“Well, you don’t exactly make smart purchases with your disposable cash,” said Jax. “You bought that stupid chair.”
“That was that captain’s chair in Star Trek: The Next Generation!” said Kenner indignantly.
“Yeah, in his office,” scoffed Travis. “Who wants that chair? You’d want the one that was on the bridge.”
“That one was already taken,” groaned Kenner. “Not only is it a relic, but it also still works as a chair.”
I laughed despite myself.
“Great, you see? Now she’s laughing at me,” said Kenner.
“No, I’m sorry,” I laughed. “That’s fine. Really. If you’re a fan of the show.”
“It was expensive, but Travis spent way more on his home gym than I did on that,” he pointed out. “You couldn’t possibly lift all those weights.”
“The point is not to lift them all together,” said Travis. “You need a variety of weights for a variety of workouts. Besides, they come as a set.”
“What about the treadmill?” reminded Jax. “I know that cost you a fortune.”
“It monitors your entire body during a workout,” defended Travis. “It’s an invaluable tool when you’re trying to monitor your goals. Know what I’m saying?”
“I guess,” Jax shrugged. “Of course, you can pretty much run anywhere on the planet.”
“Yeah, I was just going to say,” added Kenner. “Isn’t running something humans have been doing for thousands of years. I don’t need a machine to run.”
“All right, all right,” said Travis annoyed. “I see where this is going. I’m perfectly fine with my purchases and yours Kenner. Even the rug makes sense on a certain level. It’s Jax that wastes his money.”
“Me? I don’t buy anything? What big ticket item do I have?” Jax tilted his head and cast a gaze toward the ceiling, thinking.
“It’s called gambling on your computer,” said Travis. “That’s right, bro. Everybody knows.”
“I’ll have you know, that I am currently up almost $500,” defended Jax.
“Is that all times or just today?” asked Kenner.
Jax hesitated.
“Ya know, it is just today, but---“
“All time score, bro,” said Travis. “Give it up, how much are you down? All time score.”
“I don’t have a problem,” said Jax looking at me.
“I didn’t say you did,” I laughed.
“I just--- I’m actually not very good. I’m about $5000 in the hole…for the month.”
“The month?!” laughed Kenner.
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. Watching the guys break each other’s balls was pretty hilarious. Fortunately, it was all in good fun.
“The games have been--- I’ve just been really streaky lately, okay?” insisted Jax. “I do better with a live action dealer.”
“You’re playing poker,” pointed out Kenner. “The dealer hardly matters in Texas Hold ‘Em!”
“Yeah!” agreed Travis. “You’re not bluffing the dealer! You’re trying to get over on the other players!”
Brax finally came back from the bathroom.
“Claire, I’m sorry, I’m going to have to cut lunch short,” he announced.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
Jax removed his ice pack. His eye looked a little bloody.
“I think I burst a blood vessel,” he said. “I can’t look like this for the meeting. I need to go to a doctor.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you,” said Jax. “Sorry, Claire.”
Jax threw down a couple of hundreds, and the boys headed out.
“Good luck with the dinner crowd,” said Kenner.
“Bye, guys,” I said.
Chapter 15 – Claire
That night, I basically closed the bar alone, walked upstairs, hit the pillow and I was out. I had never been so tired in my life. Thankfully, this was a recharge day. If the boys had stayed, I probably would’ve ended up playing with them. At this point, I was so close to having sex with them, but it wasn’t the right time.
Some time around nine I started to stir. I noticed a weird smell almost immediately. At first, I thought it was Sandy’s Bakery. I could usually smell something coming from his place in the morning. But the smell was more acrid than normal and it wasn’t just bread. It was wood too and it was definitely burning. Out in the street, I could hear sirens.
Throwing on my robe, I ran downstairs and outside. Sandy’s Bakery was a raging inferno with the firefighters trying to put it out. Like me, Sandy had stayed in his location because of his legacy. His parents had opened that bakery. I knew he had insurance, but this had to be devastating for him. Hopefully he wasn’t inside when it went up.
