When we were finally finished, Stephanie and I headed over to her parents’ house. They lived in the same place they did when we were little girls and played together in the tree house in the backyard. Both rushed out to hug me as soon as I got out of the car. They were like a second set of parents to me, and I was happy to get a chance to see them.
“I’m so glad you got here safely,” Melanie said.
“Do you need any help unloading?” George asked.
I smiled and shook my head. “No, thank you. Stephanie and I managed to get the truck unloaded before we came over here. I haven’t unpacked anything, yet. But just having everything in the apartment feels like a victory.”
“Well, come on in and help me finish dinner. You look like you could use a good meal and some relaxation.”
“I’m not going to argue that,” I said.
Stephanie and I spent the evening with her parents eating dinner and reminiscing over old times. I would have stayed longer, but the walls of boxes filling up the rooms of my apartment loomed over me. I needed to at least get the basics unpacked so I could settle in. Like I told Stephanie, I didn’t know how long I was going to be in Astoria. I came back to help my mother take care of my father while he recovered, and none of us knew how long that might be. It would be best if I was settled in as soon as possible so I could really focus on what needed to be done here.
As soon as we got back to the apartment, Stephanie surprised me by pulling an overnight bag out of the trunk along with a small cooler.
“Up for an old-fashioned sleepover?” she asked.
“Absolutely. What’s in the cooler?”
We got inside, and she propped the cooler on the one corner of the dining area table that was visible. Popping the lid, she revealed a bottle of wine, cheese, and chocolate.
“Maybe not so old-fashioned,” she said.
I laughed and directed her to the kitchen boxes so she could find the wine opener and glasses. We drank and laughed as we unpacked. It was much easier going through the overwhelming process of organizing and settling in with my best friend there to do it with me. We were having a blast until Stephanie dropped the question I’d been waiting and dreading to hear.
“Does Mason know you’re back?”
My heart gave a hard pound in my chest, and I shook my head. My lips pressed hard together, I focused on organizing my books in the shelf in front of me.
“I don’t really want to talk about him,” I said.
Thankfully, Stephanie took the hint and dropped it.
2
Mason
It was a pretty bad look for the bar when my brothers and I nearly outnumbered the actual customers. The only other people there were a couple of old guys sitting on the stools and scattered at the few tables. They were the town drunks, known for coming in and nursing drinks from opening until close. These were the type of people who woke up still a little bit alcohol soaked from the night before and immediately got going again. When their families tired of them drinking at home, or the lack of having a family at home got to them enough, they made their way here to the bar.
The Hollow was like another home for them. But maybe not in the heartwarming way that sounded. More like they just wandered in already three sheets to the wind and draped themselves over whatever seat they made it to. A beer or two filled up the hours from the time the door opened until I locked it behind them in the wee hours of the morning. It wasn’t unheard of for one of us to have to call in the police to give a regular customer a nudge out of the bar if they didn’t sober up over the course of the evening. Sometimes they got a ride to a cozy barred room for the night.
Too bad the cops weren’t allowed to drink while they were on the job. We could use the extra customers.
It had been a long time since we had a busy weekend. Hell, it had been a while since we’d had a truly busy night. The bar used to be a favorite place in Astoria. Every night people packed into the space and stayed until we shut it down. Drinks, food, a theme night every now and then. It was hopping and fulfilled the dream my brothers and I had from the time we were kids and started talking about having our own bar. Then something changed.
During the good times, the bar seemed like it really would be our saving grace. We’d talked about having a bar when we were young, but none of us ever took the steps to make that happen. We just kind of drifted around in life finding other things, looking for our own paths. Jordan left to serve in the military. Tom went to San Francisco and started up a tech company. It was like the family shattered.
But then our world really did come down around us.
Our father’s diagnosis with cancer right before Tom moved away was a hard blow. It came out of nowhere, but he wouldn’t let us stop our lives because of it. He practically threw Tom onto the train that transported him to San Francisco. The oldest of the brothers, Tom, tried to change his mind about leaving and said it was his responsibility to be there to take care of our father. But Dad wouldn’t hear anything of it. That wasn’t his job. Tom’s job was to go find his own life and do what made him happy. According to Dad, our parents had given of themselves and everything they had to raise their brood of boys. Giving it all up would put all that to waste.
It was enough to convince Tom to leave. He did exactly what our father told him to do and built the company he’d envisioned for years. None of us had any idea how important that company would be in just a matter of months. When our mother was diagnosed with cancer while our father was still fighting, it felt like everything was falling apart. They couldn’t work and needed so much care. It was overwhelming and frightening in a way I had never experienced.
