Chapter Twenty-Two
D R E W
So much had led up to the opening of the Yard, I was a little surprised that the night had passed so quickly. I barely had time to remember much of anything. And I’d been completely sober the entire night.
Xander and Brody had been great behind the bar, and we’d gotten so busy around ten, we had to ask Sean if we could borrow Wyatt. He hadn’t been bartending at Rafferty’s very long, but he knew what he was doing, and since the inside mostly held the regulars, Sean figured they could handle things in there without him.
I did my best to talk to everyone who’d come out to support us, which kept me even busier than I would’ve been otherwise. I hadn’t spoken to Sophia much, and we weren’t able to talk privately all night. If I were being honest, that was probably for the best anyway. I had no idea what I wanted to say to her because I hadn’t even had time to process our conversation from earlier, but I knew a talk was coming later because neither of us was able to let something like this linger longer than it needed to.
I’d noticed the crowd beginning to thin a little around midnight, but the ones who remained seemed like they planned to close the place down. For the most part, the people left were a mix of family, friends, some of the girls from Sophia’s sorority, and people we’d never seen before.
Once the bar seemed slow enough, I told Brody he could be done for the night. I knew he wanted to relax for a bit, and Wyatt and Xander could use the tips more than Brody anyway.
We were all standing on the edge of the lawn watching a few people argue over cornhole when Mr. and Mrs. Mason came over to Brody and me.
“I think we’re going to get going in a few minutes,” Mr. Mason said. He inserted himself between the two of us and put a hand on our shoulders. “This was fun, though. We had a great time. You guys should be proud.”
“Thanks,” Brody said. “We are proud.”
“Thank you both for coming out tonight,” I said. “It means a lot to both of us.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Mrs. Mason said. She looked like she was swaying a little, and I wondered how much she’d had to drink. “I haven’t let loose like this since I went to college here. We ended up running into a few old friends of ours earlier.” She looked at her husband and said, “You remember that night we had to sleep in Christina Everett’s old Nissan Sentra because we were too…” She stopped short of finishing the sentence, but it didn’t mean the rest of us didn’t get the gist. Turned out Sophia had more in common with her mom than I realized. “Well,” she said with a long sigh, “anyway, I wish we’d had Uber back then.”
“On that note,” Mr. Mason said, “I should probably get your mother home and to bed. I have a feeling she’s not going to recover as quickly as she did during her college days. Come on, hon,” he said, reaching a hand out so he could take hers.
“Bed sounds good,” Mrs. Mason agreed, her eyes already closing a little.
It reminded me of when I’d picked up Sophia and taken her home after she’d had too much to drink. Mr. Mason almost laughed when his wife cuddled into his side and rested her head against him.
I hadn’t seen the Masons like this with one another before, and it was sweet in a way I hadn’t expected. They’d been married for over twenty years, and most of the time I’d spent with them had consisted of serious conversations and stressful events. They’d seemed almost more like business partners than lovers.
But they’d spent the night dancing, drinking, and catching up with old friends. And as Mr. Mason kissed the top of her head with a tight smile, I thought maybe romance wasn’t dead after all. Maybe years from now, Sophia and I would be doing the same thing.
We said our goodbyes, including Vee, who’d moved to Brody’s side ever since the Masons had come over. Vee had shown up a few hours ago but hadn’t spoken to them much yet, which, as far as Brody was concerned, was better than the alternative.
“Okay, kids.” I assumed Mr. Mason was addressing Brody and Sophia, but when he gave a nod toward Vee and me, I realized he was talking to all of us. “Guess we’ll see you all at the brunch Sunday, then.”
Shit. Sophia had mentioned the brunch at her parents’ country club. She just hadn’t told me I was invited.
“Oh, um, I appreciate the offer, and I wish I could make it, but I have plans with my dad on Father’s Day. I’m headed over for a barbecue around lunchtime.”
“Oh. Sophia didn’t mention you couldn’t come.”
