Chapter 4
4
DYLAN
T he familiar scent of greasy food and cheap beer fills the air as I walk through the crowd at Barley’s. It’s a dive bar in the old part of downtown that’s popular with the locals. Wheel of Fortune is showing on one of the big screen TVs, which means it’s after seven o’clock and Mike’s already here. The man has never been late to anything and always arrives ten minutes early to our weekly hangout.
“?Bout time you showed up,” he taunts while I slide into my side of our usual booth.
I check the time on my phone as I set it on the table. “It’s five after, man. Cut me some slack.”
He gives me a smirk. “Good thing you’re on time for work or I’d have to fire your ass.”
“You’d never get rid of me,” I scoff. “Who else would come down here just to drink this swill with you?”
“Hey, I resent that,” a feminine voice exclaims.
I look up to find Eileen standing at the end of our table. She’s been working here since the bar opened twenty years ago and she’s always our server. She’s got a sassy mouth and a shit attitude, but she’s the best damn waitress in the city.
With my hand over my heart, I humbly apologize. “You know I didn’t mean it.” The corners of my lips turn down in an exaggerated frown. “Don’t be mad at me. I was only joking.”
She smacks the top of my hand with a laminated menu. “You’re lucky you’re pretty.”
I respond to her compliment with a grin.
“Don’t go blowin’ his head up any more than it already is or he’ll never get it through the door.” Mike winks at her.
“You boys want the usual? Large works and a pitcher?”
“You take such good care of us. Don’t ever leave me, Eileen, or I’ll be heartbroken.”
“Boy, I’m old enough to be your mother. Now, stop flirting with me and let me get back to work.” She lays some extra paper napkins on the table, then struts to the bar to place our order.
We’ve been coming here for a few years now. It’s much more low-key than the rowdy bar where I first met Mike. Sometimes, a couple of the guys at work come too, but most nights it’s just us. I like it that way because it never feels like a work thing. Just two friends hanging out after a long day. Or maybe even like a son catching up with his father, but I wouldn’t know what that feels like because mine is always too busy for me.
Eileen drops off two frosted mugs and a cold pitcher of beer, filling each of our cups before moving on to another table.
“You expecting a call from someone?” Mike peers at me over the top of his glass as he takes a long sip. He must’ve noticed me glancing at my phone, which I’ve done a few times since I sat down. I’ve been waiting for Liv to send me her address, and the longer it takes, the more I worry she’s changed her mind.
“Nah, just a text. It’s fine.” I wipe my upper lip with a napkin after a few gulps of my beer.
“Is this a new one? Or is this still Kayla?”
“Definitely not Kayla.” I scowl at the mention of that woman’s name and earn myself a low chuckle.
“Aw, c’mon now. She wasn’t that bad.”
My features drop as I give him a deadpan stare. “She was a stage-five clinger, Mike. Always calling and texting. And she showed up on the job. We had one date. One .”
“I told you I didn’t get a good feeling about her. She had crazy eyes.”
I almost choke on my beer. “She didn’t have crazy eyes. She was cute.”
To be honest, she did have crazy eyes, like she was coked out but wasn’t. Growing up with money like I did, I saw my fair share of drug use, and I’d recognize that jittery look from a mile away. But that was just Kayla. It wasn’t drugs; it was obsession. The girl was fucking nuts.
“It’s always the short, cute ones you gotta watch out for. Trust me on that one.”
“Well, this is a different short, cute one. And she’s quite a bit younger.”
That intrigues him, and he subtly leans forward in his seat.
“Don’t get too excited. It’s just Olivia, my stepsister.” Ugh, calling her that tastes bitter on my tongue.
“Wait. Didn’t your parents divorce a long time ago? She’s not your sister anymore.” His brow wrinkles and he tilts his head.
I sigh and look down at the table. “No, I guess not. But that’s what people will think.”
“What people? You’ve only mentioned her to me a few times, and I doubt anyone else even knows about her.” He does have a point. “And your dad was barely married to her mom for what… a year?”
I nod my head to confirm.
“So, is the issue that she’s younger? Because I’m not seeing a problem.”
I know he’s right, but in the back of my mind I worry about what my father would say. Since the day I was born, I’ve always been concerned about what he thinks. Not that it’s done me any good.
“You know how people have a tendency to dig up the past whenever it suits them. I personally don’t give a shit about any of it, but Bruce will. Can’t have his son tarnishing his reputation now, can we?” A tinge of resentment stirs in my stomach but I ignore it.
