by J. Sterling
“We’re good,” Sofia said as she swayed back and forth, rocking Hope.
“I have to go make some more drinks. You don’t want anything, do you?”
She shook her head, and then her eyes widened. “Wait! Can I get a Diet Coke?”
“You can get anything you want.”
Her voice turned playful. “Well, in that case . . .”
I cocked a brow in her direction, baiting her to finish that sentence. When she didn’t, I sighed and headed back to the bar to mix a few more drinks.
After filling the tray four more times, I decided to take a break. As I was behind the bar washing some of the glasses we’d used tonight, Nick gestured for me to meet him in the back room, where the cake was waiting in a small refrigerator.
“What’s up?” I dried my hands and tucked the towel into my back pocket where it seemed to live during shifts.
He blew out a long, dramatic breath. “This is it.”
“Nervous?” I asked as he spun the combination lock on the safe and pulled down the handle.
The sound of the lock disengaging echoed in the small room, and the door creaked open as he reached inside. After pulling out the black ring box, he flipped it open, making sure the pear-shaped diamond still sat inside. It did. Of course it did. It had been sitting there for forever.
“I’m excited more than anything, but yeah, I’m a little nervous.” Nick smiled at the ring, then closed the box and tucked it into his pocket. “What was I thinking, planning to propose in front of everyone we know?”
I shook my head, debating whether I should answer him honestly or give him some brotherly advice. “You were thinking that you wanted to make one last good memory here. And you wanted to do it in front of everyone who cares about you and Jess. This is a good thing, Nick. It’s going to be amazing.”
He nodded, his gaze bouncing everywhere but meeting mine. “Yeah. You’re right. Okay.” He turned to walk out of the room, but I stopped him.
“Bro, the cake.”
“Shit.” He stopped and turned back toward the fridge, and I laughed. I’d never seen him so flustered. It was amusing.
“You good?” I asked, and he nodded.
I left him unsupervised, deciding that if he didn’t emerge from the office in less than five minutes, I’d go back in and get him. But Nick walked out a moment later, the cake topped with unlit candles in his hands.
I jogged into the office to be sure he hadn’t taken the ring out of his pocket and left it behind. It would ruin his whole plan if he had. Scanning the room and finding no ring box in sight, I hustled back out into the bar, not wanting to miss a moment.
Finding Sofia, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her against me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She snuggled into me as I reached for my cell phone and aimed it toward Nick and Jess, zooming the camera in closer.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking confused.
“Just pay attention,” I whispered, and her mouth dropped open.
“Is he? Oh my gosh, Ryan, is he going to propose? How could you keep this from me?” Her voice rose, and as a few people turned to look at us, I gave her a look that begged her to be quiet.
“Nick will kill me if we ruin this,” I whispered to her. “Just watch.”
I focused my attention and my camera phone back on Nick as the final candle on the cake was lit. Our parents stood next to Jess’s, fully aware of what was about to happen.
Nick had asked Jess’s dad for permission to marry his daughter over a year ago, but recently asked him again to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind. Jess’s dad had pretended like he wasn’t sure, and Nick told me later how he’d freaked out and wondered what the hell he’d do if her dad didn’t give his blessing again. Thankfully, he said yes, but warned Nick to hurry up already, because none of us were getting any younger.
After an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday” was sung by everyone in the bar, Nick held up a hand for everyone to be quiet. Turning to Jess, he said, “Close your eyes and make a wish. It won’t come true if you don’t close your eyes first.”
Jess smiled up at him and did what he asked.
The moment her eyes closed, my little brother pulled the ring box from his pocket and dropped to one knee. Sofia gasped softly next to me, but I refused to look at her, terrified I’d mess up the filming. Nick would never forgive me if my video turned into shots of Sofia’s feet instead of his proposal.
Jess’s eyes opened as she leaned over to blow out the candles, but she must have caught sight of Nick. Instead of blowing them out, she gasped with surprise.
“You made me ruin my wish,” she choked out, her voice tight with emotion.
Laughter erupted as Nick said, “By all means, babe, blow them out first. I’ll just wait here.”
More laughter as Nick stayed on bended knee, and Jess blew out the candles quicker than I’d ever seen anyone do it.
As the room quieted, she focused her attention back on him. “What are you doing?”
“I let you go once,” Nick said, “and it was the biggest mistake of my life. I knew it then, and I know it now. I’ll never forget what not having you in my life felt like. I never want to know that feeling again. And if you’ll do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife, I’ll never have to. I love you more than anything, Jess. Say yes. Say you’ll be mine for the rest of time.”
She nodded, tears streaming down her face, and he stood. She threw herself into Nick’s arms and buried her head in his shoulder, then answered his question between peppering kisses all over his face.
“Yes. Of course yes. Always yes.”
“Yes?” he asked, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
“Yes!” she shouted.
Nick released her and slid the ring on her finger, then she attacked him with kisses again.
