by Lisa N. Paul
Every word that left Danny’s mouth was a lashing to bruised and battered skin.
“Put him on speaker…Danny, please.”
By the steely look in his eyes, she knew he wanted to shield her from the horror that was filling his ears, but he pressed the button.
The officer’s voice filled the room. “The liquor acted as an accelerant.”
“We’re on our way,” Danny gritted out.
“Mr. Marcus, I’m asking you not to come down here—”
“You don’t call a man and tell him his property, his livelihood, is on fire, then tell him to sit back and let it burn. I was a fucking firefighter, for Christ’s sake.”
Their bar is on fire? Julie’s lungs froze as Danny’s statement hung thick in the air.
“I know I’m asking a lot, Mr. Marcus, but with the storm at full force, we’re asking all residents to stay off the streets and in their homes.”
“That is our home,” Julie’s voice cracked.
The officer continued as if he hadn’t heard Julie’s comment, and maybe he hadn’t, but Danny had. Tear-filled hazel eyes met hers as he pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly.
“You’re a respected member in this community, Mr. Marcus. I’m sorry about your business, but not nearly as sorry as I’d be if something were to happen to you. Please stay put until the storm passes. We’ll contact you the minute we have the situation under control.”
Once the officer had Danny’s verbal agreement, the call was disconnected, the power flickered twice before leaving the house in candlelit darkness and Julie and Danny on their knees, waiting for word of what would become of their fresh start.
***
“I NEED TO call the kids,” he rasped after speaking with the officer again and crying with his wife. “Don’t want any of them to hear it on the news.”
“Danny, the whole town is without power.” Julie sniffled, her tear tracks glistening in the firelight. “Where would they hear it?”
He swallowed the grapefruit-sized lump in his throat. If any of them found out about the bar from anyone but him, they’d be devastated, and that would destroy him. So despite Julie’s logic, Danny picked up the phone. “Max.”
“Danny?” Max’s voice was firm. “Everything okay?”
“No, son, everything is far from okay. We lost the bar tonight…”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Few hours ago, Julie and I got a call that the place was on fire. They just followed up. What wasn’t eaten by flames was ruined by hose and hurricane damage. Place is totaled, boy.” Danny did his best to hide his anguish, but his best wasn’t good enough.
Max’s sob traveled through the line. “Why’d you wait so long to call me, Dan?” Max cleared his throat. “We would’ve come to you, sat with you, and waited until you got the news.”
Even through devastation, they all looked out for each other.
“That’s why we didn’t call you, son. We need you and Janie safe at home. We needed all of you where you belong. We’re gonna figure this out, Max, I swear we will. Just hold your woman tonight, hug her for us, and tomorrow we’ll talk.”
“Okay, Dan. You do the same. Give our love to Julie. We’re in this with you, no matter what. Whatever you need, man.”
After they disconnected, Danny called the rest of the group. There was still no answer from Kyle, and Danny refused to leave a message with that kind of information, so he requested a call back and hung up. Talking to Ryan was difficult, because not only did the kid have to process the loss himself, he needed to share the news with Ashley. That wouldn’t be an easy task.
During each phone call, Julie sobbed, but as he spoke to their kids, he became stronger. Their reactions were all similar: shock, sadness, and complete support. Not one of them wavered or folded. They all promised to support Danny and Julie, and he truly believed they would.
“It’s gonna be okay, Jules. I swear it.” He knew that deep in his soul. “The bar is insured, no one got hurt. It’s just stuff, honey. That’s all. Just things.”
Sniffling, she nodded. “You’re not wrong. I think the tears are more from shock.” She wiped at her face, but the tears continued to fall. “We’ve had enough bad in our lives. I thought we were done. This was a reminder not to get too complacent, huh?”