I went back inside and got ready for the day. By the time I ate breakfast, showered and came downstairs, it sounded like the fire trucks were leaving. I poked my head outside. The fire was indeed out, but the cops were still poking around in the debris. I had an uneasy feeling about the entire situation, but I was too busy to do much about it.
Getting on the phone, I called my friend, Tina. She had agreed to work on Saint Paddy’s Day to help out.
“Hey, Tina, it’s me,” I greeted. “Just confirming that you’re coming in tonight.”
“Yeah, sure, no problem,” she promised. “Anything wrong?”
“There was a fire at the bakery down the street,” I relayed.
“Oh, no! I love that place,” she said. “Anyone hurt?”
“I hope not. I haven’t heard anything,” I said. “Just be aware when you get here and park out back, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “See you tonight.”
Thanks to the guys, I had enough money to hire another part time waitress. I was going to need every hand I could possible get. Tonight was money, baby! Irish wasn’t the only green in this bar!
Fernando came in to prep and I spent about an hour cleaning the bar and every glass I had. That was the key on a night like this, glassware. We’d be running out constantly. I had extra coolers full of ice and bottles of beer behind the bar. When things got tough, we could just start serving the bottles. People usually got so hammered on a night like tonight, they’d pretty much drink anything.
“Speaking of which,” I muttered to myself.
McCleary and Stetson were standing at the door when I unlocked. They knew enough to get here early to take their regular seats. On a day like today, I couldn’t hold them.
“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!” I greeted.
My regulars came in, but then I heard someone running up. It was Sandy the baker. He looked like he’d been through Hell.
“Sandy, I’m so glad you’re all right,” I said.
“It’s gone, Claire,” he said, welling up with tears. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Come in, come in,” I counseled. “Let me buy you a beer.”
I poured everyone a green beer. Sandy took a sip and placed it back down. He was a big, burly guy. Whenever I went to the baker, he was always friendly, always had a smile. Not today.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I came in this morning to start baking. Irish soda bread was going to be top of my list today,” he sniffed. “As soon as I walked in, I could smell gas. Out of habit, I hit the light, then foosh!”
“The place ignited? My God, you could’ve been killed!” I said.
“I heard a click right before I hit the switch. The flames burned off my arm hair, look,” he said showing his now bare arm. “Another step and I’d be dead.”
“Must’ve been a gas leak, right?” I suggested.
“That don’t sound like no gas leak,” said McCleary. “If you had left the gas on all night, there’d be nothing of this block left.”
“Yeah,” added Stetson. “Would’ve been an explosion. A big one.”
“Oh, God,” said Sandy. “It must’ve been Rodash or someone he hired!”
“Look, I know those guys are assholes,” I said. “But murder? I mean, t
hat’s another whole level of evil. Why would they risk it?”
“Because I wouldn’t sell!” said Sandy. “My mother built that bakery from nothing. It was her legacy. I know you understand. Oh, God.”
“You have insurance,” I said. “You’ll rebuild. The new place will be better.”
“I might have to take the offer, Claire,” said Sandy grimly. “I don’t want to, but this war with the Rodashes is killing the location. I might be better off in a new spot. I’m sorry.”
“Well, if you have to, I understand,” I said. “You have to do what’s best for you.”
“I feel like I’m betraying you,” he said sadly.
“No-no, don’t say that,” I assured him. “My bar is three generations. Part of a bar is the neighborhood it’s in. Bakeries are a little different, ya know? It’s fine.”
“Oh, God! I just remembered, your order! Where are you going to get your bread?”
Oh, crap. Where was I going to get bread now? Just then, the boys arrived. Their timing was perfect. Always to the rescue.
“Guys, I’m glad you’re here,” I said.
“What’s up? We saw the bakery,” said Jax. “Everything here okay?”
