“Shauna?” He sounded hopeful.
“As if.” Ashleigh fake frowned. “She and Mike are in full blown wedding prep.”
“Is that hard for you?” He sounded so sincere that she wanted to reach over the bar and hug him.
“Eh. Not really. I’m happy for Shauna. She’s waited a long time for this. And Mike’s a sweetheart.”
“Sorry, tell me your plan,” he said, getting them back on track.
“It’s not as much fun as exploring with you. And I’m sure I can drag Shauna and Mike with me here and there. But in the meantime, I’ll live the dream on my own, day-tripping through the city. You promise to join me whenever you can spare a day away from here. I’ll save anything you’re really into for when you can make it. The other stuff”—she took a deep breath—“I’ll just have to be brave and go it alone. I’ll take a million pics, and then I’ll head straight here after and we can deconstruct the day together.” She’d known his ability to participate might be limited. It had been worth asking anyway. His expression told her if things were different, he wouldn’t hesitate to join her. In a way, that was enough. “This works too,” she said with a happy shrug. “It will keep me out of my parents’ way, and I’ll get some quality time with you. Liam, I missed you. I’m so happy you’re finally home.”
“I fully support this plan. One condition.”
“What?” She heard optimism creeping into her tone, and she smiled at her old friend knowing he was helping her out of her slump. “Anything for you.”
“Promise me you’ll flirt on your adventures.”
“I was married for twelve years. I don’t remember how to flirt.”
“Ashleigh.” His voice was stern.
“I promise to try.”
“I’ll take it.” He fiddled with the levers of his on-tap offerings. “So, tomorrow is the official start of summer.”
“Technically, the start of summer was last week.”
“I meant summer vacation.”
“Sorry, yes. Why?”
“No reason. Just a lot riding on the season to bring this place back to where it needs to be.” He seemed nervous and Ashleigh wanted to comfort him.
“It’s going to be great. The secret outdoor area”—she pointed at the back with her chin—“that’s going to be a game changer. People love to chill outside. I’ve got practically the whole staff coming tomorrow. There’s been a group text going on for days because it’s all anyone can talk about. Half of them already spread the word in their own friend circles to meet up here too. Everyone’s down to party. It’ll be great exposure for this place. Add in some beautiful weather, banging drinks, good food, and a hot bartender, pshh.” She threw in a dismissive wave to make her point. “This place will be a gold mine in no time.”
“Thanks, Ash.”
She winked. “I gotta go scoop up Granny. See you tomorrow.”
“Come early.”
She answered him with a furrowed brow, surprised at the forcefulness of his request.
“I’m just saying—I know tomorrow’s a half day for you. Instead of sitting on your parents’ couch until party time, come hang with me.”
“Okay.”
“That was easy.”
“What can I say? I love leaving the house.” Her shrug was playful and matched the spirit she felt shifting her entire outlook. “It’s my new thing.”
Chapter Two
Kellan flopped on the bed and the fabric of her T-shirt immediately stuck to the sweat on her stomach. In a post-workout daze, she watched the blades of the ceiling fan rotate above her. She propped up on her elbows and surveyed the luxurious apartment that she’d call home for the next two months. Aunt Holly might work for a nonprofit, but dang, this place was fancy. Sure it was only a studio, but it was modern and sleek, with high-end appliances and a fucking fab king size bed she was melting into.
“Blue?” she called. With her gaze alone, she searched for the cat she’d been summoned across the country to babysit. “Blu-ue.” She let his name linger, almost dragging it into two syllables, hoping some lyricism would cover the natural huskiness of her voice. “Come on, little guy, it’s you and me the rest of the summer. We’d better get to know each other.” She patted the bed gently, extending an invitation of sorts. She couldn’t help but smile when he peeked his tiny head out from behind a tall plant in the corner. “There you are.”