Danny’s eyes narrowed. “No, baby, maybe it’s a sign that things needed to change.” Once the thought left his mouth, he found himself believing it. Was he currently happy? Certainly not. His business was destroyed, the building ruined, fifteen years of memorabilia gone, but his wife was snuggled into his side, his family was healthy, and they would be able to rebuild if that was what they chose to do.
It could have been worse. They’d both lived through worse. And survived it. They’d survive this as well.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Silver Lining
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER Hurricane Leo left Charistown, Danny and Julie walked around what was left of Danny’s on Main.
“This is painful,” Julie said, holding up the mangled picture frame that used to hang near the kitchen door. The image inside was water-logged under the cracked glass. “I’ll never forget the day Kevin Bacon walked through those doors. The best burger in Charistown, he said.” Tears stung Julie’s eyes as she stared at the ruined image. She swore if she looked hard enough, she could still see Kevin, one arm around Danny and the other holding a burger. She blinked, and only a shredded mess remained.
“It was a great day, honey.” Danny gently removed the broken frame from her hand and tossed it in the trashcan. “We’ll have more great days. Besides, I heard Bacon is a vegan now. Ironic, huh?”
She giggled at her husband and continued the walk-through.
Danny’s father called to check in, heartsick that he couldn’t fly up to help with the wreckage. With snow in the forecast, it was better for Allan’s arthritis if he stayed south until spring.
“Love you, Dad,” Julie shouted as Danny said his good-byes and disconnected the call.
“We’re here,” came a voice from the front of the bar.
Max, Janie, Lyla, Ashley, and Ryan walked through the hole that had once been the entranceway. Judging by the looks on their faces—grimaces on the men and tear-filled eyes on the women—the destruction hit them almost as badly as it did her and Danny. If she could have shielded them from seeing it, she would have, but there was no hiding what had become of Danny’s on Main.
The smell of pine, along with Danny’s strong arms and strong chest, surrounded her.
“I got you,” he whispered.
Like a freight train, Ashley threw herself against them, sobbing quietly as they enveloped her in their embrace. Before long, they were all hugging and crying, laughing and sighing. Never had anything felt more right.
“Where in the hell is Kyle?”
The question came from Ryan, but Julie and Danny had been worried about him for days. They’d been calling and texting with no response. The fire at Danny’s was all over the local news, so for him not to check in meant something had to be wrong. Really flipping wrong. As if on cue, Danny’s cell phone rang. Like a trained reaction, Julie’s stomach clenched. Once she heard it was Kyle’s brother, Nixon, on the phone, her lungs seized up as well.
“What happened?” they all asked in various ways when Danny hung up.
Twice in as many days, she saw that look in her husband’s eyes. No, no, no, nothing can happen to Kyle. Bile rushed up her esophagus. I can’t handle that. Please, let him be okay. Danny’s fingers threaded through hers and tightened, grabbing her attention and pulling her eyes to his before he spoke.
He explained that Kyle had been in a car accident the night before, during the hurricane. He was drunk and wrapped himself around a pole. While Danny listed the things broken and bruised, the surgeries Kyle’d gone through and what more he’d face, she was just thankful he was alive.
Before they left for the hospital, Julie looked from Ashley to Ryan.
There was something different between them, in the way his arm draped over her shoulder, the protective way he held her close. In the midst of anguish and pain, a ray of sunlight bloomed. She cleared her throat in a purposeful fashion.
“Jules,” Danny grumbled, a smirk creeping across his handsome face, “you can’t possibly be thinking about our bet now, while all hell is breaking loose in our lives?”
She grinned, wiping away the last stray tear from her cheek. “Danny Marcus, you, my sweet husband, have always preached about finding the silver lining when the skies are at their darkest, and here it is, buddy. Now pay up. The rest of you too. Don’t think you can get away with stiffing the boss lady.”
When Ashley looked concerned and Ryan upset, Danny explained that everyone else had made a bet. Julie had said Ryan and Ashley would get back together during the storm if the power went out, and everyone bet against her.