That’s when The Hollow came into our lives. We didn’t have the luxury of just being upset, worried, and afraid. That wasn’t an option. We needed to stop thinking about ourselves, step up, and take care of our parents. Tom gave us the ability to do that when he bought us the bar.
I had to admit it was a bit of a shock when he told us. We were used to him checking in every couple of days and sending care packages, but that day, the video chat took an unexpected turn. All-but-instant millionaire or not, Tom couldn’t be expected to take on the responsibility of caring for all of us and our parents on his own. The rest of the brothers still in Astoria had jobs, but nothing particularly lucrative, and definitely not flexible. We didn’t have the option of just taking off if there was an emergency or adjusting our schedules to be there when our parents needed us.
The bar was going to give us that, Tom said. We could run it as we saw fit. That meant controlling our own schedules and bringing in a steady income without having to rely on someone else. He bought the bar, gave us enough money to get started, and we were on our way.
And also on our own. That was the day Tom decided all this was too much for him. He couldn’t cope with the stress or bear the emotional pain that came from it all. He needed to focus on himself and his life in San Francisco. We all tried to say we understood, especially when he promised he would stay in touch and visit, but in reality, none of us did. We all thought he was being cowardly and tossing our parents aside.
Some of that still lingered. We missed him and were mad at him at the same time. It wasn’t a comfortable state to be in.
But neither was trying to figure out how to deal with the bar. It wasn’t like we were completely going under. Fortunately, Jesse had the foresight to suggest we didn’t just run The Hollow as a neighborhood bar. That would be a primary draw, of course, but we needed to offer something else. Our lunch service and dinner in the evenings proved popular. A once-a-month brunch gave another boost of income that helped to compensate for the dwindling crowds coming in at night. Customers coming to eat kept the place afloat and enough income flowing in. But it also left the four of us exhausted.
As a cost-cutting measure, we kept to a minimum staff. It meant we didn’t have to pay a bunch of people and could keep more of the profits for ourselves. It also meant we were running ourselves into the ground. That
was the message on our brother Matt’s face when he came into the bar and let out a deep sigh before dropping down onto the barstool beside me.
“Has it been like this all night?” he asked.
“Pretty much,” I confirmed. “Dinner was pretty good tonight, though.”
“So, does that mean I can leave?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Don’t even think about it. It’s just us on staff tonight. We have to handle the kitchen, the bar, the front of the house, and management. We need all hands on deck even if it doesn’t get busy.”
Matt let out another sigh and sagged against the stool. If it wasn’t so frustrating, the dramatic response would be funny.
“We need to hire a bartender,” Jesse said. “We’re overworked as it is, and if we can get this place busy again, we’re not going to be able to handle it totally on our own.”
“We’re never going to get it busy again if it’s just us,” Tyler said. “All of us are scrambling just to handle the basic stuff around here. We can’t do anything to bring in more crowds.”
I nodded in agreement. “Having a dedicated bartender certainly would help things. I’ve been looking over the books the last few days, and it seems like we have just enough cash to do it.”
“Then let’s do it,” Jesse said. “The longer we wait, the more nights like this we’re going to have.”
The door opened and a small group walked in. I nodded toward them. “Jesse, you take care of them. Do we still have anything left from dinner service?”
“Some,” he said. “But I can make it work if they want any of it. And the bar menu is available.”
“Perfect. Tyler, hop behind the bar. Be ready for drink orders.”
I made my way into the office at the back of the space and woke my computer screen up. The idea of adding a bartender had been floating around for a couple weeks now. After the last conversation I had with Jesse about the possibility, I put together a draft of a job advertisement. Now I pulled it up and went over it. When it was polished and ready, I went to a local job site to post it.
As I was putting up the post, the door to the office opened and Matt came in. He had the same sagging look on his face and leaned back against the wall.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.
“I have no social life,” he said. “I see the three of you more than I see anyone else. Do you know when my last date was?”
“No,” I said.
“Neither do I. That’s the problem.”
“It will be fine. We’ll get someone soon, and then all of us can relax a little. I’m sure plenty of people are looking for a job,” I said.
“But will they want to work here?”
“Sure they will. Locals know the value of this place. And there are new people showing up all the time.”
There was a brief pause, and I noticed Matt shifting around. “I think I saw Ava earlier.”