Kellan kicked one shoe off and winced when Blue scampered away at the sound of the New Balance hitting the hardwood floor. “Sorry, man. I need a learning curve. This is new for me too.” She made sure to take more care in removing her other sneaker and, seeming to appreciate it, the cat cautiously reemerged from behind the kitchen island. “Give it time, bro. We’ll be besties before you know it.”
She sat upright, respecting his distance as she peeled off her no-show socks. Her sweaty shirt was next. She stood up, appreciating the light breeze from the open window on her bare abs. She scanned the room for a place to store her dirty clothes before remembering the laundry closet Aunt Holly had showed off as part of the lightning tour this morning. Kellan walked to the door and opened it. Jackpot. To the side of the stackable washer-dryer was a rectangular mesh basket perfectly sized for the space. She nodded in a kind of respect. New Yorkers might not have a lot of space, but they sure knew how to leverage every inch.
“I’m thinking about a shower, Blue.” She tossed her clothes in the hamper. “It was hot out there,” she said, mostly to herself. Hot, but gorgeous.
After a hurried good-bye, her aunt headed off to Europe, leaving Kellan alone in the apartment. She had no plans, no schedule. It took her all of five minutes to unpack her suitcase into the space Aunt Holly had cleared out for her. A routine inventory check confirmed the kitchen was stocked with essentials, some decent snacks, quality beer. It was cute that her aunt had obviously attempted to make her feel at home. And it saved her the trouble of grocery shopping on her first day.
With no chores on her agenda, she had time to do anything she wanted, which certainly included looking up Dara. She could kid herself all she wanted—the fact that her former best friend lived in New York’s most populated borough factored in to her decision to accept this summer gig. But now that she was here, the thought of making contact terrified her. So rather than face those fears, she pushed them right out of her mind, same as she’d done for years. Instead, she reached for her workout gear. In virtually no time she’d changed into shorts and a dry-fit tee and fired up her running app. With the help of a few key addresses, Strava had a route calculated that was just over two miles and delivered her directly to Liam’s bar.
Once she’d decided on a run it seemed like a no-brainer to head to her old buddy’s place and say hi, even though she hadn’t yet contacted him to let him know she was in town. Honestly, it all happened so quickly that her head was still spinning. But her good intentions fell by the wayside when she exited the apartment building via the lobby’s side entrance, depositing her squarely in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The waterfront practically called to her, beckoning her to explore its footpaths surrounded in lush greenery, the Manhattan skyline nothing but a Hail Mary pass away.
On autopilot, she jogged the concrete trails, keeping a steady pace. The area seemed trendy but chill at the same time, with its mixed makeup of millennials and hipsters, even some boomers hanging out. She imagined them talking politics and culture as she cruised along, Slipknot blasting through her headphones. She continued running, ignoring the navigation, letting the flow of pedestrian traffic guide her past picnic tables and park benches, restaurants and coffee shops littered along the route. A path down to the water’s edge showcased a playground and a dog run. Trees, shrubs, and wild grasses were perfectly manicured and situated to bring some green to the landscape, while still maintaining the urban vibe. It blew her mind that the highway was a stone’s throw from the front of Aunt Holly’s posh building and yet a freaking garden oasis existed virtually in the backyard.
Her ca
lves burned when she came to a section of the park with some small hills, but she welcomed the challenge. At the top, she was rewarded with a lovely view of the converted piers, bursting with activity. A soccer match being played on a makeshift pitch. Pickup basketball and beach volleyball, complete with sand, set up on another. She strode by two women in bikini tops and shorts, resisting the urge to crane her neck and check them out as they passed her and entered the area demarcated as the Pop-up Pool. What was this place?
She smiled to herself and cranked her music higher, completely unsure what she’d signed on for. This summer hiatus might not have been on her agenda, but she was here for it. By the time she looked at her watch, she’d already clocked five miles and she was nowhere near Liam’s Place in Park Slope. Out of steam, she returned to the comfort of her summer digs. Tomorrow was another day.