“Pedicures on me, spicy girl.” Julie smiled before leaving the mess behind.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Welcome Home
WEEKS PASSED AND the group was busy, not just with spending time at Danny’s going through debris and saving anything salvageable but doing the same with Kyle. Danny and Julie took turns bringing Kyle and Nixon home-cooked meals and fresh laundry. When Nixon went to work, between the eight of them, they made certain Kyle was never alone.
As a group, a family, they worked together to restore health, happiness and normalcy into each other’s lives. Of course there were disagreements and disapproval, but as Danny sat in bed with his wife and thought about Christmas, he realized that each year, he assumed life couldn’t get better. Yet the following year, it always did. Even with losing the bar and the unspeakable fear of losing Kyle, Danny still saw the year for what it was—better than the previous one. Julie’s head lay on his chest, her soft hair wrapped around his knuckles.
“Christmas is almost here,” he said.
“Yep. I’m thinking we should have it at our house this year. I’d like to do something special for the kids.”
The woman had read his mind. “What were you thinking, beautiful?” His fingers massaged her neck.
“I’m thinking if you keep doing that, you’ll be having this conversation with a sleeping, drooling wife,” she teased.
A chuckle left his body, but he didn’t stop his massage. “Seriously, babe. I have an idea, but it’s big…huge. I’m not sure what you’ll think about it.”
She pulled the sheet around her breasts and sat up straight. “Dan, you’ve got me so curious now. When have I ever not liked one of your ideas?”
“Umm, you do remember the Empty Contest, right?”
Her giggle made him laugh. “Let’s not discuss that ridiculous contest, Mr. Marcus. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
He’d been tossing the idea around for a couple of weeks, working on the logistics of it. But he couldn’t make it work, not even in his mind, without Julie’s input. He needed her even in his imaginary whatifs. “How would you feel about inviting them to be partners in the bar? All of them. We obviously don’t need their money to rebuild, but Danny’s on Main has been a family-run business since the day Max showed up. Since they are our kids, I was wondering how you’d feel about making it family owned and operated?”
The way her eyes glowed in the soft light from the nightstand lamp was striking, but not nearly as magnificent as her smile. “It’s an amazing idea. I love it.”
“You do?”
“I do! And I love you.”
“Thank God for that.”
***
ON CHRISTMAS EVE, with everyone except Kyle, who was still hospitalized, sitting around the tree, bellies full, and drinks in hand, Julie and Danny gave out small wrapped boxes. Julie began to explain how much each of them meant to her and Danny, but her throat tightened with emotion.
Danny took the reins and finished her thoughts. “Julie and I are going to start rebuilding Danny’s on Main, but well… we’d like it if you all were part of the process.”
Butterflies flapped in her stomach as each couple and Lyla unwrapped their gifts. In each box was a white tag attached to a long, ornate, iron key.
In your home,
you are always loved.
Welcome home.
Danny’s on Main ~
“Look at me,” Danny said, his tone not offering an argument. “This is a no-pressure deal. If you want it, we want you. If you don’t, we still want you in the same way you’ve been with us up to this point. If you want in, but money’s tight, we’ll come up with something. The only thing we’re asking for is honesty. So no answers tonight or tomorrow. Think about it and get back to us. But know we love you all like family, and the new Danny’s will be about our family.”
The noise was deafening as everyone spoke at once. Squeals of excitement and grunts of appreciation carried through the room.
“Think it’s safe to say they like their gifts.” Danny chuckled.
“Yeah, well, you’ve always been a very generous giver,” Julie said.
“I got something large to give you the minute they all leave.” His brows lifted with his sexual innuendo, making her face flush and her body heat.
“Okay,” she called to the group, “the later it gets, the worse the roads get with drunk drivers and such. So you should all get going.”
Danny’s chuckle turned to a laugh.
“Why don’t you just admit you want us to leave so you guys can fool around?” Max challenged.
