22. Brooks
TWENTY-TWO
Brooks
“ R un that past me one more time.” Rubbing my hands over my face as Walter sighs, I try to pull myself together.
“I don’t know how much more plainly I can say it, Brooks. You’re paid in full. Up to date. You owe me nothing.”
I growl as I lean forward and stare at him, waiting for the joke to be over.
A confused laugh slips free. “Yeah, right? Any minute now, someone named Sue from accounting is going to burst through that door and tell you she gave you the wrong account information, and my bar is in foreclosure.”
Walter looks appalled. “I don’t know anyone named Sue.”
“That’s not what?—"
“And second, I’ve known you all your life. When have you ever known me to lie?”
“Well, never, but I?—"
“I gave you the information I have. I think you’d best leave.”
I can see in the reddened way Walter’s cheeks flare that he’s probably right, so I stand and push my chair back to make my way back to the door.
“Can I at least know who paid the balance?”
Nick’s angry face comes to my mind, and I hope this wasn’t him, but where would he have gotten the funds?
Walter looks even more exasperated as he pushes his glasses up and hits a few buttons on his keyboard. “I know you won’t like this, but it says anonymous donor.”
I open my mouth to argue with him that nothing is anonymous, but Walter gives me a curt look and points toward the door that I’m still holding onto.
“I’m going, I’m going.”
When I’m outside, truck cranked, and mind whirling, I realize just who might be responsible for an act such as this. Pulling my phone out, I dial her number twice, both times locking my phone as I talk myself out of it.Finally, I gain the nerve, and I hit call.
The phone rings nearly to the voicemail before a perky Taylor answers.
“Brooksie! Didn’t expect to hear from you anytime soon. Got your head out of your ass yet?”
I’m sputtering. “Excuse me?”
“You go after my best friend and make it right yet? I know you love her. Don’t you think it’s time that she knew it, too?”
Even though Taylor can’t see me gaping like a fish, a passerby does. She tosses me a wave, and I wave back, firmly closing my mouth to stop looking like a moron.
“Hello? I know I’m in Greece, but I do have international calling. Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you. That’s not why I called.”
“Alright, out with it. Then, we’ll talk about what I want to talk about.”
I hear Spencer laughing in the background, and I don’t know how the man deals with her. He’s a fucking saint.
“Was it you?”
“Was what me, darling. You’ll have to be more specific. I do a lot in a day.”
I bet you do.
“Did you pay off what I owed the bank?”
“Yes and no.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I facilitated the transfer to settle the account, but it wasn’t my money.”
Closing my eyes, I dig deep to try to find my nerve. “Who paid it, Taylor?”
“Mmm, I don’t like your tone. I don’t think I should tell you.”
“Taylor, goddamnit!” I shout. “Sorry, I’m just…”
“Indie paid it,” she spits, and my heart skips a beat.
“Excuse me?”
“Indie paid it. I did what I could to get her on her feet and her business is booming. She wanted to ensure you, and Nick were going to make it, and she knew you’d kick my ass for paying your debt, so she and I hatched a plan. There are no take backs. She told me to tell you that.”
I smirk, despite myself. I can almost hear her snarky little ass saying it in my head.
“This is… I’ll pay her back.”
“Well, that’s the other thing. She doesn’t want it back.”
“I can’t just take her money, Taylor.”
“You didn’t. The bank did.”
“Your husband should get sainthood for dealing with you.”
“Husband,” she squeals. “Speaking of, got to go. Oh, I was supposed to tell you to fix things with Indie, so this is me saying that. Bye!”
The call cuts and I’m left with deafening silence in the truck as I stare at my phone screen.
Opening Indie’s contact, I stare at her image at the top of the contact bar longingly.
Fuck, I miss her.
I hate the way we left things.I hate that she’s not here with me.
Looking up, however, at the small town she left in her dust, I know I wouldn’t feel right dragging a girl like her back here.It’s selfish.Even if it’s the only time in my life I’ve ever wanted to put myself first.
“ R owdy crowd,” Nick says, coming into my office and shutting the noise out behind him before plopping into a chair in front of my desk.
“Typical Saturday,” I tell him without looking up from my paperwork.
With Indie’s help, I’m going to be operating in the green for the first time in forever, and it means I can order things I wasn’t able to before.
