Getting Lucky

by A. R. Casella

Jack raised his brows. “Oh? I was under the impression you would have preferred not to meet me at all.”

  A shadow passed over Lee’s face. “I almost went to your bar half a dozen times on my last business trip to Chicago.”

  Shock filled Jack’s eyes. “But you didn’t?”

  “No, I was…” Lee trailed off, looking like he’d lost the point, or maybe like he didn’t want to admit to his little brother that he’d been scared. And for the first time, Maisie felt something like sympathy toward him. Maybe he wasn’t what he seemed, just like Jack wasn’t the humorless, straightlaced man she’d taken him for.

  “Why don’t you take him to the bar?” she suggested, gesturing toward it.

  “Do you really think more alcohol’s the solution here?” Finn asked in an undertone.

  She let out a little huff of laughter. “In lieu of one of Dottie’s miracle hangover cures, I was going to suggest coffee.”

  “Who are you?” Lee asked, shifting his attention to Maisie. “You were at Thanksgiving, weren’t you?”

  Before she could confirm it, Jack put his free hand on her hip. “She’s my girlfriend.”

  He said it hastily, then threw her a look, obviously worried about how she might react.

  She just leaned into him and said, “I also have a name. I’m Maisie.”

  “Oh, you’re the one who—”

  Alarm knifed through her. Had Georgie told him something about her? Did he know she’d had feelings for River? She certainly didn’t want Jack to find out from his drunk-as-a-skunk half-brother.

  “—who’s friends with Adalia,” he finished.

  The relief was real. And when Finn pulled her away, giving her a pointed look that was probably obvious to everyone, she let him.

  “We need to go check on River!” he announced, speaking louder and more emphatically than was necessary.

  Jack gave her a look like maybe he didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t attempt to pull her back or refuse. In fact, he hooked an arm around Lee’s shoulders and helped him stagger over to the bar.

  Maybe Jack would get enough coffee into Lee that he could relay the bad news. Or if their talk went really poorly, and he was feeling spiteful, he could just tuck the photos in his jacket into Lee’s pocket to give him a surprise for later.

  She chuckled to herself at the thought, which was the kind of thing Molly would have come up with as punishment for a vindictive ex. Oh God, Molly was going to be pissed, but Maisie couldn’t let her write about this train wreck, even if the names were left out. It had become too personal for Jack.

  “You think he’s going to be okay?” Finn asked nervously as soon as Jack and Lee were out of hearing.

  “Which one?”

  “Both of them, I guess. I feel kind of bad about Lee. I gave him some high-gravity beers back at the house. He started drinking hard after Jack left. I think he felt guilty about how things went down…and he just kept going once we got here.” He shot her a glance. “From what he said, I take it things aren’t going great with Victoria.”

  She stifled a laugh.

  Understanding flashed in his eyes, and he pulled her to a stop. “I can tell you know something, and I absolutely do not want you to tell me. I don’t need any more secrets.”

  “Fair play,” she said, raising a hand as her white flag. “Suffice it to say that their romance won’t be long for this world. Dottie saw them breaking up in, like, five cups of tea.”

  “Good,” he said decisively. “Because Addy hates her, and she sounds awful. Lee might be a stuffed shirt…well, most of the time”—he waved in the direction of Jack and Lee, who was singing loudly to Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out”—“but he’s not half bad.”

  “A rousing endorsement.”

  He shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

  “Has River been having fun?”

  “Yeah.” He glanced at the bar. “All of the guys from Buchanan and Big Catch showed up. It’s a good crowd.”

  Something about the way he said it, and the look of little-boy longing he shot at the guys who used to idolize him, told her that some of the guys in the beer community still held a grudge against him for selling Big Catch Brewing to a corporate overlord.

  “Still giving you a hard time?”

  Another shrug. “You and River forgave me. That’s what matters. Maybe they’ll get over it too someday.”

  He started walking again, and she fell in beside him and gave him a little nudge. “Big talk for the guy who always wants everyone to like him. Being in love suits you.”

