Chapter 7
SAGE
“This is Hooky’s.” Lucia stops outside what looks like a wooden shack with loud, pounding music emanating from inside.
Painted wooden signs with different locations in different colors and a bunch of broken clay pots outside the building.
Lucia catches me looking around suspiciously, and she starts laughing. “It looks like a dump, but trust me, it’s not. Hooky’s is the dive bar for all the cool kids in town.”
“Or those of us who want to think we’re cool,” Izzy says and hooks arms with Rosie. “Trust us, it’s fun.”
Rosie’s looking at me, waiting for my decision. I don’t really want to go inside Hooky’s. It’s not the sort of place where billionaires hang out, but then again, I’m not exactly dressed to impress.
“I guess it’s fine,” I say reluctantly. “Reminds me of where we’re going to be living,” I say with a laugh as we all walk through the saloon-type door.
I feel like I’m in the Wild West, not the richest city in California. The interior is not much better than the exterior, but it’s fun inside. There’s a jukebox to the right, with flashing colors and Johnny Cash booming through the speakers.
Two guys with beers in their hands nod at us from next to the dartboard, and Lucia offers them a wave before turning to the bar, which is crowded with men and women alike, chatting, dancing, laughing, and drinking like that’s what they were made for.
“Rosie and Izzy, grab that booth in the corner,” Lucia shouts over the loud chatter and points to the side, where there’s an empty booth next to a pool table. “Sage and I will grab the drinks. It’s happy hour on well drinks. What do you girls want?”
“I’ll take a rum and Coke,” Izzy says quickly. “I need to get drunk tonight. And fast.”
“I’ll have a vodka Sprite, please,” Rosie adds, and then they head over to the booth.
Lucia and I make our way to the only empty spot at the bar. Lucia slides in and waves at an older man serving drinks, then turns to me.
“That’s Gary. He’s one of the owners, along with his wife, Patsy.
They’re originally from Ireland.” She changes her accent, but she sounds more Southern than she does Irish, and I laugh loudly.
“What? My accent sucks, huh? I guess there’s a reason I’m not in Hollywood.
” She giggles. “Are you hungry? Shall we get some appetizers to share?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I try not to think about my rapidly decreasing bank account. I have no business being here. “We can’t stay long though. We need to head out to look for some furniture and cleaning supplies for our new place later tonight.”
I shudder internally at the thought of the dump we rented. I can still see the small, dark droppings all over the floor and the dead cockroaches. The place is a dump, and I’m not looking forward to living there, but I can’t afford another night at the motel after tonight.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you hadn’t moved in yet.” Her eyes widen, and she moves forward. “Izzy and I will help you.”
“No, you don’t have to do that,” I say quickly. “We just need to clean it out and get some sort of beds and a couch.”
“We will help,” she insists. “We love shopping. Let’s grab a drink and some food, and then we can leave and get your place ready and go all night.”
“Oh, I don’t know …” My voice trails off. While I appreciate her offer, I’m embarrassed for her to see where we’re living. “It’s not really nice and likely rodent-infested and—”
“Oh, hell no. It’s a shit hole, huh?” Lucia looks shocked. “It has rats? Where are you living?”
“It’s down off of Pruitt Way and—”
“I think I know where you’re talking about. The old apartments that look like sleazy men take strippers there?”
“I guess.”
“Oh, no way. You can’t stay there.”
“We already put down a deposit and first month’s rent.” I shrug. “It was the only place we could afford. It’ll be okay.” I smile because I don’t want her feeling bad for us. “Once we have a drink and some food and then scrub all the dirt away, it will be fine.”
“No way.” Lucia shakes her head. “I have an idea. Let me get our drinks first. Vodka Sprite for you as well?”
“Yes, thanks!”
“Hey, Gary.” She leans over the bar top.
“This is my friend Sage. She’s new to town and working at Mama’s Kitchen with us.
Can I get three vodka Sprites and a rum and Coke, the happy-hour specials?
I’d also like to add some chili cheese fries, chicken tenders, and mozzarella sticks.
” She looks back at me. “Does that sound like enough for all of us? Oh, wait. Gary, go ahead and add your famous sausage rolls and scotch eggs, please.”
“That sounds like enough.” I laugh, even as my stomach rumbles. “It all sounds delicious though. How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s on Dalton.” She holds up a black credit card and grins. “I love my big brother for giving me this card.”