“So, we going to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” I eye him over my reading glasses I got from the Dollar Spot when I realized the letters on the pages were a tad blurry.I refuse to go to the doctor, but for the low price of a dollar twenty-five, now I can see better and stop confusing fives and S’s.
“About whatever was up your ass when you came back from the bank. How long do we have to get out?”
He says it as if he’s come to terms with the situation we were facing, but I guess when there’s no other option…
I toss my pen down. “We’re not getting out. In fact, for the first time in a long time, we might make a profit.”
“Uhh, want to explain how? You didn’t rob the fucking bank, did you? Jesus, Brooks, this is a small fucking town. Even in a ski mask, they’d know that cheap ass cologne of yours anywhere.”
I roll my eyes at him. “No, I didn’t rob the bank, you dumbass. It’s just handled.”
“Sold your soul?”
“No.”
“Your body?”
“No.”
He opens his mouth to continue, and I blurt, “Indie paid the debt off.”
He sits back, whistling. “Well, shit. That’s not what I was expecting.”
A laugh tears out of me. “You expected me to sell my body over someone paying the debt for me?”
He shrugs. “Never know these days. Times are hard. But I have to say, I’m thankful it wasn’t that. I’d hate to pull up to the Five-n-Dime and see you on your knees behind the dumpster…”
“Will you shut the fuck up?” I laugh, and his smirk deepens.
“It’s really good to see you laugh.”
His words hit me hard, and I can’t help how quickly the smile dissipates from my face.
“Yeah, well.”
“So, you’re going to go tell her thank you?”
“I… I don’t know. Seemed like she didn’t want my thanks.”
He scoffs. “You’re an idiot sometimes. You know that? Someone doesn’t do such a grand gesture of a thing and expect nothing, Brooks.”
“She said I couldn’t repay her.”
He nods. “Alright. But how are you going to thank her?”
“I don’t know.” Sitting back in my chair, I close my eyes and relive the moment the fiery redheadblew into my life like it was yesterday, and my chest tightens.
“Well, you can’t just leave her on read.”
“Leave her on read?” I ask, trying to hold back a laugh.
“It’s what the kids are saying these days. You can’t let it go unanswered.”
“She’s too big for this world. For this town. I can’t drag her back here. She doesn’t belong.”
His eyes roll. “So, go to her.”
He says it as if the answer was obvious the entire time.
“I have a life here.”
He shakes his head. “No. You have a bar here with an apartment upstairs. You don’t have a life. She could be your life. You can own a bar anywhere.”
“This was Dad’s place; I can’t sell it.”
“Whoa now, big guy. I still need somewhere to work, so maybe you could slow down.”
I grin. “You don’t want to run the bar.”
“Why not? Have you ever asked?”
I look at him, truly look at him.He’s not who he was when he got back on American soil. He’s healed and whole. His eyes are dancing with happiness. Shit, he looks fulfilled.
“You’d run this place?”
Nodding, he sits forward. “I think you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself, though.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you actually have to woo the big city girl back into your arms before you can turn your bar over to me. But, yes, I’ll watch it while you’re gone.”
“You’re a shithead, you know that?”
He stands, stretching his back out. “It’s why you love me.”
He’s gone before I can reply, and I sit back in my chair and look at her contact in my phone for the millionth time today, wondering how the hell to get back to what we were before she left.
The moments we had before the wedding were pure perfection, wrapped in everything I’ve ever wanted to hold in my hands.
How the fuck do I get her back after everything went so sour?
Closing my eyes and bracing for what’s to come, I tap Taylor’s name on my phone.
“I thought you’d never call. Are you ready to plan?”
“I’m not doing anything over the top.”
“Define over the top.”
“There will be no jumping out of cakes, writing of poems, or song lyrics. Also, I’m not jumping out of a plane. In fact, no jumping. Jumping is off limits.”
Her laugh is melodic on the other end. “Got it. You’re old, with bad knees.”
“Taylor,” I say, bringing the tone down to a more serious note again. “I’m sorry for everything before.”
“I know you are, Brooksie. It’s all behind us now. Let’s get down to business now, hm? We’ve got a redhead to win back.”
I sit forward in my chair, teetering on the very edge of it. “Hit me.”