by Natalie Ann
Ella popped her head up from where she was looming behind her computer screen. “Why’d he asked that?”
“Beats me. He’s never shown an interest before.”
He wasn’t about to tell Ella about the rest of the conversation. Not about his father making comments in regards to his siblings. It was one thing he never did, never ratted anyone out.
“He’s probably just being nosy. Or maybe he wanted to make sure you weren’t going to deck someone else over it.”
“More like he wanted to rub it in that you guys did a good job.”
“Oh,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “So you aren’t mad at us anymore then?”
“No,” he said grudgingly. It was hard to admit he might be wrong. Everyone had looked up to him, looked to him for guidance and advice for years. In the last few years or so, he was looked at for less and less of it. The last year, not much at all.
“Since you’re early for once in your life and I’ve got a few more things to do, why don’t you go bug Aiden downstairs?”
“Maybe I’d rather bug you?”
Besides, Aiden had pushed him along, too. No one wanted his company today, it seemed. Well, maybe not no one. Aimee sure looked like she would have enjoyed his company. She didn’t flinch when he reached for her hair. She even smiled and almost leaned into him, like a kitten wanting some more affection. Then when he touched his lips to her ear and she shivered…yeah, she would have liked if he stayed.
“No, you wouldn’t. Remember, I bite, so don’t bug me too much.”
“You never let us forget,” he said, standing up and wondering where he could go for the next thirty minutes. Not enough time to walk to the brewery and bug Mason, and Cade always came in last minute.
That left Aimee downstairs. Aimee just waiting around for the bar to open in an hour. Aimee who’d gotten here early and set up before he could.
So it was Aimee he was going to go pester. See if he could pick up more vibes from the other night.
“You’re back,” she said, grinning at him.
“I missed you,” he threw out there. When she grinned, he decided to keep pushing.
“Bet you say that to all the ladies.”
“Only those I really mean it to.”
“Now you’re pushing those buttons again.”
His smile dropped. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“Why would you ask that?’
He moved closer and lowered his voice. “Am I so forgettable that you don’t remember what happened Wednesday night?”
“It took you this long to wonder about that?”
“You were off yesterday,” he reminded her.
“True.”
“Did you enjoy your day off?” he asked, and wondered why he cared. Stupid thought, he knew why he asked. He wanted to find a way to stay and talk to her. If he could avoid the meeting with his siblings, he would.
“I don’t think there is that much enjoyment in doing chores and paying bills.”
“There never is,” he said. He looked at the clock on the wall, running out of things to say at the moment and no other siblings to annoy.
“Do you want to pick the combo today, or can I?” she asked, looking at the special menu that Aiden must have handed her when he was upstairs bothering Ella.
He walked over and took it out of her hand, making sure their fingers touched first. Needing another jolt of contact. “Have you made a choice yet?”
“I have.”
He looked it over, took note of a few things he liked, then looked to see if Mason brought any new beers in. “Let’s have a friendly wager.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“We each pick one. Put two specials up and once I get down from my meeting, we see who sells the most. No sabotaging the other’s choices.”
She laughed. “I’d never do that.” She put her hand out and he took it in his to shake, then gave her a little tug forward, quickly looking for any witnesses. “What does the winner get?” she asked, her voice a touch hoarse.
“Bragging rights,” he said.
She laughed, deep and throaty, a strong punch to the gut. “I have that all the time. Give me something to really work for.”
“All the tips from noon to five.”
“On a Friday afternoon?” she asked. “Deal!”
“I’ll be back before we start,” he said.
“I’ll find a jar for all the tips to go in. Winner takes all. I don’t like to lose,” she said, winking.
Double meaning, he knew. “Are you a gambler?”
She leaned over, making sure no one could see them, then whispered in his ear. “I’m surprised you have to ask that after Wednesday night.”
The tightness in his jeans was starting to become an annoyingly familiar feeling as he made his way back upstairs. This time Aiden was sitting in the conference room, so he waited it out for the rest of them to show.
When Cade came rushing in one minute late, Ella said, “You wanted this special meeting, then you should have been here on time.”
“Since when does he get to call his own meeting?” Mason asked.
“Since I got a hot comedian that wants to perform at the pub this summer.”
“We’ve never done anything other than music,” Brody said.
“No, we haven’t. But her agent reached out to me. She just won one of those reality shows and she’s from Charlotte. They thought her first solo show should be in her hometown.”
“Why not some place bigger?” Ella said. You could see her running everything through her head at once.
“Because they want to be able to say it was standing-room only. A sell-out crowd for her first show since she won. If they go too big, that might not happen. Fierce is a big restaurant, a crowded bar. Even without a lot of advertising, it could be a huge night for us.”
“What night are they looking to do it?” Brody asked. In the summer, they didn’t need anything gimmicky to fill up on the weekends.
“I told them we had weekends booked solid through the end of July. They wanted something in a few weeks. I suggested a Tuesday. Mid-June. School is out. People are traveling. Let’s see what happens on a Tuesday with some entertainment.”