  He nudged her back, his eyes bright. “How about you?”

  “Tsk, tsk. You said no secrets.”

  He looked like he was going to say more—of course he did, Finn always wanted to say more—but they’d reached Lurch’s spot at the end of the table. He was talking to Josie while she swung a crystal pendant back and forth listlessly. Either she was bored or she was trying to read some sort of fortune for him. Maybe both.

  “She drew the face on in permanent marker. Permanent!” he said, then paused to take a slug of the third beer on his makeshift tasting tray. “And she didn’t tell me she was moving on until after she took pictures.”

  Maisie gave a shudder and glanced at Finn, who was steadfastly staring straight ahead.

  “She’s not the one for you, Lurch,” Josie said. “The pendant never lies.” She paused dramatically, then added, “She left you for a fireman, didn’t she?”

  “How did you know that?” he asked with wide eyes. The goat horns drawn onto his head winged upward.

  “Lurch…” Finn interjected, “you’ve told all of us at least five times.”

  But Maisie’s mind had skipped back to another time, another fortune. What was it Josie had said to her? You’re in love with someone, but he has no idea. He’s going to marry someone else, and you’re going to die alone. She’d assumed it was about River, but what if it was Jack she was going to lose?

  She gave herself a mental shake as she made her way to River. She’d really lost it if she was starting to look to Josie for spiritual guidance.

  River turned as she approached him, and his face split into a familiar smile. She’d told Dottie once that one of her favorite things about River was that he had a different smile for every person, and this was hers—a little crooked, one side higher than the other, a flash of teeth. It was impossibly dear to her, just like he was, and she was relieved they’d aired out their dirty laundry without destroying their friendship.

  They hugged each other, both of them holding on for longer than they normally would.

  “The man of the hour!” she said, pulling back. “Are you having fun?”

  He glanced around at the friends gathered around him. “Yeah, this is awesome, but I’m glad you’re here. It felt like something was missing.”

  She knew he was saying it to reassure her that they were good, that their friendship was intact, and she appreciated it.

  He glanced around the bar. “Speaking of. Where are Jack and Lee?”

  “Talking it out,” she said. “I hope. Either that, or they’re in the alleyway having a fistfight that Jack is absolutely guaranteed to win.”

  He smirked a little. “Yeah, I can’t imagine Lee getting his fists bloody.” He nodded at Finn. “Did you tell her about what happened at the house earlier?”

  “Which part?” Finn asked.

  “About the agreement, I mean.” He glanced at Maisie and made a face. “I didn’t mention it earlier because—”

  No need to let the world know about their conversation.

  “Um. No,” she interrupted. “What agreement?”

  He glanced around again, then motioned for them to move to an empty spot at the end of the bar.

  It didn’t take him long to explain what Lee had asked for, and why. By the time he finished, Maisie was about ready to crack Lee like a nut, Victoria or no Victoria.

  “And you let this happen?” she asked, turning on Finn.

  He gav
e her a helpless puppy dog look that might have worked on Adalia but surely was not going to work on her.

  Why hadn’t Jack told her?

  Because it’s in his best interest for River to sign those papers.

  If River didn’t sign, then Jack could lose his stake in the brewery and possibly his job. He wouldn’t, of course—River would never pull his job out from under him—but Jack didn’t know him like she did. He’d pinned all his hopes on the brewery, and he didn’t want to see them come tumbling down.

  “I don’t care,” River said. “I really don’t. If this is what it takes to get Lee’s support, I’m all for it. God knows Georgie’s father is still doing everything he can to tear us apart.”

  More than he even knew.

  She just nodded distantly and turned from them to search the room for Jack and Lee. But her search was interrupted when she spotted someone else she knew—Blue, sitting with a brown-haired man in a brown shirt and khaki pants. Was she on a date? She didn’t like beer, so it was the last place Maisie would have thought to look for her.

  Blue hadn’t been sharing her usual awful dating stories on the group chat she had with Maisie and Adalia. But if she was dating someone, why hadn’t she told them?

  She could practically see Mary giving her that disapproving look.