“Yeah, this is Sandy, he owned the bakery,” I introduced.
The guys shook his hand and told them how sorry they were. We caught them up on all that had been discussed.
“So wait, you need bread? We’ll go get you some bread with the limo,” suggested Travis. “How much do you need?”
“Ask Fernando in the back, he can give you numbers and brands,” I said. “But wait, are you sure the limo can fit all that bread?”
“Yeah, no problem,” said Travis. “C’mon, Kenner, you and me.”
“I’ve got your back…bro,” said Kenner.
“So,” said Brax. “You heard this click, you say. You’re sure it wasn’t the light switch.”
“No, I heard the switch and then another click,” explained Sandy. “And the place was full of gas.”
“You think it’s arson?” asked Jax.
“Can’t be sure,” said Brax somberly. “But if it is, I promise you I will bring down Caleb and Marta.”
Sandy finished his beer and got prepared to leave.
“I appreciate the concern,” said Sandy. “Thanks everyone.”
“If there’s anything else I can do to help,” I offered. “Just let me know. I’ll be a bit crazy today, but after things die down…”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” said Sandy. “You just take care. You have these guys watch your back, but if it was arson. This place is next. Thankfully, I don’t live above the bakery.”
And with that, Sandy left and a few more customers piled in. I had only been open a few minutes and already the place was filling up.
“He’s right,” said Jax. “If they did burn down the bakery, this place is next. We have to be careful.”
“They wouldn’t dare burn down the bar now,” said Brax. “Too suspicious. One fire you perhaps get away with, but two fires? On the same block? And the only two hold outs? No, they must have something else in mind, but what?”
“I hate to point this out,” said Jax. “But it is possible it was just a fire that was unlucky for Sandy, but lucky for the Rodashes.”
“I don’t believe in luck,” said Brax. “People in business make their own luck.”
“If there’s arson, the cops will figure it out, right?”
“Cops,” scoffed Brax. “You wait for the police to get to the bottom of something, you’re going to be waiting for a long time. I’m going to call a friend. He’s a private investigator. Does these sorts of things for a living. Excuse me.”
Brax pulled out his phone and walked to the corner of the room. I served Jax a green beer.
“Happy Saint Paddy’s Day,” I smiled.
“And to you too lass,” winked Jax while doing a terrible Irish accent. “Can you bring me a wee bowl of Lucky Charms?”
“How about a hamburger? Fernando has this new one where he draws a shamrock in pesto on top of the burger.”
“That sounds good, I’ll try that. Medium rare, please,” ordered Jax. “You sure you’re okay.”
“Yeah. I just feel bad for Sandy,” I said. “He’s been a good friend. He’s the only one that seems to understand why I’m holding onto my bar. Not even my brothers understand.”
“I understand,” said Jax. “This is a great place. I saw it the minute I came in here. Legacies aren’t just about buildings or business. They’re about family. This place keeps you tied into your family even though they’re gone.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“I’ll bet your dad would’ve been real proud of you,” said Jax. “Speaking of your brothers, where are they?”
“Oh, they just opened a tattoo parlor,” I explained. “They’re good guys, but new at the business end of things. I try not to distract them with my problems.”
“What else is family for?” laughed Jax. “I tell Brax my problems all the time, not that he listens.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “He seems to listen well enough.”
“C’mon,” scoffed Jax. “My whole life he’s been putting me down. Telling me I made the wrong decisions. Ya know, he’s not mean about it. Just critical. When I was doing music, when I was painting…”
“But you’re not doing those things now,” I said. “Maybe he saw that wasn’t the real you.”
“Maybe, but what is the real me?” asked Jax. “That’s the question. It’s great making a lot of money at Cadance, but… Doesn’t feel like we’re changing the world.”
“John Lennon said think globally, but act locally,” I pointed out. “You can’t change the world, but you can change your little piece of it.”
“Is that what you try to do here?” he asked.