“I didn’t realize, or I would’ve told you myself.” I wondered if she’d just forgotten to tell me, or maybe her dad hadn’t actually expressed even to her that I was invited.
She wouldn’t assume, would she?
But then there was the third possibility—the one I tried to ignore like a song that played incessantly in my head. Maybe Sophia, for whatever reason, didn’t want me there.
“I apologize for the miscommunication. I hope it’s not an issue with reservations or anything.”
“Not at all,” Mrs. Mason said. “One short won’t be a problem. Besides, we’ve been members there for over twenty years. They’d never bother us about such a silly thing. You can make it, right, dear? I didn’t think you were heading back up to New York. It’s such a long trip for a weekend.”
Her question was directed at Vee, and while Vee looked like she’d been prepared for it, her faux husband somehow appeared caught off guard. Brody opened his mouth to speak, but Vee beat him to it.
“Of course I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it. If I can’t see my own dad, I might as well see my father-in-law.”
Her smile appeared genuine, probably because fucking with Brody and Aamee gave her real enjoyment. I couldn’t blame her.
“Yup,” Brody said. “We’re looking forward to it. It’ll be fun.” He tried to smile, but it looked more like he was getting dental X-rays taken.
I glanced in Sophia’s direction, catching her eye as we both tried not to laugh. Maybe I could skip my dad’s barbecue. The shit I’d catch for not going might be worth it to witness the interactions at the brunch.
“Fantastic,” Mrs. Mason said, though she slurred the end of the word a little. “We’ll call tomorrow morning to tell them of the reservation change.”
“Or I could go,” Aamee suggested quickly. “I’m assuming you already paid for six people. That’s the way it usually works at my parents’ country club.”
Jesus, am I the only one who didn’t spend their summers taking tennis lessons and drinking virgin daiquiris by the pool?
“They’re doing a get-together too, but they’re way too far to drive for the day. It’ll be the first Father’s Day I missed. All my siblings will be there.”
Sophia eyed Aamee for a second. “I thought you were an only child.”
“They’re my half siblings.” She glared at Sophia. “I find it rude to label them that way though, just because they have a different dad.”
Mrs. Mason was probably too tipsy to realize that there would be no reason for Aamee’s pretend siblings to visit someone else’s father instead of their own, and Mr. Mason probably just didn’t give enough of a shit about Aamee’s life to question it.
And as for Sophia, she looked like she was going to let it go. I knew she knew better than to say any more, let alone suggest that Aamee didn’t take my place. Plus, having her there would only make the whole fiasco more entertaining. Though Brody would definitely disagree. If nausea and anxiety had a baby, it would’ve looked like Brody.
“That’s so sweet of you,” Mrs. Mason said. “We’d love to have you join us.”
“Perfect,” Aamee said. “I’ll see you both Sunday, then.”
Thankfully, Sophia’s parents left a few minutes later, and once they were a safe distance away, our whole group erupted in laughter, even Brody and Aamee.
We swapped a few predictions about what a dumpster fire the brunch would probably be until Xander’s voice interrupted us.
“Aww, man, I always miss the fu
nny shit. What happened?”
“Vee’s going to Mr. Mason’s Father’s Day brunch, and Aamee’s dating Sophia now,” I explained.
“Oookay,” Xander said, carefully setting the tray he was holding down onto an open space on the concrete ledge behind us. He lifted two of the drinks and handed one to me and one to Brody. “I have a lot of questions, but let me get these drinks out first before you tell me what shit you got yourselves into now.”
“Oh, not me,” I said. “The only shit I got myself into is agreeing to spend a few hours with my family.”
“Hey! Family,” Cody said, pointing at himself, “sitting right here.”
“You know I don’t mean you. But celebrating a man who is almost completely monosyllabic is…a little challenging.”
Xander handed Cody and me our drinks. “You don’t need to explain it to me,” he said with a shake of his head. “I definitely know what it’s like to have a dad who isn’t quite…conventional.”