“What’s this going to cost us?” Ella asked. “What are we paying for this?”
“Nothing. That’s the thing. They came to us first. Comedy show starts at seven. They want the bar closed for it. The restaurant can stay open in the back, but the main area closed. People have to pay admission for it.”
“We've never charged admission for entertainment,” Mason said.
“And we’ve never closed the bar for an event,” Brody said.
“It’s not really closed. We’ve got a few weeks to advertise and let people know what’s going on. You leave that to me. There will be signs up around the bar, inside and out. Our webpage and all social media outlets will be posting about it. Come on, guys. Give it a chance. We will at least make more than a normal Tuesday. Comedian gets most of the admission revenue, but we can negotiate the price of the tickets.”
“I’m for it,” Mason said.
“That’s because you don’t work at this site,” Aiden said.
“It could be a good stepping stone,” Ella said.
“So says the other person who works upstairs and away from everyone.”
Brody looked at Aiden. It should be their decision alone. It was the most amount of work on their shoulders for that night.
“Can I pick a special menu for the bar that night? Limit it to easy snacks, not the normal bar menus?” Aiden asked.
“You can. With the show starting at seven,” Cade said, “that’s only two hours of people in the restaurant after we close for the show. But you get to control the food that night.”
“What about beer?” Mason said. “What are you going to need?”
“That’s your specialty. See what is selling the best and make sure we’ve got enough on tap.”
Brody realized he
was outnumbered. “I guess I’ll put more people on that night.”
“All you do is serve the drinks,” Cade said. “You’re good.”
“That’s not all he does,” Ella said, coming to his defense. He was glad someone other than Aimee realized the amount of work he did.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Cade said, backing down. “I’m excited. You know I just shoot shit out of my mouth then.”
“He’s afraid to get another shiner,” Mason said, snickering.
Cade ignored that comment and looked around the room. “So we’re all in? I can get started?”
“I guess,” Brody said. They were all looking at him now, just like they did as kids. Waiting for him to give the final approval. It was both humbling and terrifying at the same time.
A Problem
Aimee wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm. The heat was more than she wanted to deal with today, but at least the sun wasn’t blinding her. The last few days of rain had squashed her plans of mowing after work, forcing her to do it Sunday while Sidney crashed on the couch. A midmorning power nap that usually lasted all of thirty minutes, but should be enough time for Aimee to get this nasty chore out of the way.
The old mower coughed a few times, but she pushed through the long damp grass as fast as she could before the engine had a full-blown fit and seized up for the day.
What to do today, she asked herself, running a mental list through her head. Clean the bathroom—check. Laundry—check. Mow the lawn—almost check.
After lunch, she and Sidney were going to have a little mother-daughter bonding time at the mall. It seemed every time Aimee pulled a shirt or shorts out of Sidney’s drawer, she found it was too small.
Thanks to this week’s record-breaking tips, she was flush and could splurge. Maybe buy something that wasn’t on the sale or the clearance rack. Now, wouldn’t that be a joy.
She’d call it her bonus. Or rather, Brody’s bonus. Brody’s tips that she pocketed Friday afternoon after she pulverized him in their bet. Silly man, trying to beat her.
He took the loss good-naturedly, but she wasn’t expecting any different.
She was just finishing the final sweep of the tiny lawn when a white convertible pulled into her driveway. She’d recognize the Audi anywhere. She didn’t need to see the tall, muscular form of Brody behind the wheel to know who just showed up. The question was, what was he doing here on a Sunday morning?
Shutting the mower off, she turned to look at him as he made his way closer. Cargo shorts landing at his knees, tight green T-shirt showing off more of his body than was good for her mental stability. Leather flip-flops on his feet. Nice big feet. Really? Her mind had to go there?
“Hey,” she said.
“How are you doing?”
“Good. Hot and sweaty. What brings you by?”
“Would you believe I was just in the neighborhood?” he asked.
This was the most insane conversation. “No.”
“I was,” he insisted. “Looking for you.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Damned if I know,” he said, grinning.
She smiled, she had to. He looked almost more confused than her. And because nothing in her life ever seemed to go to plan, Sidney chose that moment to wake up, causing Brody to look around the yard for the voice.
“I hear a child,” he said.
She pulled the monitor that was clipped to her back pocket in front of her to see the lights flashing as “Mama” came across it again in her daughter’s shy little voice.
“That would be Sidney. My daughter.”
***
“You have a daughter?” Brody asked. What else had he missed? How could he have not known that? Why hadn’t it come up?
“I do. Is that a problem?”
He looked around the yard again, then to the tiny house where a back door opened and an older man stepped out. “Aimee, everything okay?”
“Yes, Dad. Just someone from work coming to ask me a question.”
Brody watched the older man hesitate, then limp back into the house.
“You live with your father?” he asked, looking around the yard some more. The neighborhood wasn’t the best, the houses older and some not maintained well, though you could see many were trying.
