Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
SOPHIE
“Are we sure Jonah’s coming?” Hannah asks, glancing out the window of the limousine. It’s Rob’s birthday, and also the night of the “prom.”
The past week has been a whirlwind of activity.
First, someone called Dylan, anonymously, and informed him about the fire, saying I was an arsonist and a menace.
Dylan pulled me aside and told me about it. He said he’d informed the person that if they came into the brewery talking smack about any of his employees, they’d find an ex-Marine’s boot print on their butt.
That had made me hug him.
I’d intended to talk to him about the NA menu, but his sweet gesture made me “chicken out” (Hannah’s term). I assured Hannah that I was still going to do it, someday soon. At the moment, the drinks were on a paper specials menu, but they’re going to add them to the laminated menus soon.
“Jonah’s coming,” I say, adjusting my corsage. It’s a gorgeous one, made by someone who wasn’t on a delicious time crunch. Rob brought it over this morning, along with corsages for Hannah and Briar, because he’s amazing .
“You’re mooning,” Hannah accuses without heat.
“I am,” I agree, grinning. “I’m desperately, sickeningly in love.”
“Let the record show that you’re the one who said it was sickening.”
We took the eighties theme to heart. We’re all wearing eighties-era prom dresses we found at a thrift store, and Hannah teased her hair so it’s as big as a lion’s mane. Briar crimped hers, and Otis fell all over himself praising it. He only caught a glimpse of her all decked out at the house before he had to leave. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to ride in the limo with us, as he had to get to the Orange Peel early, having volunteered to help with the band’s equipment.
I’m not altogether sure his help was needed, or even wanted, but Rob acted grateful anyway, bless him.
“It is sickening,” I reply. “I’m happier than I have any right to be.”
Hannah scowls at me. “Take that back.”
“Yes,” Briar agrees. “You’re exactly as happy as you should be.”
Maybe they have a point.
Either way, I’ve decided to embrace these good feelings.
I haven’t emailed, texted, or phoned my parents to let them know about my cancelled wedding. If they neglect to call anyone else in the family, they may very well be boarding a plane soon to sit in the wedding venue alone. If I find out they’re over there at the pre-appointed day and time, I’ll be sure to send them over some rubbery fish.
This past week, Otis and I have also been working hard on our plans for The Crafty Monster. We’ve decided we’ll do it as a pop-up at first to cut down on costs, and Hannah has already offered to host us at Big Catch Brewing. And although I’m making moves to start my own business, Dylan said his door is always open to me, no matter what I decide to do with my life.
Life is big. Life is good. Life is happy .
Thankfully, Dottie was as good as her word. Her friend Ann’s daughter is a foster mom, and Emil’s going to live with her for his last two years of high school. She’s already promised to let him practice as much as he wants.
But while Emil will be fine, it’s not the outcome he and Rob wanted. Jonah took something precious from them. Jonah has taken and taken and taken, with no care for what it costs other people. So I want him to have a reckoning.
Which is hopefully what’s happening tonight.
I run my fingers over my necklace. With Rob’s permission, I had his guitar pick made into a pendant, which I wear around my neck. And he, of course, reciprocated by having my “unlucky penny” made into a pendant for him.
I suppose this brings us back to Hannah’s “sickening” comment, but I’m glad to be sickening.
“Sophie,” Hannah says in her mock-threatening voice. “Say you’re as happy as you should be.”
“You’re such a sweet bully.” I roll my eyes, but I do as she says anyway. “I’m as happy as I should be.”
Then the limo rolls to a stop.
“You ready for this?” Hannah asks, her eyes sparkling, her hair huge.
“Yes,” I say at the same time Briar says, “No.”
We all laugh as we get out of the limo, drawing attention from the dozens of people milling about in front of the Orange Peel, smoking or talking or waiting to get in. Some of them are blatantly staring at us. Normally it would make my skin itch, but my self-consciousness has faded so much I barely notice.
Liam, Hannah’s brother, was recruited to be one of the bouncers tonight, and he waves us over to the back entrance.
I’ve only met him briefly, in passing, but he is, in a word, terrifying. Tall and thickly muscled with hair somewhere between chestnut and red. But he’s undeniably a good person to have on our side.
“They’re waiting for you,” he says brusquely, nodding.
Hannah gives him a pissed-off look—suggesting things between them are far from great, despite the fact that he’s here to support us—and we walk into the rear of the building. The band that goes on prior to Garbage Fire is playing a song I recognize from one of my favorite childhood movies, but Liam leads us backstage, to where Rob and the band are waiting, along with Otis, Emil, and Dottie.
I walk into Rob’s arms, feeling that familiar warmth radiate through me as he bends down to kiss me.
“Happy birthday,” I say, pulling him a few steps away from the others. I reach into the pocket of my dress and pull out the new boutonniere I made, pinning it to his lapel.
He grins at me. “This one looks less rushed.”
“I didn’t have some jerk keeping me on a tight schedule.”
“Something was certainly tight .”
I run my fingers over his cheek. “Behave. I have a present for you at home.”
“Is it a rainbow of condoms?”
“We don’t need those anymore.”
“You made me something, didn’t you?”
“I did,” I say with a smile.
I made him a quilted Garbage Fire pillow that was not easy given all the different parts of the logo. Also, just as an inside joke for the two of us, I framed a rainbow of condoms.
“You look like Cyndi Lauper, by the way,” he says.
I laugh, not sure he means it as a compliment, but he nestles his head into my neck, near my ear, and adds, “You know, I used to have fantasies about Cyndi Lauper.”
“Guys, we need you to focus,” Hannah says, gesturing toward Otis and Emil. “The young people are leaving us.”