Everyone in the room dabbed at their eyes, wiping away happy tears. Frank and Claudia were wrapped in each other’s arms, and I pulled Sofia to my side so tightly, I thought she might complain, but she didn’t.
I stopped recording and faced her. “How do you think Matson is going to take this news?”
She pondered the question, spotting her son as he made his way toward us. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
“Hey, buddy,” I said as he walked over and stood between us. “Are you okay?”
“I’m happy they’re getting married, but . . .” Matson stopped and took in a deep breath, then let it out in an exaggerated sigh.
“But what?” Sofia asked.
I reached for Hope so she could give her attention to our boy. Tucking Hope into my arms, I started rocking the same way Sofia always seemed to do without thinking.
“Does that mean I can’t ever marry Jess?”
Matson was so serious, it almost broke my heart, and Sofia looked up at me for help.
“You’re going to find your own girl to marry someday,” I said, but it seemed like little consolation.
“I don’t want to find another girl.” His expression clouded as he folded his arms and stared at the floor.
Sofia reached for his chin and tipped it up, then pulled him into a hug. “I know you don’t. But one day you will. Jess will always be your favorite aunt. Okay?”
“I guess,” he said sadly as he wriggled out of her arms.
I wanted to help, but wasn’t sure how. “You like Nick, right?”
“Not right now,” he answered honestly, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, well, you usually like Nick, don’t you?”
He nodded and shrugged his shoulders simultaneously, still looking down.
“And you want your uncle Nick to be happy, right?”
Matson stayed quiet, and just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, a small yeah came out.
“Jess makes Nick happy,” I said gently, trying to explain, but afraid I was totally blowing it.
“She makes me happy too. So maybe we can both marry
her?”
Matson’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and before either Sofia or I could stop him, he turned and ran off, headed straight for Nick and Jess.
Sofia looked at me with a worried expression. “I should probably take him home and put Hope to bed.” She reached for the baby and took her gently from my arms.
“I need to clean up and stay for a little while longer. You sure you want to leave without me?”
“I never want to leave without you, Ryan. But I’m exhausted.”
I pulled her close and kissed her as passionately as I could with our baby girl between us. “I’ll see you at home. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She rose up on tiptoe to kiss me again, then blew out a long breath. “Here goes nothing.”
She headed toward Matson, who was animatedly discussing something with Nick. I could only imagine what was coming out of that kid’s mouth.
Eavesdropping Old Man
Ryan
Once we’d closed the bar and only a few friends and family were left, I gathered up the last of the cocktail glasses. As I was washing them in the sink behind the bar, both Frank and Nick joined me to help dry and hang them up.
“Uh, thanks for whatever that was with Matson, bro,” Nick said, and I pretended like I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Huh?”
“The kid is in love with my girl. He said that the only fair thing is if we share her. We both get to marry her, and she lives with each of us off and on throughout the week,” Nick explained, and I burst out laughing.
“At least he had a plan,” Frank said, sounding impressed. “Nice proposal, by the way. You did good.”
“Thanks. And thanks for getting the whole thing on video, Ryan.”
“Of course. She was surprised, yeah? Didn’t see it coming?”
A wicked grin crept across Nick’s face. “She had no idea.”
“That’s the best,” I said as I kept washing. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I realized we had a little over forty minutes until we reopened to the public.
“Think he’ll show up tomorrow?” Nick reached for a clean glass from my hand and started drying it.
“He’ll definitely show up. Unless he died,” Frank said with a shrug.
“Think he’ll come alone again?” Nick asked, and I realized that it hadn’t even occurred to me that he might come with backup.
Nerves tied my stomach in knots. “Do we have a plan? What if he shows up with the whole damn mob or something.” I had no idea what the hell we were going to do when the guy stormed back into our bar and demanded the keys to it.
Grant’s sarcastic voice broke through our otherwise hushed tones. “What are you girls carrying on about back here?”
“Nothing,” I said, hoping that would be the end of it. But this was Grant we were talking about.
He pounded a fist on the bar top, drawing unwanted attention toward us. “Boys. Get over here right now and tell me what you’re talking about. I might be able to help.”
I exchanged glances with my brothers. Nick’s eyes widened a little and Frank shrugged, so we wandered over to where Grant stood, his expression almost murderous. Frank nodded at me to speak for us.
“Some scary-ass guy came in here,” I told Grant, “saying that he owns the land the bar’s sitting on. He wants to close it and tear it down.”
Grant stayed silent for a beat, working his jaw. “What’s this fellow look like?”
“Scary,” Nick and I said in unison.
“Like mob scary?” Grant asked.
I cocked my head to the side. “What do you know about it, old man?”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Grant shook his head as a sly smile formed. It was the last thing I expected to see at a stressful time like this.
“Why are you smiling?” Frank asked, sounding as irritated as I felt.
“Because I know what the fella wants.”
When Grant didn’t say anything more, I nearly lost my temper. “Are you going to tell us what that is?” If I had to drag the information out of him by force, I would.
