14. COLE
fourteen
cole
I freeze in the middle of wiping down the bar, and it feels like even time stops.
The dominant figure pauses in the doorway of the Tap, and I brace myself for the apocalypse to follow him inside.
But it’s only my mom that guides my father into what he once called “the toilet in Satan’s house.”
“Am I awake, or is this a terrible nightmare?” I whisper to Matilda.
She purses her lips. “If this were a nightmare, you’d have a hundred Kennys breathing down your neck. Since there’s just one, it’s safe to say you’re awake.”
“ Safe is putting it optimistically,” I mutter, tossing the rag in my hand aside and wiggling my stiff back loose.
My father hasn’t patronized the Tap since I started working here. Before I moved back, he and I would come each time I visited from Charleston, but after I joined the staff, he’s been protesting this place. Not officially, but I’m not that clueless.
I know my father too well, and he’s definitely not here for shits and giggles tonight.
This can’t be good .
“Hi, sweetie!” My mother bounces out of her seat to give me a firm hug.
Behind her, my father keeps his attention on the menu, and the only greeting he offers is a grunt.
“I didn’t know you two were coming in tonight. What’s going on?” I ask cautiously as Mom returns to her seat.
She pats my dad’s hand. “We haven’t been out to dinner together in ages. Plus, your father has something to talk to you about, so we figured we could do both here.”
“Great,” I say, but it comes out as more of a question.
My mother clears her throat and tilts her head toward me. Clearly, it’s for my father’s benefit. What is going on here?
It’s like I’m in some kind of twilight zone.
“Why don’t we step outside to talk, son?” My father hoists himself out of his seat, and I signal for Matilda to assist my mother.
When she approaches, I thank her and promise to be right back.
Outside, we’re greeted by crickets and a blanket of stars scattered across the night sky. The occasional firefly blinks, and a few giggling couples enter the building while I pace in front of my father.
He doesn’t speak for what feels like an eternity.
“What’s going on, Dad?” I finally ask, impatient to learn what this fuss is all about.
“I guess, I’d like to… apologize to you.”
My back stiffens again, and I pause a couple of feet away from him. Did I hear him correctly?
“I’ve been hard on you over the last year, and it’s been unfair,” he says slowly, and it’s obvious that these words are excruciating for him. “I’ve always wanted you and your brother to follow in my footsteps—for both of you to take over my firm once I retire. It’s been hard for me to accept that probably won’t happen, but that’s a problem for me to deal with. I shouldn’t have put that weight on you.”
I lift a brow. This seems too good to be true.
We don’t speak for a full minute as I wade through the words I’ve waited so long to hear from him.
Two more cars pull into the parking lot, jarring me out of my trance, and with a lump in my throat, I say, “I appreciate that, Dad.”
He nods, and the tight lines of his mouth set into a deep frown.
As he shifts to head back inside, I stop him. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t quit the firm to spite you or anything like that. It just wasn’t right for me.”
He swallows and nods again.
We don’t share anything else as I follow him back inside, but what he said was enough.
“Everything okay?” My mother’s hopeful eyes land on me, and they stay there as I come to a stop next to her.
She’s clearly the one who put Dad up to this, but it doesn’t make his apology mean any less. Even if he only offered me one to appease her, I still find it big of him. He’s not exactly keen on doing other people favors, so this means a lot.
“Everything’s great,” I say as I lean against the edge of their table and take their dinner order.
Behind the bar, I put their meals into the computer with a lightness in my chest. Ever since Ivy left last week, I’ve been sulking around here with a weight on my shoulders the size of a boulder.
Sure, things in my life aren’t perfect, but tonight gives me a touch of hope.
“Can I get a gin and tonic with a lime, please? Tanqueray.”
At the syrupy sound of the Southern accent I’ve come to know so well, my spine straightens.
“I’d also like a napkin, so I can wipe down this filthy bar. The bartender around here must be slacking tonight,” she says playfully, and my lips curl into a grin.
Immediate relief floods my entire body. It’s instinct.
I turn and bask in the sight of Ivy perched onto the same barstool she sat on the first night she rolled into town.
So much has changed since then, especially my feelings for her. They’ve grown stronger, and now that she’s here, I might have the chance to finally tell her.
A squeal from behind me makes us both jolt.
“I’m so glad you’re back. Oh my gosh!” Scarlett smacks my shoulder. “I know this guy’s glad too. He’s been moping around here like someone ran over his foot. Seriously, it’s been?—”
“Okay!” I cut her off. “I think Lisa at table five is ready for a refill.”
“This Thursday night crew is going to be the end of me,” Scarlett mumbles and tucks her notepad into the pocket of her apron. “Do either of you know what a diaphragm is? One of those dirty ladies made what I think was a joke about one, but I haven’t the slightest idea what she was going on about.”
“I’ll explain when you’re older,” I say, using every ounce of strength to hold back my laughter.