Under the stream of perfectly scalding water, she assessed her options for the evening. On the one hand, her run had piqued her interest to explore the nightlife here in downtown Brooklyn. But at the same time, she was exhausted from her late-night arrival the previous evening, and her energy was dwindling.
She toweled off her short hair and threw on a soft tee and cozy sweats. Padding through the apartment, she explored the local map on her cell as she searched for nearby takeout options. Her roommate watched from a kitchen stool, and she walked over, gently stroking his soft gray head. “What do you think, Blue? Netflix and chill?”
The cat pushed his face right into Kellan’s knuckles, rubbing his jawline and purring loudly. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Three slices of pizza later, she flopped on the couch, and Blue hopped up beside her, seeming to exercise mild caution as he settled in next to her. Kellan thought he wanted to be friends and was taking some time to make sure she was trustworthy. She knew it was cheating when she gifted him a few pieces of cheese and pepperoni. She didn’t want to overdo it, but she needed him to know she had his back. He didn’t know her from Adam, and she imagined the little guy was experiencing some confusion over the sudden absence of his regular person.
“That guy’s trouble.” She pointed at the screen as she voiced her opinion on the plot of the bank heist movie they were watching. It wasn’t necessary to entertain Blue with conversation, but she hoped getting used to her voice might help him adjust to the arrangement. True to feline sensibility, he was thoroughly unaffected by the news of the villain’s presence, but he sprawled out on the couch, mashing his jaw into the raised seam of the cushion. Kellan took it as an invitation to pet him, and when he didn’t recoil, she counted it as success.
“Now, for the next order of business.” She reached for her phone and found Liam Connolly in her contacts. She opened a text but really had no idea what to say. In fact, she had no idea what his life or schedule was like. It occurred to her she hadn’t communicated with him at all since she’d seen him about two years ago, stationed together on the other side of the world. For all she knew, his plan to reboot his family’s once thriving restaurant never materialized, and he’d moved on to his next venture by now. But her airport Google search had confirmed Connolly’s Public House on Fifth Avenue between Sackett and Union was open for business under new management. Her gut told her she knew exactly who was calling the shots.
Kellan opened a text thread but immediately faltered over what to say. She wanted him to know she was here but didn’t want to drop her whole saga on him without even checking in on how he was doing. Plus he could be busy at work, or on vacation, or preoccupied with any number of things. A loud car chase in the movie distracted her, and drawn back into the storyline, she quit overthinking her message and typed simply: Hey buddy. How’s life in the real world?
A few minutes passed. Long enough for the noble thieves to make off with their loot, when her phone vibrated with a response from Liam.
Kellan! How the eff are you?
She grinned, hearing his spirited affect in the words.
I’m good, bro. How are you?
Fantastic. What’s new? You out yet?
Yes, sir. Actually, I’m on a different kind of assignment at the moment. In Brooklyn.
GTFO!!
She loved how excited he was. Truth, she responded.
Where? Why? How? Wait, do I need clearance for this intel? Did you pick up a government gig?
Ha! Not even close. I’m apartment sitting for my aunt who had to go out of town for work.
Excellent. I’m working at the bar my parents used to own. I’m running the place these days. I’ll shoot you the address. It might be far from where you’re staying, but I’d love to see you, if you’re up to it.
She remembered all about his dream to take over his family’s bar, from the quality talks about their plans for the afterlife, as they called it. I remember, dude. So happy to hear you are making your dream a reality.
Yup.
I’m completely shot tonight. Would tomorrow work?
His response was an immediate and enthusiastic Absolutely! followed by more bubbles. She waited it out to hear what else he had to say. Actually tomorrow is a thousand times better. I’m doing a summer launch tomorrow, I’ll explain when I see you. My point is, at the moment I’m running around like crazy to make sure I’m all squared away. She started to type a response, but another message came through before she hit send. Tomorrow will be fun. I’m hoping to be busy but I’ll make sure we get to hang.
No worries. I’m here for the whole summer.
No way, really?