The statement hit me like a punch in the gut. “What do you mean think you saw Ava?”
“At the post office. I went to mail the care package to Afghanistan for Jordan, and she was there,” Matt said.
“Are you sure it was her?” I asked.
“I mean, I’m not one hundred percent positive. I didn’t talk to her or anything. But it looked exactly like her. She was pulling out as I was pulling in, so we were right there next to each other.” He hesitated again. “Have you talked to her recently?”
I shook my head. “Not since before she left.”
The conversation dropped, and Matt walked out of the office. I finished posting the job, and just as I was getting ready to walk out of the office, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number. It was Jordan. He didn’t get to call often, so I snatched it up. We chatted for a few minutes, and I did what I always did, trying to stay as perky and positive as I could for him. I figured no matter what we were going through here, it was nothing compared to what he was dealing with over there. He didn’t need the added stress of worrying about us.
“It’s mostly quiet,” he said. “Not a lot going on recently. Which is a good thing. But it’s hot. And stressful.”
“I’m sure. But, hey, you get out soon!”
Jordan gave a short laugh. “Yes, I do. And I can’t wait to be home.”
“We can’t wait to have you home.”
I was glad to hear from my brother. We didn’t hear from him nearly as much as we would like to. There was always that lingering feeling of worry and fear about him. Even when he wasn’t in active combat and nothing serious had happened around his area, we worried. Service was extremely important to him, and he was devoted to it, but we all couldn’t wait for him to finally get out and come home.
As if talking about adding extra help had somehow summoned more customers, the bar picked up as the night went on. It got a little busier than average, which was good. But it still wasn’t the crowds we were hoping for. The busy phase of the bar was short-lived when we very first opened, and now we were trying to find ways to get back to that point. It would mean more work, but that would be worth it. Besides, the busier we were, the more money we were bringing in, and the bigger staff we could hire. It would all work out.
“Any responses to that job posting yet?” Matt asked a few hours into the shift as he carried a bus bucket full of dirty dishes and glasses into the kitchen.
I laughed. “Not yet. Are you already complaining about actually having business?”
“Just keeping up with the news.”
“If we can get up to these crowds and bigger, we’ll definitely need the help,” Tyler said from the grill. “I wish Tom would come back and help.”
I let out a sigh and nodded. “Maybe he will one day.”
Get the book HERE
A Note from the Author
Thank for you taking the time to read my latest release.
I hope you loved reading my story, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
It would mean the world to me if you could take some time to leave a quick review for this book. Reviews allow me to understand how my readers truly feel, and they keep me improving to be better.
I appreciate you supporting me, thank you so much.
- Natasha L. Black
Books by Natasha L. Black
Freeman Brother Series
Millionaire Boss
Millionaire Daddy
Millionaire Crush
Millionaire Hero
* * *
Forbidden Lovers Series:
Billionaire Boss
Date Your Brother’s Best Friend
Falling for my Enemy
Forbidden Crush
Damaged
Complete box set below:
Forbidden Lovers: A Contemporary Romance Collection
* * *
Secret Daddies Series
His Secret Baby
CEO’s Secret Baby
Boss's Secret Baby for Christmas
Daddy’s Secret Baby
My Ex’s Secret Baby
Bad Boy’s Secret Baby
Complete box set below:
Secret Daddies: A Contemporary Romance Box Set
* * *
Alpha Male Collection:
Forbidden Daddy
Redemption
Protecting Her
Saving Sky
Protecting Sasha
Complete box set here: Men in Charge
* * *
Reverse Harem/Ménage Collection:
Double Dirty
The Cabin
Double Trouble
Training the Rookie
Cuffed to my Roomies
Complete box set here: One Lucky Girl
* * *
Fake Marriage Collection:
Pretend You’re Mine
Pretend I’m Yours
Let’s Pretend
Faking It
Complete box set here: Playing Pretend
* * *
Other stories you may enjoy:
Back To You
Brother’s Best Friend
Forbidden Protector
Sweet Tooth
Connect with Natasha L. Black
Natasha L. Black is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Dreaming and fantasizing ever since she was a young teenager, her love of writing flourished from a very early age. After working for 15 years as a veterinarian, she now follows her passion in writing for a living. She currently resides in a lovely country home in a rural area of Dallas, writing steamy novels to fulfill her readers' desires.
* * *
Want to contact me? Please e-mail me at: [email protected]
Follow me on Bookbub, Goodreads, AMZN, and Facebook by clicking the icons below!
Taboo Boss: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 24