Ivy twiddles her thumbs on the “filthy bar” and shifts on her stool, a ghost of a smile touching her pink lips. “Can we talk somewhere in private?” she asks.
“I have a break in five minutes.” I tap the bar with my knuckles and tamp down my ridiculous excitement. Then I float to the other end to check on Joe and Petey, whose husky chuckles I interrupt with two more beers.
“The pretty lady’s back, huh?” Petey waves over my shoulder.
Joe leans in. “You going to keep her around, or what?”
“That’s the plan,” I say. “If you two rascals would give me a break, I could make good on that plan.”
“Go, go,” they shoo me away.
Laughing, I stalk back toward Ivy and tilt my head toward the back for her to follow me.
Outside, the crickets still chirp, and more fireflies dance in the dark. I was just out here for one difficult conversation, and now I’m here for another. I just hope this one goes well too.
Ivy slings her purse over her shoulder, then slides her palms over the skirt of her flowy sundress. The urge to kiss her makes my blood hot, but she wants to talk.
We’re out here to talk , not make out like we did the night we met.
Before I even knew her real name.
“I’m sorry I bolted out of here without a word,” she says. “I really appreciate you reaching out to check on me and my family.”
“Of course.” I stuff my hands into my pockets in order to restrain them from reaching out. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened. Annabelle didn’t say much, but I’m sure it’s been very difficult for you.”
“It has been a challenge. My father is a bit stubborn.” Her soft laugh tugs on my fucking heart. “He’s doing well, though. He’s back home, and although he needs to rest, he spends most of his time trying to figure out ways to do the opposite. Just yesterday, he decided he needed to replace all the light bulbs in the house.”
I chuckle, imagining a scene where Ivy scolds him and hides the light bulbs in a coat closet. “Sounds like something my father would do.”
She drops her arms to both of her sides and sways toward me. “Listen, Cole…”
Fuck . Is she going to end things? She’s going to end things. We live over two hundred miles apart. Have I been the dumbest and most na?ve jackass to believe we could become anything more than a fling?
“The last couple of weeks have been incredible .” She exhales on the last word.
“For me too,” I manage around the nervous emotions clogging my throat.
As she bites her bottom lip, my patience wears thin. I can’t take this torture of whatever limbo we’re stuck in right now. I need to do something—and fast.
I snap and lunge toward her to swallow the distance between us. Cupping the back of her head, I slant my mouth over hers and kiss her until we’re both panting. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she breathes. “So damn much.”
“I know this is crazy. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but it’s enough for me to know I’m falling in love with you,” I rasp and use my thumbs to caress the rosy balls of her cheeks.
“Love?” she whispers and searches my expression.
“Love, baby.” My lips twitch.
Her sharp inhale cuts between us, and she melts against me.
“Call it a crush or infatuation. Call it whatever you like, but I call it love,” I assert. “I spent most of my life thinking I was meant to be a lawyer, but there was a part of me that knew it wasn’t right. I chose to ignore it. I won’t make the same mistake with you. When it comes to my feelings for you, there’s no part of me whispering that this isn’t real. Because it is real for me.”
She licks her lips and fists my shirt in both hands, burying herself in my embrace. “Cole Rivers, I never saw you coming. I never knew how lovely and fun a relationship could be until I met you. Before you, I always thought I had to act and look a certain way to be loved, but you…” She gulps. “I can be myself with you, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. It’s why I’m falling in love with you too.”
I capture her mouth with mine again, kissing her even more deeply than before, until I nearly knock her over.
My shoulders finally relax, and each breath I take becomes easier the longer she’s in my arms.
Applause sounds to our side and pulls us apart.
What appears to be the entire crowd from inside the bar now stands in the parking lot, cheering for us like we’ve just put on a play for half the town.
Ivy buries her face in my chest, and I wave to them. “Thank you, everyone,” I call out with a smile. “Okay, that’s great. Thank you. All right,” I continue, but the cheers only grow louder.
My mother breaks away from the nosy pack and rushes toward us faster than I’ve ever seen her move. The woman was complaining about her bad hip yesterday, but she seems fine now.
She’s unbelievable, and I can’t help but grin.
“You must be Ivy.” Mom squeezes Ivy’s hands and tugs her away from me. “You must join us for dinner, so we can hear all about you. Getting details out of my hardheaded son is like pulling teeth, but now that you’re here, you can do it for him!”
Shaking my head, I follow the women, along with the rest of the crowd, inside.
During the remainder of my shift, I steal glances toward my parents and Ivy, who don’t stop talking and laughing for two hours. Ivy even gets my father to crack a real, genuine smile.
She’s something else.
And I’m a lucky, lucky bastard to have been the one to serve her that first gin and tonic all those nights ago.
The sight of her was all it took to know there was something special about her, but I didn’t know just how right I was.
She’s turned my damn world upside down.