I knew Xander’s relationship with his dad was strained, but I didn’t know why. And it wasn’t my place to ask. But if the kid didn’t want to see his own dad on Father’s Day, maybe I’d have to invite him to see mine.
“So what’s this one?” I asked, wondering if it was another Xander Original.
I could definitely smell the lime wedge at the top, but when I brought the drink to my nose, I couldn’t smell any alcohol at all. These could be dangerous.
“This one,” he said, finally taking the last drink in his hand, “doesn’t have a name yet. It’s a bit strong, though I don’t think you can taste the alcohol much. I just came up with it, and I figured we could celebrate the Yard’s opening. Officially this time,” he added with a nod.
“Okay, but no corny-ass speeches,” Brody said. “We know we did a great job, and we can do anything, blah, blah, blah.”
“You forgot to mention how modest we are,” I told him.
“Oh yeah. Humble as shit.” Brody raised his glass to mine, and the others did the same before taking a drink.
A few of the girls coughed, and Carter and I practically winced as the liquid went down.
“It burns,” Carter said.
Sophia cleared her throat for the fifth or sixth time since she’d swallowed. “I can’t feel my tongue.”
“Can I try it?” Cody asked, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Fuck no,” I told him. “You’re not even old enough to be in here.”
“Too strong?” Xander asked.
“A bit,” I admitted.
“I bet you could use this drink to make hand sanitizer in the event of a pandemic,” Toby said. “I don’t like it, but I can’t stop drinking it either.”
“Yeah, I agree.” Aamee took another sip.
“Wow, um, that’s…” Xander’s eyes darted around at the rest of us. “Maybe it could use a few tweaks, then.”
“I don’t know,” Aamee said. “It’s growing on me. Or maybe it’s already affecting my judgment. I’m not sure which.”
“So should I add it to the menu?”
“Sure,” I answered. “What the hell. You’ll just have to put some sort of warning with it that it’s strong enough to get a prisoner of war to reveal all the enemy’s secrets.”
“Yes!” Brody said. “Maybe call it Truth Serum or something.”
“Not bad. I like the idea,” Xander said, but he didn’t seem sold on the actual name.
All of us were quiet for a few moments, sipping our drinks and thinking until finally I had one I thought might work.
“How about Two Truths and a Lime?”
S O P H I A
Sitting on one of the tree stumps we’d set up as seating, I looked around at the nearly empty lawn. Besides Brody, Drew, Xander, and Aamee, the only employee left was Wyatt, who was packed up and about to head home for the night.
“You sure it’s cool if I take off?” Wyatt asked Drew. “I can help you straighten up down here before I go.”
Drew finished picking up the last of the horseshoes and put them on the stake. “Nah, we’re good. We appreciate you coming out to help.”
“Sure, man. Happy to help. I’ve never seen Rafferty’s this crowded.”
I’d noticed Wyatt was tall when I first met him, but I hadn’t realized quite how tall until I saw him standing beside Drew. He must’ve been about six three, and he was as good-looking as he’d been when I first saw him. His shirt wrapped around his large biceps, and tattoos peeked out from his sleeves.
I was still confident he was someone Taylor would go for.
I caught her eye and then darted my gaze to Wyatt. Taylor knew me well enough to understand my nonverbal question, but for some reason she didn’t seem to give him a second look. She was getting more reserved in her old age.
The rest of our crew had left around closing, causing the place to be eerily quiet for the first time all night. Xander took off shortly after Wyatt, and Taylor headed out too, assuming I’d be staying with Drew. I wasn’t so sure.
Drew began shutting off some of the lights that we didn’t need anymore, and then the four of us headed over to the bar.
“I’ll lock up,” Drew told Brody and Aamee. “You guys can take off if you want. Get some rest for tomorrow.”
None of them had to be in until noon, but considering they wouldn’t be in bed until three thirty or so and they’d barely stopped moving all night, it was probably in their best interest to get going sooner rather than later.