“Fuck him,” Mike urges. “You’ve made something of yourself and you did it without him. You were a bratty little shit when we met, but look at you now. You work hard, make a damn good living, and all the guys on the jobsite respect you. Be proud of who you are, son. I sure am.”
I doubt Mike has any idea how much his words mean to me, but I also know he’s not the kind of man to make a big deal out of it. “I appreciate you saying that. And for everything you’ve done for me over the years.”
He swipes a dismissive hand through the air. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t go cryin’ on me now.” He snickers.
Eileen returns to our table with plates, a metal stand, and a piping hot pizza. Fuck, that smells good. “You boys let me know if you need anything else.”
We give her our thanks, and she saunters off.
“Liv, huh? What’s that about?” Mike fills our plates with food while I top off our drinks.
“I actually ran into her at the site the other day. Some jerks were giving her a hard time while she was walking to her car. I actually didn’t know it was her until after I ran ?em off.”
“I wouldn’t expect too many kids to still be left on campus now that it’s winter break.”
“She stayed a few extra days to wrap up a project or something. We talked for a few minutes and decided to meet up for coffee today.”
“Oh, so you two had a little date,” he teases.
“It wasn’t a date. Just catching up.”
“Yeah, but you get this glimmer in your eyes when you talk about her.”
“No, I don’t,” I argue while knowing he’s probably right. I’m attracted to her and I have been since the day we met. There’s no point in denying it.
“So coffee and…” He gestures with his hand, urging me to keep going.
I might as well tell him because he’ll get it out of me eventually. “She asked me to go home with her for Christmas.”
Mike freezes mid-bite and stares at me with wide eyes.
“I told her I would, but now I’m second-guessing it. I was planning on working in the office anyway.”
He unceremoniously drops his slice onto his plate and wipes the grease from his hands. “You’re an idiot,” he says, and I rear back like he just slapped me. “A cute girl, who you’ve known for several years, asked you to spend Christmas with her. And what? You’re gonna turn her down?” He looks at me with disbelief written all over his face.
“The last time we saw each other, I was a complete tool. I was late, I insulted her mother, and I stormed off like an entitled prick.”
“Well, either she’s extremely forgiving or she’s blocked out that memory.” He resumes eating his meal and I do the same.
“I doubt she’s forgotten that night because I most certainly haven’t, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Not because of my father, but because of how I treated her and Carol.”
“Here’s your chance to make it up to them, then. Sounds good to me.” Mike raises an eyebrow at me, daring me to disagree.
“So I’m supposed to spend an entire week with two women I hardly know? Barge in on their family plans and holiday traditions? Insert myself into their lives when they probably want to forget all about me?” My heart sinks at the thought of being forgotten. I’ve never mattered to my parents, so why should I matter to Carol and Liv? We’re no longer family and really we never were. They should forget about me and move on with their lives. “Nah, I’ll just stay here. It’s fine. Been doing it the last several Christmases.”
Mike gives me a hard look and points directly at me. “I’m gonna tell you something, son, and you listen to me good.” He pauses to make sure I’m paying attention. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You deserve to be happy. Some of your cards might’ve been shitty, but you still got a good hand. I’d hate to see you blow it.”
I sink into the booth and think about his advice. Maybe he’s right and this is my opportunity to fix things and have a fresh start. Maybe I need to stop thinking of Carol and Liv as merely my father’s ex-wife and her daughter, and start seeing them as two people independent of his failed marriage.
Liv is a beautiful girl I met a few times and hoped it could be more. It wasn’t the right timing for us back then, but perhaps it can be now. It is a second chance and I shouldn’t waste it.
With my mind made up, I dig back into my pizza. “Alright, I’ll go. Assuming she still wants me to.”
“She will. She wouldn’t have asked you if she didn’t.” He sounds confident but I’m not so sure. She’s yet to text me her address.
We eat in companionable silence for a few minutes before my phone chimes with a notification. I clean my hands on a napkin, then pick up my cell to look at the screen. I’m damn near smiling from ear to ear as I read Liv’s message.
1015 Grand Avenue, Apt. B
Looking forward to our mini road trip. I’ll bring the coffee.
I glance up at Mike, who sits back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest and a shit-eating grin on his face. “Don’t even say it,” I warn.
“Don’t have to. You already know.”
He’s right. I can hear his voice in my head, telling me I told you so , but that doesn’t mean I want to hear it out loud.