Yep. I was kind of hoping you might show me around NYC a bit. On your days off or whatever.
I’m sure we can arrange something.
Awesome. I’ll come by tomorrow.
The earlier, the better. I can’t wait to see your face!
10-4, buddy!
Kellan was grinning from ear to ear. She loved that they could slip right back into friendship as though no time had passed between them. In a perfect world, reconnecting would be this smooth with Dara. Logic dictated it should. She and Dara had been inseparable once, a thousand times closer than she’d ever been with Liam. But that was before Dara left the military and had the baby. Their lives were so different now, and with so much time gone by, she second-guessed everything that once connected them.
She reached over and petted Blue right between his ears, abandoning the thought on the spot. “All right, Blue.” She rolled her shoulders and her neck, stretching out the kinks from her heady thoughts, the previous day’s travel, and more miles than she’d planned to cover on foot today. “It’s been a day. But I’m excited to see my friend tomorrow, so it’s a wrap for me. Not sure where you normally lay your head, but that bed is definitely big enough for the two of us.” She shrugged. “No pressure. Just letting you know I’m cool if you are.”
She stood and brushed her teeth, stripping down to boxers before she slid between the sheets. She was halfway to dreamland but still managed half a smile when she felt Blue settle at the foot of the mattress. Not bad for day one.
Chapter Three
Right before first period, Ashleigh made a big announcement in the teacher’s lounge that the festivities at Liam’s place were kicking off at three o’clock sharp, and any late arrivals would pay the price with extra shots. She only said it because the younger staff were huge partiers, and she knew it would get a reaction. Even though she wasn’t much of a drinker, she’d still be the first one there. She had promised Liam one-on-one time. He was nervous about the overhaul of Connolly’s being a success, and she wanted to help him feel at ease. This one afternoon might not make a dent in the summer, but thirsty teachers on the last day of school were a sure thing. At least he’d have a crowd tonight.
At two fifteen she sauntered down the steps into the backyard of Connolly’s Public House, her jaw falling open wider with each step.
“Oh my God, Li, this looks amazing.”
“Not bad, right?” Liam said from behind the bar where he was loading the coolers full of ice.
&
nbsp; “Not bad?” She did a full three-sixty to get the full effect of his handiwork, her summer dress twirling as she spun around. “It’s absolutely gorgeous. I love it.” She nodded in appreciation of his efforts. “I get why you didn’t want me to see it until now.” Ashleigh ran her hand across the top of a wooden picnic table, the tan wood contrasting nicely with the dark red of her manicured fingernails. “It’s insane that this is the same place that was so overgrown we could hide from our parents, back in the day.”
“Remember the time you dragged me back here to tell me Courtney Polinski kissed you at Shauna’s sleepover?”
“Shh!” She looked over her shoulder. “Shauna doesn’t even know that.”
“Shauna doesn’t know about you and Courtney Polinksi?” His tone called bullshit.
Ashleigh didn’t know why she was embarrassed over a kiss that happened two decades ago, but she felt herself blushing just the same. “She knows. Just not, you know, the details.”
He rolled his eyes at her delayed discretion.
“She knows we kissed. I may have left out the part that it was at her house, while she was asleep in the other room.” She waved him off. “You know Shauna—she’s a drama queen. She’d be mad that she was left out somehow.”
“That is true.”
Ashleigh twisted to look at the sconces along the edges of the property and draped over the center of the yard. This place was going to look fabulous when the sun went down. She swiveled to ask him a question about the renovation process but was immediately drawn to the rear of the service bar set up at the back of the courtyard. There was an Irish flag displayed on one side of the bar’s support wall, the rainbow flag on the other side. In between, genuine military regalia from Liam’s time in the US Army. Ashleigh choked up.
“Really nice touch, Liam.”
He shrugged. “That’s me.” He ticked his head toward the décor. “That’s exactly who I am up there. I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of every part of my life.”
Brooklyn Summer Page 2
