The Confrontation
FRANKIE
“Okay, you need to put the phone down,” I laugh.
Daphne’s been glued to that thing for the last three days, ever since the news about Cole’s role in trashing the bar went viral. She’s been scrolling through gossip websites for any kind of news despite all attempts to get her to stop, checking whenever a notification on any of her socials pops up.
“Fuck! I can’t help it, I’m like a dog with a bone.”
I kiss her softly on the forehead.
“I can tell. But right now, I really need you to pass me that hammer so we can actually get back to work.”
She groans, pressing herself into me.
“You’re right, you’re right. It’s just—”
Suddenly, from across the room, I hear a loud pop and the lights flicker.
“Motherfuckingbitchassfuck!”
“Denny, no swearing!” Audrey snaps.
Denny stumbles backward, clutching his hand while Daphne and I rush in to help him.
“Sorry, Audrey,” he sighs before turning to Violet. “Sorry, kiddo!”
V gives him a nonchalant thumbs up all the way from the back booth.
“What the hell happened?” I ask, giving his hand a quick look.
“I was just finishing up with some of the new lights. Thought we were Gucci until…”
He holds it up to the light, and I see a faint pink burn on his index finger.
“Okay, you should get some cool water on that, and— Audrey, can you grab the first aid kit in the office?”
“I’m on it!” She calls back, already on her way.
I glance down and check my phone as Denny makes his way to the bathroom.
When the guy at the music shop sent me pictures of the work he’d done on Joe’s guitar, I was ecstatic; you couldn’t even tell Cole smashed it up.
Now though, I’ve got to figure out a way to pick it up without anyone figuring out what I’m doing, and ruining the surprise.
“Figure this is as good a time as any to take a break. Daph, I’m gonna grab us some pizza for lunch. You want in?”
“That sounds great, just make sure you get—“
“Ham and pineapple for Violet,” I chuckle. “I’m on it.”
“Oh, actually, if you’re going out…” She pulls a folded piece of paper from her pocket, handing it over. “Could you pick some things up for the bar? Audrey switched us over to a new distributor, but because it was short notice, they were out of some stuff.”
I give the list a quick once over. Vodka, craft beer, and some really nice whisky.
Looks like the Hi-Dive’s finally getting an upgrade in the drink department.
“Can I take your car?” I ask. “Can’t really lug this back on a motorcycle.”
Daphne hands me the keys, a big smile on her face.
“Go nuts, Goldilocks.”
The ride to the neighbouring town was a little longer than I had hoped, but Main Street in ‘downtown’ Lockwood really has everything you could possibly need.
There’s a pizza joint, cafés, a post office, restaurants, a liquor store, and places to shop to your heart’s content.
It reminds me of one of those quaint little towns you see in a Hallmark movie.
But when I arrive, it’s not the picturesque street that grabs my attention, it’s who I see walking into the Liquor Quicker.
Cole’s got a coffee in his hand. He’s dressed in a pair of black board shorts, flip flops, and an old Emerald Bay High hoodie. It looks like like he’s just woken up for the day and this is his second stop.
I climb out of the car, waiting a couple seconds before deciding on following him inside.
The right thing to do would be leaving him alone, just waiting a few extra minutes for him to come and go, especially on the off-chance he came all the way out here just to avoid bumping into me.
But I’ve been making a lot of good decisions lately, and being a responsible adult gets really exhausting after a while.
The little bell on the door jingles as I push it open, and I spot a young college kid perched at the counter, scrolling on his phone. He barely looks up to acknowledge me, and Cole is too focused on the beer fridges to take any notice.
Perfect.
He lingers as I make my way over, scouring the wide selection of beer and cider. He’s already got a fifth of whiskey clutched in his fist, along with a few bottles of wine in the rolling basket beside him, but I guess he’s still looking for more.
It’s strange how fast all my teenage insecurities come flooding back as I approach. My whole life, Cole was cooler than me. Stronger, better looking…
Compared to him, I was shit.
But this isn’t high school anymore, and I’m a long way from the scrawny kid I used to be.
“Pretty big selection,” I mutter, strolling up behind him.
He glances over his shoulder, his eyes flashing with surprise and then irritation as he sees who the voice belongs to.
“Get the fuck out of my face, Hughes.”
“Yeah, see the thing about that?” I chuckle, clapping him on the shoulder and squeezing so hard I think I feel his knees buckle. “I don’t want to.”
“Get off me, I didn’t do shit!”
I spin him around and shove him against the glass doors, his collar twisted up in my grip.
“Why don’t you try being a man for once in your life and take some responsibility?”
