Chapter 8
Remi
Chasing sunshine to outrun the night,
Claiming it’s freedom, though it feels like flight.
If trouble’s the shadow, then Florida’s the sun.
Let’s call it vacation; pretend it’s for fun.
The creak of a door made me sit straight up. Within seconds, I was on my feet with the gun in my hand.
“Don’t shoot me,” someone called.
“Jesus,” I muttered. I walked out of the office and flipped on a light. Despite the familiar voice, I glanced around to make sure nobody was hiding in the shadows.
When I reached the front, Oli was standing behind the counter, tapping his fingers. He looked at me, then at my hand with a frown. Gently, he grasped my wrist and took the gun from me. After he removed the magazine and racked the slide, he set both pieces on the counter.
“It’s just me.”
I lifted one shoulder. “Things can change like that.” I snapped my fingers for emphasis.
“What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing. You know me.”
Oli’s hazel eyes assessed me in that thorough way they always did. I didn’t believe that I ever succeeded in hiding things from him, but that didn’t mean I’d stop trying. Self-preservation was etched into my bones, and I knew that he understood it better than anyone else.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“You texted me that you’re going to Florida. That requires an explanation.”
“I have a phone, you know.”
“If you wanted to talk about it on the phone, you would’ve called.” He gave me a pointed look. “You knew I’d show up.”
I didn’t bother to hide my smile. “I thought you’d take longer. Weren’t you in class?”
He lifted himself onto the counter and swung his legs. “I thought my best friend was running off on a reckless adventure. Screw class.”
“It’s just Florida.”
“You could be trafficked. Or eaten by an alligator.”
“I’d still be pretty in pieces.”
“Yeah, but then who will irresponsibly stay up until dawn playing games with me?” He flashed me a signature Oli smile, too pure for this world.
I looked down at the floor to escape the weight of it. “You’ve got Dean.”
“Shut up, bro.” He punched me in the arm hard enough to make me glare at him. “You can’t still be jealous of him.”
I scoffed. “I was never jealous, dumbass.”
“I know. But you’re going to be when you meet our son.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What, already?”
The dimples on his cheeks turned him into the kid I’d met when I was a whole different person—a strange light in a world that had been dark since I was nine.
After I ditched the foster system at sixteen, I escaped to Seattle.
A few years later, he showed up on my doorstep, deciding he wanted to brave the idea of freedom like I had.
And the rest was history. For him, at least. Sometimes, I felt like I was trapped in the past, looking at someone in the mirror who had no right to a friend like Oli, a business of my own, twenty-nine years under my belt.
He pulled out his phone and passed it to me. I stared at the picture, feeling like I was about to melt. “You actually did it?”
The green in his eyes seemed to brighten along with his smile. “Yeah, that’s Kevin.”
I snorted a laugh. “Why Kevin?”
“Dean’s pick, way back when.”
“When do you pick him up?”
“Tomorrow after class. His parents already know, but it’s a surprise for Dean, so don’t say anything.”
I mimed zipping my lips. “Well, Kevin is adorable. And wrinkly. He looks exactly like your boyfriend. Will probably yip like him too.”
“You’re such a douche.”
I looked at the Boxer puppy on the screen with a smile before I passed it back. “Seriously, though. I’m happy for you. You’ll be the best dog dad. And the best human dad when it’s time.”
He squeezed my arm. “Thanks. Now, tell me what’s in Florida.”
With a groan, I grabbed a whiskey bottle and a glass.
“That bad, huh?”
With a grunt of agreement, I knocked back the drink, then set it down. “It’s more about what’s not in Florida.” Running my finger around the rim, I explained what had happened over the past week. I could already see his lecture face sliding into place.
“Yeah, I know,” I sighed when I’d caught him up to speed. “Tabletop one-night stands are a no-no.”
“That’s not what I was going to say. I mean, you know I saw the article. My biggest concern is Cole. Do you think he’ll actually show up?”
“I don’t know. Before I hung up on him, he asked if I want to see him.”
“Not that he cares if you say no.”
I could see his mood shift in the set of his lips. Oli wasn’t quick to anger. The opposite, actually. When it came to my problematic ex, though, he would probably throw a punch if he thought it would protect me. And that wasn’t something I’d ever let him do for me.
“It’s been four days,” I said. “Nobody’s been lurking around. I’ve got the cameras. And—” I nodded toward the gun on the counter.
“Is that why you want to do this weird dating thing? To get out of town.”