“Wow. To spend on whatever you want?”
“Not really. It’s for purchases for Mama’s Kitchen, but I consider this a work retreat, so technically, it’s still a business expense.”
“Oh, do you think Dalton would agree with that?” I want to ask her so many more questions about her brother, but I don’t want to seem like I’m obsessed with him. Especially since he’s my boss. And her brother. And because I’m just not that interested anyway.
“Um, do I think he would agree? Does my brother agree with me about anything is the better question. He thinks he’s the boss of my life and that I cannot exist without him.” She rolls her eyes. “I love him, but he’s infuriating.”
“Oh, wow. Is that why he and Toby’s mom broke up?” I know I’m being nosy now, but I can’t stop myself.
I’m dying to know what happened. Not only because I like the kid and I’m curious, but I’m wondering when they were together and when they broke up. Toby looked like he was four or five and obviously adorable, and it seems his mom isn’t in the picture.
And then there’s Gigi, the bitch from the bakery who tried to claim Dalton in front of me.
She was definitely not the mother, but it was clear to me that they’d had something.
And I wasn’t naive to think that all that had existed between them was a few chaste kisses, even though it did drive me a little crazy, thinking of them together.
“Toby’s mom is not in the picture.” Lucia lowers her voice and wrinkles her nose. “I can’t really talk about it, but Toby was …” She pauses. “Gary will bring us the food and the drinks. Let’s go join the girls.”
And I know with that transition, the conversation is over.
I do wonder what she was about to say. Toby was what? What is the big secret that Dalton and now Lucia are keeping? Not that it is any of my business.
And not like I am not keeping a secret of my own.
I am going to tell Rosie eventually. I don’t know how. We aren’t full sisters anymore. I know, ultimately, it won’t matter, and it won’t break our bond, but it is a big deal.
My father, whoever he is, is out there somewhere, and I didn’t even know he existed.
All I know are the facts that my mom gave me: She’d traveled with some friends to New York and met a mysterious man.
They had a one-night stand, and then he was gone by the morning.
The only thing she could remember about him was that he liked to frequent a bar called the Kettle King.
She was young and up for a good time, and she found out she was pregnant a few months later, the day after she went on her first date with my dad.
Only now I know he isn’t my birth father.
He stayed with her, and they agreed to raise me as his, but she started to feel guilty about me not knowing the truth.
I love my parents, and I know they both love me, but my upbringing never felt stable.
For some reason, I always felt unbalanced and like I had no real home.
Which we never really had. Rosie and I bounced around the world so much that the only constant we had was each other.
We couldn’t build real friendships while moving around so frequently.
And then there are the memories—all the times when our dad held Rosie a little longer, made up songs for her, showered her with kisses, called her his princess. He didn’t mean to make us feel different, but I always knew she was his favorite, and I never knew why. Now I do.
I wonder if there is a man out there who’s looking for an unknown link he doesn’t know is missing. Maybe my dad feels a sense of loss that he can’t explain. Maybe my birth dad will be ecstatic to see me. Maybe. I have to find him first.
“Hey, Sage. Sorry I couldn’t say more.” Lucia looks despondent as we make our way back to the booth. “I didn’t mean to make you go quiet or think I didn’t trust you.”
“Oh my gosh, no. Sorry. I wasn’t being quiet about that. I was thinking about life and how, even if we think we know something, it can be all wrong.”
“That sounds pretty deep.” She stops and rests her hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
Her eyes search mine, with genuine concern for me. She’s a really caring person, and I know intrinsically that she will be a friend for life.
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking. I was just thinking to myself, if we could know all there was to know about a person—inside thoughts, desires, wants—would we want to? Would we ever really want to be that deep inside of someone’s head?”
“That’s a pretty philosophical question,” Lucia continues.
We pass a group of giggling ladies, dressed in pink tutus with huge bows. I notice one of the ladies is wearing a sparkling tiara that reads Bride-to-Be, and she’s also got a huge dildo necklace hanging down the large V-cut of her dress. She looks tacky, but like she’s loving the night.
I wonder what my bachelorette party will look like.
Maybe if I find a real billionaire, it will be somewhere classy, like Paris or Florence.
That would be cool. For a moment, I picture Dalton having a bachelor party in Paris, and us meeting up near the Eiffel Tower, with him offering me a glass of champagne.
Ugh, I really need to stop thinking about him.