“These days, all it seems I do is try to make it day to day,” I laughed. “Survival has been the priority.”
“You need to make time for yourself, babe,” he said, taking my hand.
“Babe? I like the way you call me that,” I said. “Gives me a chill.”
I leaned in close and kissed him. It was a long, sustained, deep kiss. It was the kind of kiss that would sustain me over today’s massive workload.
“Erin go bragh, babe,” he smiled.
“Erin go braugh,” I smiled back.
“Okay, I’ve talked to my man,” said Brax walking back to the bar. “I should have a copy of the police report soon.”
“Wow, that’s fast!” I exclaimed. “Should I call Sandy.”
“It’s best he doesn’t know anything for now,” said Brax. “My friend has connections in high and low places. For legal reasons, he may not want to be tied into that. But if we have to, I assure you the Rodashes will pay.”
“You sound pretty determined,” I said.
“I don’t like to see people bullied,” said Brax. “When you run in my circle, you meet plenty of ruthless, driven and ambitious people. Most of them are just that, but there are a select few that are…twisted. What drives them is the thought of stepping on other people. Making others feel small so they can feel big. I cannot tolerate such folk and I will fight them with every bit of resource at my disposal.”
Kenner came in through the front door. He was carrying bags and bags of bread.
“Hey guys, lil’ help,” he asked. “We cleaned out a bakery across town, but I don’t think we got enough.”
“Where’s Travis?” I asked.
“In the limo, under several bags of bread,” he explained a little out of breath.
“I’ll help,” said Jax, getting up and going outside.
“Why didn’t you pull into the back?” I asked.
“The driver said the limo’s too long to maneuver in that tiny parking lot,” explained Kenner. “So he parked outside.”
“All right, whatever,” I said. “Thanks, Kenner. How much do I owe you guys for the bread?”
“Eh, we’ll square up later,”
he assured.
The guys unloaded the limo of all the bread. Fernando was a little annoyed that he wouldn’t have fresh baked rolls for the various sandwiches and creations he was working on, but I assured him it was fine for today. With the amount of customers rolling in and out of the bar, we’d be lucky to keep up.
Brax got behind the bar again. He ate a sandwich while tending bar. Kenner bussed the tables and washed the dishes. We were actually keeping up, but the rush had barely started.
“People like this Saint Paddy’s Day stuff, huh?” said Kenner in amazement. “It was never really a big holiday for me.”
“Well, I guess you don’t really drink all that much,” I joked. “It’s really more of a holiday for drinking.”
“That’s a thing in Ireland, right? Drinking?” asked Kenner.
“Yes, that’s pretty common knowledge,” I said, nodding my head in surprise. “You know, Irish people and drinking. The stereotype?”
“I thought Irish people were known for great writers,” said Kenner naively.
“Who drink waaaaay too much,” I added.
“Hey! Speaking of drinking!” called one of the customers. “We need another pitcher— two pitchers of beer down here!”
“Coming up, sir!” I said.
“That was rude,” said Kenner under his breath.
“Believe me, it’ll get a whole lot ruder as the night wears on,” I assured him. “Thanks for helping me.”
I gave him a quick kiss. I didn’t want to do a long kiss like I had done with Jax. With Kenner, it would’ve been too much of a distraction. He was happy I was paying attention to him.
It was interesting. Although we weren’t in an official relationship yet, I felt like the dynamic was revealing itself to me. I could start to see who would need the most attention and who wouldn’t. Brax, of course, was self-sufficient. Although when he wanted attention, he wanted a lot of it and tended to steal the show from the other guys, like he did under the bar that night. Talk about stealing the show.
I pulled the taps on two pitchers, rushed them to the table, took more drink orders and came back. Brax was still pouring drinks like a champ. Fortunately, he wasn’t drinking and pouring. That’s a lesson every bartender has to learn the hard way! I did, and boy, was that a hangover.
Sold on the Beach_A Reverse Harem Romance Page 20