“Obviously.”
“It’s not more than that?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Maybe it has more to do with the guy than you’re letting on.”
I scoffed and crossed my arms. “We hit it off that night, but if our other encounters are any indication, we aren’t compatible.
” I shuddered. “You should’ve seen how awkward dinner was.
We barely said a word to each other outside of his long-winded itinerary details.
Neither of us could get out of there fast enough. ”
“Alright, if you say so. Just be careful.”
“You think I’m worried about some hoity-toity bastard with a man-bun and a hefty bank account?”
“Course not. I’m actually worried for him.”
With a harrumph, I sat on the counter next to him. “Think you guys could man the bar for me?”
“Remi,” he groaned. “It’s an hour drive.”
“Yeah, that was a dumb thing to ask. So, four o’clock is when we open, but I’ll accept you pushing it back, like, an hour. Last call at one.”
“Your customers can be assured that they won’t get sexually harassed while you’re gone, at least.” He glanced toward the pool table. “Is there really a stain?”
Grabbing a bowl of nuts from last night, I cracked a shell with my teeth. “Achievement unlocked.”
“This guy’s gonna bury you in a swamp.”
“Let him try.”
He laughed, shaking his head. I took him by the nape of his neck and brought him close enough to rest my forehead against his.
“Love you, man.”
His smile widened, as if he hadn’t heard me say it a million times in the past fourteen years. If I was lucky, I’d say it a million more, because I knew that the dead didn’t haunt us half as much as the words we never spoke.
That was the thing, though. Lady Luck was quick to kiss his cheek; she never looked twice at me.
*****
There was an SUV idling outside, which got me far less excited than the Maserati that had been there on Saturday.
I never thought I’d find myself in a car like that, nor did I particularly enjoy how stuffy it was, but at least I could say I’d done it.
I’d never again exist as the Remi who hadn’t ridden in a luxury car.
By that logic, I was a brand new man as I climbed into the back seat. The slide might’ve been a bit too exuberant, judging by Amir’s grunt when I went straight to his side and rammed him into the opposite door.
He nudged me away with his shoulder, then smoothed down his shirt. “Do you wake up ready to be annoying?”
“I’m not annoying to people who know how to have fun.”
Leaning his elbow on the door, he stared out of his window. “Why am I picking you up from the bar at six in the morning? It’s like you live in this damn place.”
“I did say that.”
“That was a joke.” He glanced sidelong at me. “Wasn’t it?”
“No jokes here. It’s too early for that.” I winked at him, and I wasn’t sure if he believed me, but he could mull it over while we were on the plane.
As we pulled away from the curb, I stared at the sign above the bar.
It felt wrong to leave it like this. Back when I owned The Commons, I’d given myself one day off every week.
That was the most I’d ever done. I didn’t have the luxury of vacations, nor had I ever really wanted one.
My bar was my baby, and aside from Oli—maybe Dean if I was feeling generous—it was the only thing I cared about.
I felt it more acutely with Remi’s. It was my namesake, the only legacy I cared to have in this world.
Once it was out of sight, I turned to Amir. I was about to say something, but he was going through some notecards in his lap. When I tried to grab them, he twisted and put his leg on the seat between us to block me.
“What are they?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, I’m worried. I have a gun, remember?”
His eyes rolled, but he didn’t look at me. “Please tell me you brought it so you’ll get arrested at the airport.”
“If you want out, all you have to do is say the word, handsome.”
There was a slight smile on his face, which was sort of confusing. He tucked one of the cards behind the rest and read the next one.
“If you did that, though,” I continued, “you’d miss out on my premium entertainment on the plane.”
“That’s why I got us separate aisles.”
Not sure what to say, I crossed one leg over the other and returned to staring out the window.
“It was a joke,” he said after a minute.
“Too bad. I was looking forward to a peaceful flight.”
When we pulled up to the departure lane, I got out first. It was nearly as stuffy outside of the car as it was inside.
Hoisting my bag and backpack onto my shoulders, I headed into the airport without waiting for Amir.
He jogged to catch up, and I felt him shoot me a glare, which made it hard not to smile.
Check-in was a breeze, except for when Amir tried to get me to check my duffel.
He said it was a waste of space to carry with me.
I told him I could always stretch his ass out again and stuff my bag up there, which had not been met with positivity.
The girl behind the counter looked like she was about to expire on the spot.
It wasn’t my fault she was of the prudish variety.