  Because people worry you’ll make fun of them, Maisie. You and Molly need to work on your people skills.

  Really, fair enough, Phantom Mary. She and Adalia had made a few jokes about the Bad Luck Club—they’d sent increasingly wild theories about what it was—and Blue seemed pretty sensitive about it. Maybe this guy was someone she’d met there.

  “Hey, guys,” she said. “I’ll be a minute. I’m going to go say hi to Blue and then find Jack and Lee.”

  River gave her a look. “Be gentle. Like I said, I’m okay with this. The guy’s kind of a dick, but he didn’t ask for anything I wasn’t willing to give.”

  She squeezed his shoulder—“I know”—and thought, but didn’t say, that it hadn’t been Lee’s right to ask.

  “Should we head back over?” Finn asked, gesturing to the table they’d left. Maisie had to smile to herself because it was clear from the way he said it that he really would rather not.

  “Not yet,” River said. “Let’s stay over here awhile and talk.”

  Maisie made her way over to Blue, whose eyes widened when she caught sight of her. There was a nearly untouched beer in front of her, but the man she was with had finished three quarters of his pour.

  Blue didn’t seem happy to see her. No, that wasn’t quite true. Her first reaction had been the kind of happiness you weren’t expecting, but it had given way to nerves.

  “Hey, Blue,” Maisie said as she got closer. “I guess I forgot to tell you the bachelor party would be stopping here tonight. Surprise!”

  “Oh, are you with that group over there?” the guy asked, nodding toward the bar. He didn’t say it with a tone, not really, but something in his face said he disapproved.

  “Yeah, that’s us,” she said, holding out a hand and reminding herself to reserve judgment. “I’m Maisie.”

  He shook her hand. “Dan.” He glanced at Blue. “And you’re a friend of Blue’s?”

  Blue gave a pained smile. “Yeah, a good friend.” An awkward pause hung between them for a moment. Then Blue said, “Hey, Dan? Would you mind getting me a glass of water from the bar?”

  “No, not at all,” he said, getting up. He was a tall man with dishwater brown hair and brown eyes fringed with long, sandy lashes. Good-looking, but in a somewhat generic way she wouldn’t have expected from a man who’d gained Blue’s interest. He turned to Maisie on his way past and said, “It was nice to meet you.”

  It kind of rubbed her the wrong way, like he expected her to be gone by the time he got back, but she just nodded and said “likewise” before turning to Blue with raised eyebrows.

  “New boyfriend?”

  Blue gestured for her to sit. Biting her lip, she said, “Sort of. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

  A flash of hurt must have shown in her eyes, because Blue lifted a hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I was nervous about introducing him to you and Addy. He’s not my usual type, but the Bad Luck Club has helped me realize my old patterns weren’t working for me.” She waved toward Dan, who didn’t stand out from the crowd of men he’d disappeared into. “Dan’s a good guy. He hasn’t asked to meet my friends or see my studio. He lets me be my own person, and that’s what I need right now.”

  It was on the edge of Maisie’s tongue to say it wasn’t necessarily a great sign that he didn’t want to take part in those aspects of her life. Although codependency was a trap she understood, it was possible to be part of someone’s life without taking it over, and vice versa. But it wasn’t really her business to say so, and she didn’t want to give Blue any more reasons to pull away from her. From now on, any theorizing about the Bad Luck Club would have to be strictly limited to texts between her and Addy.

  “Addy and I have been giving you a hard time, but we care about you. We want you to be happy,” she said. “And if you like Dan, we absolutely want to hear about him. Even if he has a doll collection like the last guy you went out with.”

  Blue’s mouth twitched. “No doll collection to speak of. He might be the most normal guy I’ve ever met.”

  Which didn’t bode well for their relationship, in Maisie’s opinion—Blue was one of the more unique souls she knew. But it didn’t seem like the right time to say so. Maisie knew when to shut up—she just didn’t often choose to.

  “Well, I’d love to get to know him. Are you bringing him to the engagement party tomorrow?”