“We’re going to go guard the exits with Liam,” Otis says with a gratified smile. He feels important and useful, something he needs.
Emil grins. “What he means is that we’re going to watch what exit Jonah goes for so we can tell Liam. Because we can’t do shit to keep him from leaving.”
Otis lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug. “It’s an important job.”
“Yep, it sure is,” Liam says, then surprises me by looking back and forth between Otis and Emil. “You ready, champs?”
They walk off together, and Hannah gives him the middle finger after he turns.
I shoot her a piercing look. “What’s wrong with you? He’s helping.”
“I’ll explain later,” she says with a sigh.
“You know, it’s not too late to douse your brother with pig’s blood, Rob,” Bixby says with a smirk. “Travis can source anything.”
He shrugs. “Sure can.”
“So they’re here?” Hannah asks.
“Oh, yes,” Dottie says. “But there will be no need for any unpleasantness. There should be nothing unpleasant about the truth.”
Hannah responds with one of her snort-laughs. “Is that why we recruited my brother to block Jonah from leaving?”
“Some people need the truth presented to them on a silver platter. Others need to be tied into a chair. We’ll see what kind this young man is.”
“Damn, Dottie,” Rob says with a chuckle as he wraps his arm around my waist, his grip firm.
“Now, after I present you wonderful young people, I’m going to join my man to listen to the story. Afterward, I look forward to a long, joyous celebration.”
“How’d you convince Jonah to come, anyway?” Briar asks. “He must know Rob and his friends are playing tonight.”
What he wouldn’t know is that we’re going to tell our story. We even brought a slideshow, and at Rob’s insistence, the band is going to softly play the melody to ABBA’s “I Have a Dream” in the background.
We’ve practiced a couple of times after hours at The Missing Beat. It made me cry both times, so I don’t have high hopes for staying tear-free tonight.
“Well, dear, I told the truth,” Dottie says pointedly, glancing at the three of us in turn. “I paid a little visit to Nora and explained what her young man had done. It became clear to me that she didn’t know the truth about him. He’d woven a tapestry of lies, but every tapestry of lies has a loose thread. I spoke with her about you three girls and told her about everything I’d witnessed with my own two eyes.”
“She’s the one who brought him here?” I ask in disbelief. I figured GingerBeerBabe was lost for sure. She ignored my texts and obviously forgave Jonah for whatever bullshit he’d pulled that had gotten him temporarily banned from The Ginger Station.
Then again, I almost married him, and he’d been lying to me steadily for months. Lies can be subtle, convincing despite feeling wrong in a way you can’t put your finger on.
“Indeed,” Dottie says. “And there’s more good news. She says The Ginger Station may be interested in carrying some of our nonalcoholic drink blends once we have them canned and start distributing them. Of course, we’ll need to find a new distributor, but I don’t imagine that will be a problem. It seems they’ll hire just about anyone to do that job.”
“What?” I squawk. “We’re canning them?”
“Oh, goodness,” Dottie says, raising a hand to her dyed hair. “My memory isn’t what it once was. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. We have to set up a meeting with my dear Buchanans to discuss a financial offer and terms, but I’m certain they’ll love the idea. I’m not sure if you know this, but my dear Beau, the lovely man who started Buchanan Brewery, originally sold soda. So it’s perfect, you see. A return to their roots.”
I gape at her. “They’re…I’m going to get paid for that?”
She gives me an admonishing look. “Of course you are, dear girl. Do you honestly think we wouldn’t compensate you for your hard work?”
“Yes?”
She laughs as if it’s a merry joke, and Rob tightens his hold on me. “Know your worth, Soph,” he whispers. “Tonight we’re gonna show them all that you do.”
I glance up at him, feeling a surge of love so strong it nearly buckles my knees.
“Are you sure I should do this?” I ask, glancing toward the stage, imagining what it’ll feel like to have all those eyes on me.
“Yeah, baby. I think you should. I think you should own yourself. All of you.”
I hear Hannah and Briar speaking. Dottie too. But right this moment, my whole world is Rob.
“What if they hate me for it?” I ask.
“Then we’ll move to Canada and take up ice fishing. But I really hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m a terrible fisherman.”
He leans down and kisses me, then slips something into the pocket of my dress.
I reach in and feel the soft, sleek stone Dottie gave him.
“Stroke it well,” he says with a wink, then dips down and kisses me again.
Dottie grins at us, blows me a kiss, and heads out to the stage to make her opening remarks.
“Are you ready?” Briar asks, holding her hand out to me. Hannah reaches for me too.
I take both of their hands. “No. But let’s do it anyway.”
Dottie’s speech passes in a blur… special storytelling…not to be missed…just like that Moth place in New York…my dear, brave neighbor…the girlfriend of the lead singer of the band!
And then I’m on stage, and it’s me and the crowd and the microphone, and I can see him.
Jonah’s standing by one of the exits, a fixed smile on his face, with Liam looming next to him.
Nora is nowhere to be seen, so I assume she, at least, was allowed to leave. She’s clearly not a woman who likes to be in the spotlight, which is something I understand. Neither do I. But my friends are right. I need to tell my truth so no one else can tell it for me. I need to stop hiding.
I clear my throat.
I touch the stone in my pocket, but I can’t speak, even though I sense my friends next to me. They’re waiting for their turns. This is our story, but it starts with my past, the incident Jonah used against Rob. It needs to, because I’m determined to finally move beyond it.
Murmuring starts in the crowd. Then Rob steps out of the back and stands behind me, his hand on my shoulder, and suddenly the words come out in a gush.
“When I was sixteen, I accidentally started a fire…”