Chapter 5
“Hi, DJ!”
Looking over his shoulder, DJ smiled at his sweet boss. He had been a terminally shy and quiet kid when they first met, but over the years he had gained some confidence and now that they spent time together outside of work, he was much more talkative.
“Hi, Tanner. Breakfast went well and I’m taking advantage of the slowdown at the front of the house to get our weekly deep cleaning done in the back. I’ll be finished and out of here before the lunch rush.”
“Oh. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. Steve didn’t have any calls this morning so we, uh…I, uh…”
“You don’t need to explain why you stayed home with your hunkalicious man instead of toiling here with us.” He winked. “I’m in a Mojave Desert dry spell but I vaguely remember the joys of sex.”
That was no exaggeration. DJ hadn’t ever been a player in any sense of the word, but endless work had made meeting someone for even a night challenging.
When he got married the previous month, he had come to terms with the fact that all of that was in his past. Even though it was only a nominal marriage, it was still a marriage, and when DJ took his vows in front of the officiant at the county courthouse, he had every intention of keeping them.
Love, loyalty, and friendship. He didn’t need the first to give the other two so that’s what he would do, eternally.
“Oh no. We weren’t…” Cheeks on fire, Tanner darted his gaze from one side of the kitchen to the other, looking anywhere but at him.
Peeling off his thick rubber gloves, he turned all the way so he was face-to-face with Tanner. “You weren’t getting it on with your sexy boyfriend?” He arched his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s the story you’re going with?”
“Well, I mean—” If his blush got any darker, he’d be purple.
Taking mercy before the awkwardness choked the poor guy, he laughed. “I’m just giving you a hard time.” He reached over and gently pushed Tanner’s shoulder. “Friends kid around, right?”
“Right.” Tanner sighed, looking relieved. “I don’t have a lot of friends.”
Chest aching, DJ squeezed the shoulder he hadn’t yet released. “Well, you have me, and if you want, you can hang out with my friends sometime. They can be a lot, but they’re good guys.”
“Oh, uh, sure. Sometime,” he said hesitantly.
He wasn't going to push so he let the topic go. “Plus, you’re friends with Mike, right? I remember you guys were tight before he moved away for college.” Tanner was good friends with his now-boyfriend’s son.
“Yes. And he still texts and FaceTimes all the time.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, his version of giving me a hard time is much worse than yours.”
“I don’t really know Mike, but he seems fun.”
“He is.” He smiled. “I think he’s coming home tonight and staying the weekend. Steve’s excited but pretending to be put out.”
“Have a good time catching up. I better get back to it.” He put his gloves on and continued scrubbing the grill. His phone vibrated in his pocket a few times, but he stayed on task, hoping to have enough time to clean the ice machine before he had to go to his next job.
The buzzing didn’t stop, which pretty much told him who was calling.
His grandfather’s creditor, or more accurately loan shark, did not take well to being ignored.
DJ had explained to him that he couldn’t send him another payment until he got paid but, as usual, the nonstop demands continued.
Hopefully at least one of his paychecks would clear by the time he was done at Jesse’s Diner and then he could send another payment.
“Hi, Seamus. Sorry I missed your call; I was helping a customer.”
That customer had forced him to talk in the alley behind the building in order to avoid making a scene in front of everyone at the coffee shop.
Then he had given DJ a physical reminder of his displeasure at not getting enough money before demanding a double espresso to give him energy on his drive back to wherever it was he lived.
DJ doubted he came to Hope just to knock him around, but he didn’t know who else in town was in debt to him.
Or maybe coming to see him in Hope was just one of many stops on his customer service route.
“Do you need me to call back later?” Seamus asked.
“No, I’m good now. We’re closed for the day.
” He adjusted his earbud and then started disassembling the portafilter.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to do any heavy lifting to shut down at the coffee shop and he had gotten all the appliances scrubbed at Jesse’s before he left, so he’d have another week before he had to do them again.
That would give his back time to heal from the boot that had been aimed at his stomach.
He had protected his more vulnerable side by rolling over, so the damage was contained.
Still painful, but he didn’t need to see a doctor, which was good because he wouldn't have gone anyway. “How’s your Friday going?”