I glance over my shoulder, but luckily the employee at the counter is still engrossed in his phone. That, or he’s purposefully ignoring us.
“Oh, I see what’s going on. I did hear that someone hit the bar pretty bad,” Cole snarls. “You must be hard at work, how’s that going for you?”
“You know? It wasn’t that bad, but thanks for asking.
Far as I can tell whoever did it kinda struggled to throw their weight around.
” I shoot him a sinister smile. “You though? Might need to see a dentist by the time I’m finished with you, and I’m a little worried your Night Shift residuals won’t cover it. ”
Cole's eyes flash, his whole body quivering with rage.
“She’s just using you, you get that, right? If she ever gave a damn about you, she wouldn’t have left you here while she fucked off to New York. God, Hughes, did you ever even get a phone call?”
“You don’t know shit,” I growl.
“I don’t? Nah man, I know a lot of really juicy details.
Hell, even about your boring-ass life. Like the fact you still have an active account on…
what’s it called again?” His eyes light up, right along with a sickly grin.
“Oh, right… KinkFinder. A man in a committed relationship who’s still using apps tailor-made for fucking other women?
Imagine how embarrassing it would be for Daph if that got out. ”
I might wind up with a murder charge by the time I walk out of here, because Cole is pushing every single one of my buttons.
“Stay the fuck away from my family, you pathetic shit-stain.”
“Your family,” he scoffs. “Been looking for a second-hand one since poor old mommy died, huh?”
The jab stings, another tick in the ‘beat him within an inch of his life’ column, but underneath it all I get a sudden burst of…
pity? It’s such an odd sensation, but I can’t help but picture what his life must be like; he’s got nothing left, so he’s grasping at whatever straw will give him even the smallest semblance of control.
That said, this shit can’t be allowed to stand.
“If you so much as breathe near Daphne again, I’m gonna spend the rest of my life ruining yours, do you understand me?”
It’s everything I wanted to say when I was a teenager but couldn’t, rolled into a single, concise sentence, and goddamn does it feel incredible to get it out.
“You’ve always been a loser,” he snorts, obviously struggling for some killer retort and coming up near-empty.
I release him, ignoring the flaccid jab and heading straight for the front counter.
“Hi, my wife placed an order with you guys, and I need help finding some stuff.”
I count the beats in my head until I hear the door bell jingle behind me as Cole storms out, leaving his full cart abandoned in the aisle. Turns out he couldn’t even last 20 seconds without some attention.
I’m sure this isn’t the last I’ll be hearing about his little threat, but he can cry to HotGoss all he wants. He lost, and I won.
“Thanks, Goldilocks, this was a really big help.”
I wrap one arm around Daphne’s waist and pull her toward me, taking a brief break from unloading everything. She had a much bigger order than I thought, so big that half of it wouldn’t fit in the trunk.
“Hey, I have a surprise for you,” I grin.
Joe’s guitar is tucked into the very back of the car, carefully out of sight, and I’ve been practically buzzing with anticipation the entire time.
“A surprise, huh?” Daphne asks. “I’m not usually a fan of those.”
Actually, now that I think of it, she did always hate surprise parties. Or surprise gatherings, or surprise trips… if it’s got the word surprise in it, Daphne’s hackles are up.
“I was hoping you’d make an exception because this one’s pretty good. Now, close your eyes, and no peeking until I tell you.”
“Yes, sir,” she purrs as she covers her face with both hands.
I beam, popping the trunk and flipping open the guitar case to reveal a gorgeous acoustic with a glossy cherry wood body, and a black and silver pick guard. It’s a stunning instrument, the kind that you can scarcely believe is real until you hold it in your hands.
“Okay.” I step back. “Take a look.”
Daphne’s eyes pop open, and I watch the realization hit her all at once.
“Oh my god…”
“Turns out it wasn’t as impossible as it looked, just gave the guy some old reference photos to look at and he worked his magic.”
Daphne buries her face in my chest, clinging onto me as tight as she can.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I did.” I clear my throat. “This guitar is an important piece of your past, just like the rest of this place, and I’ll be damned if I let someone asshole destroy that.”
Cole can try his hardest to rip her life apart, and I’m sure he will, but I’ll always be there to help her rebuild.
“So, you think I can do this?”
“Do what?”
She sighs, blinking back her tears as she stares back up at me.
“You know, this. Running the bar.”
Joe left her this place for a reason, and I know he would be proud of her for putting in all the work. But it wasn’t just a gift, or an attempt to keep the business in the family. He was laying out a path for her, a way to make connections, new and old.
To rediscover her roots.
“I’d say it’s in your blood, Firecracker.”