He isn't sure telling someone the bar is run by a siren matriarch is the best introduction to the town, so he settles on saying, "There's an escort service run out of the bar as well and the owner is perfectly capable of kicking someone's ass should they make her angry, but she's also a very good friend to have." There's really no other way to describe Lara. She's loyal and fierce and brilliant. For a long time Joel's mother had clearly hoped they might end up together, but he'd never been able to explain to her why it was better he and Lara were friends instead of anything more.