“Good. I had a quiet morning at home, caught up on some reading, and I just opened up the bar.”
Sighing wistfully, he wondered if he would ever get to live that kind of life. He couldn’t work any more hours than he already did, and yet, he wasn’t making a dent in his grandfather’s debts because his payments barely kept up with the interest rate.
“That sounds like a great day,” he said.
“It has been so far. We’ll see what tonight brings.
Folks can get a little rowdy on Friday nights.
” Seamus chuckled and DJ couldn’t help but smile in response.
“If you have some time, can you stop by here? My parents have asked about you the last couple of times we talked. I’d love to FaceTime them together. ”
He flicked his gaze to the clock above the café door. His shift at Slice of Life started in an hour. If he worked quickly, he could probably get out of Strong Brew in ten minutes. That should give him enough time to get to and from Seamus’s Basement and squeeze in a call with his parents-in-law.
“Sure,” he said. “I can't stay long because I have to get to work, but I’ll be over soon and we can call them.”
Over the past month, he and Seamus had gotten to know each other a fair bit.
They mostly texted, but they also spoke on the phone, and DJ had gone to his house a handful of times so they could call their families together.
Seamus was good-natured and well-intentioned, even if those intentions didn’t always result in the best decisions, like the lies he had told his family that ultimately resulted in their marriage.
Thankfully, everyone they knew in Claddagh was thrilled at their union, and DJ was enjoying the friendship they were building, so he didn’t regret how they had gotten there.
“Thanks, DJ.” Seamus cleared his throat. “Listen, I hope I’m not overstepping, but do you think maybe you work too much?”
He wished he could work more so that he could eventually go at least a couple of weeks without bruised ribs. “I better go so I can get out of here. I’ll see you soon.”
“Then, for no reason at all, the kids started fighting!” Seamus’s middle brother, Sullivan, said and then he began laughing. Or rather, he continued laughing. He had been regaling them with stories about his children throughout the video call and even the most stressful ones amused him.
“The reason is that they’re kids, Sullie. Just wait until they become teenagers!” said his eldest brother, Sean.
“If you say so. I’ll guess I’ll wait for that. Not that I have another option. That’s how time works, right?”
Sean elbowed Sullivan.
“Siblings fighting for no reason, you say?” Seamus said. “Can’t imagine what that’s like.”
“Brave man speaking from thousands of miles away, Seamie. Don’t think we won’t make you pay for that insubordination next time we see you.” Sullivan glared into the phone, but he couldn't hold the expression for more than a couple of seconds before breaking out into another grin.
“Insubordination?” Sean asked.
“Seemed like a good word.” Sullivan shrugged. “Anyway, are you two sure you can’t come for a visit? I know you did that courthouse wedding last month, but we can have a reception for you here. I’m sure your sister would love to plan that, Dylan.”
The Devlins had all but adopted Kaira since their first meeting.
That wasn’t surprising because she was friendly and funny and, most critically, their brother’s sister-in-law, which made her family.
And while his sister and the Devlin family had all expected them to come to Claddagh for their wedding, their disappointment had been mollified by the photos of the two of them outside the county courthouse, holding up their marriage certificate.
Pressing closer to Seamus so that he was more fully in the camera frame, DJ said, “You do realize that I talk to my sister nearly every day, right? She’s not only told me that you are all in cahoots together on this reception mission, but she’s also sent me dozens of inspiration photos.”
“She sent pictures?” Seamus turned his head to look at him.
“So many pictures,” DJ confirmed.
“You didn’t tell me that.”
He tilted his head back and whispered, “Do you want to see the inspiration pics for the you-said-it’s-never-going-to-happen reception?”
“No.” He shook his head and blinked a few times. “I didn’t mean that.”
“I’m sorry to rush out in the middle of our conversation, but I have to go to work,” DJ said.
“Have a good night, Dylan.” Sean and Sullivan waved at him.
He waved back and then stepped toward the door so he could leave the bar’s backroom and walk to Slice of Life.
“Guys, give me a sec. I want to see him out.” Seamus muted his phone and set it down. “How late are you working tonight?”
“I’m not sure. It depends on how busy we get, but I’m scheduled for deliveries so I don’t need to do any side work and the kitchen closes at ten so not too late. Do you need something?”