“Thanks, man,” Brody said. “This was unreal. All the excitement, the lights, the anxiety. I felt like I was playing in the Super Bowl or something.” It was clear the rest of us thought his analogy was a bit of an exaggeration, but we let him have his moment. “Hey, speaking of football, where the hell was Ransom? He had plans tonight, but he said he was gonna stop by for a little bit at some point. Anyone see him?”
“Maybe he’s being held hostage somewhere,” Aamee said, her face expressionless, which only made the comment funnier.
“Don’t be a bully,” Brody said.
“Those jokes will never get old,” Aamee replied.
“They really won’t,” Drew agreed.
I did my best to look sympathetic. “I don’t blame you for being concerned if he said he’d be here.”
“Thank you,” Brody said.
“If you can’t get ahold of him by tomorrow, one of us can go to the police station and file a missing person’s report.”
“Okay, I’m leaving,” Brody said. “I hate all of you, by the way.”
“Liar,” Aamee said, rubbing a hand over his chest and standing on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. “You love us.” She took his hand in hers and began pulling him toward the exit. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“See ya,” Drew said as I waved goodbye.
Drew and I were quiet as we sat next to each other at the bar. Finally Drew spoke, which was good because I wasn’t sure how to begin this conversation. “This was a good night.”
I knew he was referring to the bar opening, but I didn’t want to avoid this discussion any longer than we had to.
“Yeah, it was. Sorry I almost ruined it.”
“You didn’t almost ruin it.”
I watched him spin one of the cardboard coasters between his fingers and wondered what it would take for him to look me in the eye.
“That’s nice of you to say, but it’s not the truth.” I knew this made me sound like a martyr, but that wasn’t my intention. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Since I’d known how I felt long before Drew had, I’d had the benefit of being able to process my thoughts and emotions more easily than I assumed Drew was. Add it to the list of shit I felt guilty about.
Breathing in deeply, he seemed like he was taking extra time to compose his thoughts before speaking. “I don’t know if I’m thinking as much as I’m feeling.”
“Okay,” I said cautiously. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“I think betrayed would be an ac
curate word.”
He turned toward me after he spoke, and the look in his eyes made me feel like I had a hole in my chest. Like Iron Man without his arc reactor, I could feel my heart struggling to beat. Out of all the things I thought Drew would’ve said, “betrayed” hadn’t been one of them. I hadn’t betrayed him. I’d been honest, albeit probably after I should have been.
“I never intended to betray you. The opposite, actually. I didn’t want to hurt you.” I heard my voice crack and made no effort to steady it. Maybe it would be best if Drew knew this affected me too—not from a selfish standpoint, but that his pain was my pain too. “I’d never try to hurt you, but I realize I hurt you anyway.”
When I reached out to touch his hand, I prepared myself for his rejection, but it didn’t come. Instead, he put his hand on top of mine, his thumb just barely rubbing my skin, like he didn’t want to touch me but couldn’t stop himself.
“I just… I don’t even know what I’m most upset about.”
Okay, so there are multiple things.
“Why don’t you just tell me all of them and not worry about prioritizing them?”
“Okay,” he agreed. “This is so hard, though. I feel like I’m verbalizing a list of your faults or something.”
I laughed, but there wasn’t any humor to the sound. “It’s all right. I’m a big girl. I got us into this by not communicating. I think the only way we can get past it is if we’re honest.”
Nodding slowly, he said, “Right. Okay.” He was quiet for a few moments, as if he was still debating that this was the best way to proceed. Finally he said, “You didn’t tell me all the ways moving forward could impact our future.”
“My future, Drew. Marketing is my future, not yours.”
“Your future is my future,” he said, and I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse. Somehow probably a little of both. “If you were worried about this—the Yard—reflecting badly on you and possibly ruining your career, you should’ve told me. I deserved to know. We could’ve figured this out together.”
“You said that earlier.”
“Yeah, and I’m saying it again because you need to understand it. No, it wasn’t fair of you to keep all this from me when I could’ve changed the name and the promotional stuff. We could’ve opened later in the summer. In the long run, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
Two Truths & a Lime (The Love Game Book 3) Page 17