“Stepfather,” she said. “Sort of. I live upstairs.” She turned and nodded to the garage. That didn’t look much better than the tiny house.
“Oh,” he said. It was bad enough he wasn’t sure what he was doing here and now he was losing his train of thought. The two of them talked all the time while they worked, yet nothing of a personal nature about her had come up.
“Was there something you needed from me for work?” she asked, pushing the mower toward the garage. The monitor in her hand was lighting up more frequently.
“No. Sorry to bother you. You’re busy.”
“I am.” She hesitated, looked at him, and finally said, “I need to go get Sidney off the couch. She won’t get up until I come in. She’s good that way. Do you want to come up for a minute?”
He said yes before he could stop himself.
Following her up the stairs, he tried not to cringe at the creaking it made under his weight or the wobbly banister he reached out to touch.
Aimee opened the door, and the miniscule outside of the structure didn’t even hint at the size inside. There was one average-sized room, a small sofa against a wall with a miniature version of Aimee sitting on it, bouncing on her knees, her smile wide, then dropping when she noticed her mommy wasn’t alone.
Off to the right of the so-called living room was a kitchen of sorts. More like a wall with a tiny oven, fridge, sink, and a few cabinets. A table and two chairs against the wall filled up the space.
“Come here, baby,” Aimee said, reaching for her daughter and picking her up with ease. The little girl—Sidney—quickly buried her head on her mother’s shoulder.
“She’s shy.”
“Not like her mother,” he said.
“Not much on that front.” She tilted her head and quickly asked Sidney, “Do you want to try to go to the bathroom?” There was no response, but Aimee started to walk toward a door at the back of the room. “I’ll be right back,” she told him over her shoulder.
What was he doing here, he asked himself again.
Aimee returned a few minutes later, Sidney walking behind a wall and coming out with a doll in her hand, then sitting on the floor to play.
“We’re trying to potty train, and it has its hits and misses.”
“How old is Sidney?”
“She just turned two. We’re getting there, but there have been a lot of changes in our lives in the last month, so I’m not pushing too much.”
“Changes?” he asked.
She looked at him oddly. “Did you even look at my resume?”
He hadn’t. He’d pulled her personnel file up to get her address and that was it. Had he looked at anything more, he wouldn’t have come here and been so shocked by things. Maybe he wouldn’t have come at all.
“I did not,” he said, trying not to grin.
“I moved back home to be by Rick. To help him out. For him to help me out. I guess you could say we need each other right now.”
“Your stepfather?” he asked.
“Yes. He had an accident at work about six months ago and he’s struggling. He won’t be able to go back at this point. He hopes so, but I’m being more realistic. Worker’s comp isn’t cutting it at the moment and he needs a purpose to get up each day. He watches Sidney for me on Wednesdays and any nights I work.”
“What about the other days?”
“My mother’s best friend watches her for me.”
“What about your mother?” he asked.
“She died a few years ago from lung cancer.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Was she a smoker?” Not that it made a difference, but for some reason he just asked without thinking.
“Nope. Worked in bars
her whole life. Secondhand smoke until they made it illegal to smoke indoors.”
He remembered those days. Remembered going in the bar as a kid and hating the thick fog of smoke that covered the place and clung to his pores until he showered. It made him think of his own parents and their exposure.
“You were able to just pick up and move back like this? What about Sidney’s father? Or a job?”
She laughed at him. “Why all the questions, Brody?”
“I would think it’s obvious why I’m asking. But maybe not so obvious to you.”
She sighed. “I’ve had one dead-end job after another most of my life. It’s not an easy life when you have a kid. I figured I’d have no problem finding one here and I didn’t.”
“You think Fierce is a dead-end job?” he asked, offended and rightly so.
She put her hand on his knee, the burning of her flesh against his something he had to push from his mind.
“Not at all. It’s the first full-time job I’ve had in years and by far the best. But you know as well as I do, a full-time job—good full-time jobs—in this field are few and far between.”
He knew that, and had to push his annoyance aside. If he was thrown off by this visit this morning, she was even more so. “What about Sidney’s father?”
“What about him?” she asked. “Is he in the picture? The answer is no and we’ll leave it at that.”
There wasn’t anything else he could say, so he dropped it. “Do you have plans today?”
“I did. I mean, I do. I need to go to the mall. Sidney is outgrowing everything left and right.” She smiled at him. “Is that why you came over? Did you want to spend the day with me? Just the two of us?”
“That had been my plan.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” She patted his leg and then moved her hand, but he grabbed it in his own. Held on and just waited to see her response. The brown of her eyes lighting up and the flaring of her nostrils were enough.
“Not disappointed. Surprised maybe. How about the three of us go to the mall?”
“Don’t you have to work today?” she asked.
“I’m the boss, I can take any day off I want.” And the fact he hadn’t taken a day off since he returned from his forced vacation gave him the right to go in late today. He didn’t need Ella to tell him to take a day off. Or even his mother, when she stopped over unannounced this morning.