Danny picked up the challenge and ran with it, leaving Julie’s mouth gaping. “We want you to leave so I can make my woman come till she can’t see straight. That what you wanna hear, DeLucca?”
“Yep.” Max popped the p and ducked when Janie punched his arm.
“Yeah, so that isn’t at all awkward for my date here,” Lyla deadpanned as she pushed her date, Rick, out the front door, then spoke over her shoulder. “Lord, I was hoping he’d think I was a sweet, virginal kind of girl.” She giggled and hugged Danny.
“The dude has met you, right?” Ryan jabbed. “Hell, the shit that came out of your mouth tonight alone would cause lesser men to rock in a corner.”
“Whatever.” Lyla waved off the comment. “He’ll be gone by the end of the night anyway. It’s just fun.” Lyla hugged Julie and left.
Ashley giggled. “Love that woman. And we’re out of here too. Night, guys.”
“Merry Christmas, everyone,” Julie shouted and closed the front door behind them just before Danny lifted her over his shoulder and carried her to their bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Woman Still Blushes
MONTHS PASSED, AND construction progressed on the bar. With everyone, including Kyle, on board as partners, Danny’s on Main was shaping up to be better than ever. Maybe Danny had been correct. Maybe the bar’s destruction was indeed a way of making something great into something fantastic.
Seeing the happiness on Ashley and Ryan’s faces and the sparkly magic on her left ring finger made Julie giddy with excitement. His proposal on Christmas morning had been a surprise to Ashley but not to Julie or Danny. Receiving the call from a tearful and blissed out Ashley was a Christmas gift Julie would never forget. The two of them weren’t looking to set a wedding date yet, but they were elated to finally be official.
As for Kyle, while his body was mending, he was emotionally stagnant. It didn’t seem to matter what she, Danny, or anyone else did or said. No one could get through to him…until Cate Lockton, the mysterious woman who saved him the night of his car accident, showed up when Danny’s on Main reopened its doors. Kyle referred to the woman as an angel, and Julie and Danny—while watching Kyle transition from lost to found, broken to breathing, pieces to whole—had to agree.
Danny grinned over lunch one afternoon. “The woman belongs here. I say this with nothing but respect, but she’s got that look, Jules. You know, the one that we all started with, the one that screams, ‘Love me or leave me, but if you love me, pleas
e don’t leave me.’”
“I know the look.” Julie arched her brow. “And in case you missed it, Kyle isn’t going anywhere. That boy is holding on to her for dear life.”
She was proud. Kyle had found love. She saw it in every move he made, and he was going the distance to make sure his woman knew he was all in. Knowing Cate, it may not be easy for him, but Julie believed his strength and stubborn nature would finally work to his benefit.
Cate and her business partner, Elliot, owned a party-planning business, and they were hired to organize a grand reopening bash for Danny’s on Main. Live entertainment, catered food—the whole nine yards—all to thank the crowd who had supported the bar and come back the minute the doors reopened.
Two weeks after reopening, Julie and Danny had a working lunch in one of the two new back offices. She looked at the computer screen, then at Danny, who sat off to her left. “Here I thought it would take months for word to spread and our customers to return, but looking at these numbers, after two weeks, our Thursday nights are nearly back to where they were before.”
“Of course they are.” Confidence oozed from the grin that overtook Danny’s mouth. “Baby, when are you gonna believe that we’re destined for greatness?”
“Maybe you should show me some of your greatness.” Her bottom lip met her teeth, and Danny’s eyes flared.
“No, Jules, I think you’re gonna show me a little of your greatness. I’ll lock the door; you get on your knees.”
No wonder every time I walk into an office supply store, I get aroused. Then she got on her knees and only thought about the delicious task in front of her.
***
DANNY FELT A certain kind of peace watching how each of the kids found happiness with their significant others. Kyle was still struggling with Cate, but he had no doubt that in the end, Kyle would get his girl. Which left Lyla.
