot of money. The job would take one person a while, but with two, we could knock it out pretty quickly.”
    Kara stopped sweeping long enough to look him in the eye, her stare tugging on something deep inside him. “Why do you want to help me?”
    William gave her a small smile and had no choice but to answer honestly. “Because I want to see you keep this place.”

Chapter Six
    Kara arrived at the bar the following Tuesday afternoon, excited to throw some fresh paint on the walls. She let herself in and immediately went to the jukebox. No way did she plan to spend hours painting with William in total quiet. Just the thought of him made her nervous, and she glanced down at her jean shorts and green tank, giving herself one last appraisal. She