He put an aged hand in the air and looked down, that stupid smile still on his face. “In a second. I just can’t believe everything that old geezer said was true.”
The three of us stood there staring at him, our hearts in our throats as we waited impatiently for him to explain.
“If you’re not going to help,” Frank huffed, “I don’t have time for this.” He turned to go.
“Wait a damn minute,” Grant shouted, and a sliver of shock coursed through me as Frank complied.
Grant looked behind his shoulder to make sure no one else could hear, then waved us closer. “I used to come here a lot. Got to know Sam Jr. pretty well, long before you boys bought the place. He used to tell me all kinds of stories, but that’s what I always thought they were . . . stories that he made up. They sounded so farfetched, but I guess they weren’t.”
“I need you to start making sense, Grant, because you’re not making any,” Nick said, clearly as anxious as the rest of us.
The old man glanced over both shoulders again, seeming nervous. “He told me that an old mob boss had asked his father to hold some things for him back in the day. The mobster said he wasn’t sure when he’d come back to collect the items, but that they’d better be waiting for him when he did. Sam Sr. knew the guy was serious, so he hid the stuff for him. And Sam Jr. told me they were still right where his dad left them all those years ago. He was terrified to move them. Told me he only even looked at them once, then never looked again.”
“He didn’t tell you what the guy gave him?” I asked.
Grant shook his head. “He had no idea. He said his dad put it away and they pretended that it never existed. Only talked about it once or twice. I reckon whatever that guy gave Sam’s father is what your guy is after.”
“Wait.” Frank held a finger in the air to stop all conversation, like this was something too insane to be true. “Why would the mob be in Santa Monica? And why would he ask Sam’s father to hold something for him? It makes no sense.” Frank looked about as unconvinced as I was.
An annoyed grunt came from Grant. “Do you not know anything about Santa Monica’s history? The mob used to come here all the time. It was their getaway spot before they turned their sights on Vegas. They hung out a lot at the Georgian Hotel right down the street. There was a speakeasy in the basement that they used during Prohibition. Apparently, this particular guy knew better than to try to keep whatever he wanted hidden there. He told Sam that the Georgian was too obvious a choice, it would be found in a heartbeat, but that no one would suspect Sam’s Bar. He said they’d never even think to look for it here.”
“Until now,” I said with a huff.
“Until now.” Grant nodded. “But this is the first time anyone’s come looking, as far as I know. I didn’t believe Sam when he told me, so I didn’t ask a lot of questions.”
“Do you know where it’s hidden?” Frank’s suspicious expression was gone. I knew he now believed everything Grant was telling us.
Grant’s smile grew even wider, if that was possible. “I do.”
“The hell, old man? Get up and show us.” I glared at him, giving him a moment to move his ass before I hopped over the bar and moved it for him. Our livelihood was on the line, and I was tired of playing games.
“Do you have a safe in the office?” Grant asked, as if he didn’t know the answer.
A full-sized safe was in the back office when we bought the bar. It was way too big and we didn’t need it, but it weighed a million pounds, so we figured it was easier to keep it than to try to get rid of it or move it. Plus, it was cool as fuck to look at, and we liked it.
We filed into the office and stared at the safe like it was a brand-new addition instead of something that had been sitting here since the bar originally opened.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Grant barked.”One of you dummies open it.”
Frank shot
him an annoyed look and then spun the combination lock. He pushed the large lever down, and with a loud click that echoed in the small room, the safe door swung open. “Now what?”
We stared into the darkness, the three of us all too familiar with what lay inside. It was mostly empty at the moment, just a few important papers, some extra cash, and small boxes. We locked up the cash from the till, the credit card machine, and our business laptops inside the safe after closing each night, but that was about it.
“Sam said there was a false back.” Grant pointed toward the rear of the safe, where you couldn’t really see anything in the darkness.
“A false back?” Nick asked. “Like a fake panel that can be moved?”
I glanced around the office, convinced we were being punked. There was no way in hell this craziness was real. But then I thought about all the things we’d been through as a family, and realized that this was no more farfetched than the rest of our lives had been so far.
“Get in there, Nick, and check,” I demanded, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“Why do I have to go in? You go in,” he shot back.
Frank and I both yelled at him in unison, “Get in.”
Nick groaned but did as we asked. As he crouched into the safe between the shelving, I shined the flashlight from my cell phone into the darkness. He inspected the back wall, feeling along its edges.
“Shit,” he said, and we all craned our necks to see what he was looking at. “This moves, I think.”
With a click and a small crash, Nick turned around to face us, a black steel panel in his hands. I shined my light around his shoulders and noticed a hole chiseled in the brick wall behind the safe. It looked like something out of a prison movie, where they started to try to dig their way out.
“Holy shit,” I whispered as Nick put the panel on the floor and snatched my phone from my hand so he could see in the hole.
“That old son of a gun,” Grant said, grinning. “He wasn’t lying.”
“Is there anything in there?” Frank asked.