  Blue played with her full glass of beer without taking a sip. “I wasn’t planning on it. Do you think that would be okay?”

  “More than okay. Jack got plenty of food for the party, and I’ve heard there’s even some wine.” She grinned at the full beer glass. “Plus, I’m sure Addy will want to meet him too.”

  Blue glanced behind her, her eyes widening. “Speaking of Jack…are you here with him?”

  Before Maisie could answer, Jack came up beside her, Lee with him. If they’d had a fistfight, there were no marks she could see. Jack’s expression was closed down, and it amused her to see Lee’s look was identical. Still, she was somewhat pissed at both of them.

  “Hi, Blue,” Jack said. Then he turned to Lee, presumably to introduce him to Blue. But just then, Lee doubled over and vomited on Blue’s shoes.

  Chapter Thirty

  Jack jumped backward to escape the splatter, then felt like a jerk because poor Blue had gotten the brunt of the mess.

  Blue let out a shriek, which caused Lee to cringe and back up himself, only he nearly fell on his ass in the process. Jack reluctantly reached out and grabbed his arm to steady him.

  Maisie shot Jack a dark scowl as she got to her feet. “Get him out of here. I’ll meet you at the car.”

  Jack didn’t ask where she was going because it was obvious. She started dragging Blue toward the restrooms. Blue still hadn’t said anything, but from the look on her face, it was unlikely she’d ever forget meeting Lee Buchanan.

  “Shit,” Lee mumbled, watching them hurry off. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

  “God, I hope not,” Jack said with a wry grin. “Let’s get you outside.”

  Lee’s unfocused gaze swung toward him, and his gray pallor made Jack tighten his hold on his bicep and drag him out the back door, rather than going the longer route through the front, in the event he yacked again.

  It was a good call, because Lee bent over at the waist and vomited again in the alley four feet from the door. Jack wished he’d thought to grab the bottle of water he’d purchased for his brother only a few minutes ago. But Lee had promptly set it down and stumbled over to hug a man he’d mistaken for an old frat buddy. Only the man was in his seventies and sporting a T-shirt that read Proud Liberal Snowflake.

  Jack had glanced awa
y for a split second, looking for Maisie, and saw her and River hugging at the bar. It seemed to go on for too long, and there was emotion glimmering in her eyes, and for a split second he felt a stab of jealousy.

  What the hell was wrong with him? River was marrying his sister, for God’s sake, and he and Maisie were friends. Except a little voice in his head suggested his early suspicions had been right, and there were more layers to their relationship than either of them let on. That little voice still hadn’t totally shut up, even after the situation with Lee had required him to rip his attention away. The older gentleman, who looked like he’d lived most of his life in the sun, told him his name was Tony, not Tripp, and he’d sooner burn Columbia down than go to school there. Lee had laughed and slapped the man on the shoulder a little too hard and said in all seriousness, “Thank God. I wondered why your face looked like a raisin.” The bottle of water had been a casualty of the need to make a quick escape before Tony decked Lee.

  Now, still hovering over the mess, Lee asked, “Why’re you being so nice to me?”

  “Because Addy would hate it if I left you like this.”

  “So you’re doing this for my sister?” Lee asked with a hint of bitterness.

  “Our sister. Partly.” He paused, then added, “But I also have a soft spot for drunk losers, so there’s that too.”

  Lee’s gaze jerked up, fury in his eyes, but then he saw Jack’s wry grin and his anger faded. “I guess there’s some truth to that.”

  As much as Jack would love to rub in the fact that Lee wasn’t looking so great right now, he took pity on him. It was obvious the guy was miserable—not just tonight, but in general—and for some reason, he found himself feeling brotherly. Maybe it was what Lee had said earlier about wanting to look for him in Chicago. Or the realization that he wasn’t the only lost one and never had been. “Let’s walk around to the front and meet Maisie so we can get you back to the hotel.”

  “Hotel?” Lee shouted, his voice unnaturally loud, as he stood upright and started to wobble. “It’s too damn early to call it a night. I’m fine now. Let’s go get another drink!”