“That’s the idea,” I said, opening the Candy Bar’s doors and turning on lights. “Let’s get some coffee going, put out some cans of soda and bottled water so people can help themselves. What else can we offer?”
“Bar snacks,” Susie said. “You have a nice selection of chips and nuts. And I stopped at the store and bought a tray of cheese and crackers, with apple slices. I can also make popcorn, if you’d like?”
“No, skip the popcorn. It’ll probably only take a few minutes to organize teams, and we don’t want this to turn into a social hour.”
One by one the people drifted in. I recognized the barber down a few streets—the girl from the hair salon where I had my last cut. A young lady from a bakery where I’d buy specialty pastries or Billy’s birthday cakes. A banker from around the corner, where I’d opened my first account. On and on it went—one face after another that I knew by sight, but not by name. After all these years, we had a reason to connect, to share more than our names and addresses, but also information.
They streamed in faster than I could count. Obviously the word had spread. By their hearty handshakes and enthusiastic smiles, I could see they were as eager as I was to do something positive and fight back against neighborhood crime.
“Welcome, neighbors. Thank you for coming.” I glanced around and nodded at every familiar face. “I’m delighted to see such a huge presence here, and know that you all feel as strongly as I do. Please make your way to the counter and sign the petition. The more signatures we have; the better response we’ll get from law enforcement.”
Susie waved them forward. “I have the sign-up sheet. Grab a place in line and come see me.”
Fran used her good lungs to be heard over the mumbling crowd. “While you’re waiting, help yourself to a soda and bar snacks.”
Jake raised his hands. “I’m the bartender. Some of you might have seen me here a time or two.” He grinned. “Once we get our work done today, the first drink will be on me.”
A few people cheered and clapped, but others remained stoic, wearing worried expressions. They were here to do business and not have a good time. I made my way through the crowd—introducing myself to those I didn’t know—taking their cards, asking a few questions.
I raised my voice once again. “Everyone—I’m going to set up an unofficial worksheet, and I’d like for you all to take a moment, think about your skill sets and how you can help. Some of you may be more comfortable behind the scenes, others are more hands-on-people. Everyone is a valued member here, and within a few weeks we should be able to figure out where we can best utilize our resources.”
I heard more mumbling, and saw a few people move back toward the door. I knew they were wondering why’d they’d come—curiosity perhaps? I didn’t know and I didn’t care. I needed to keep them here.
I took off my straw hat and waved it in the air. “One more thing. If you have any ideas or suggestions as to what issues we feel are important, write them down. Doesn’t matter if your issue is different from your neighbors. It’s important if it matters to you. So write it down. Think big. Your involvement is crucial to our success.”
“Here ye, here ye,” someone yelled, and raised a can of soda in the air.
I smiled and gentled my voice. “We are all here because we love our neighborhood and want to combat the crime element trying to destroy what we’ve built. We’re not going to let them. Our strength is our number and our commitment. Let’s restore Hibiscus Street to the picture perfect place we once loved.”
Jake slid up to me and whispered, “You ever think about going into politics?”
I laughed. “Not on your life. Now you…” I smiled, “would make an excellent candidate. Mayor…or a house representative?” I tilted my head and studied his good looks. “I know—Governor! You could have me over for dinner in your mansion,” I joked.
Jake shook his head. “No politics for me—I’m not a good enough liar.” He winked. “Just your playboy bartender, right?”
“You’re my right-hand-man, and I couldn’t do without you.”
“Be careful. With remarks like that, I might think you mean it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
It took the better part of an hour, but the people seemed to sort themselves out naturally into groups. The businessmen had their heads together and I knew I could depend on them for making strong decisions about important issues, and hopefully figure out some solutions as well.
Cheryl—the lady from the hair salon—left to make a list of her client’s numbers, and offered to give them a call. Since many were senior citizens, they’d be home a lot, and would likely be happy to keep an eye out for trouble.
I decided to stay at the bar and organize the volunteers, while Jake and several pretty young ladies took off to put fliers in windows and knock on doors.
I smiled and waved cheerily as I watched him go. Some things never changed, and Jake was a babe magnet. Willing or unwilling, Jake was practically dragged away by the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed women. They’d hooked his arms, and were giving him adoring glances as they walked away with their prize.
He tossed me a pleading glance, but I pretended not to notice. Truth is—I was grateful to the women. I needed to put some distance between Jake and myself, at least temporarily. It wasn’t right to lead him on, not when my heart belonged elsewhere.
Harrison may have walked out of my life for good, only time would tell. Regardless of his true feelings, he was still inside of me, and until he was out I had to be careful.
Jake could so easily be misled—partly because I did love him in so many ways. Many, many ways, that didn’t count.
Life could be a bitch sometimes.
The day flew by, everyone running off to do one chore or another, and I was left alone to reflect on everything that the Candy Bar meant to me.
At first it had been a way out of a life that I wanted no part off—a way to become respectable, someone that people would not turn their nose up at—a mother that Billy would not be embarrassed to introduce to his friends.
It had become all that, and so much more. It had been extremely lucrative and had given Billy and myself a chance to live in beautiful surroundings, and get out of the seedy apartment building where he’d spent his first couple of years.
It had given me pride, and comfort, a sense of belonging, and a place to call my own. There were many reasons I loved this place, but gracing the top of the list—it had given me my friends. Four women from different walks of life, with so little in common, except the fact we’d all reached out to each other in time of need, and cemented a friendship that would span a lifetime.
There’d been so many happy times here—celebrations, commiserations, sharing our joys and our sorrows.
Lydia—perhaps the strongest of us—had nearly been disbarred for sleeping with her new client’s ex-husband, then discovered she was pregnant from that one-night stand. Oh, the three of us had stood behind her as she struggled with the decision as to keep her baby or not, and when her assistant had tried to sully her name and get her fired, we’d connived a way for it to backfire.
Dear, sweet, gentle Susie, seemingly had everything a girl could want—except she hid her deep scars and debilitating low self-esteem behind glamorous outfits and her flawless face. She’d fallen in love with the one man she couldn’t have—a fire-fighter, engaged to one of my waitresses at the time. A terrible fire disfigured Brett, and the shallow fiancée had turned her back on him, and allowed Susie to run away with his affection.
Susie and Brett had walked down a make-shift aisle here at the Candy Bar and exchanged their vows. If it hadn’t been for Brett’s stag party, Fran and John would never have met.
So, we are all intermingled, somehow or other. Everything good that had happened to my dear friends had happened because of the Candy Bar, with or without its magical powers.
And for the first time in a decade, the Candy Bar’s door was closed. But not for long.
Tonight
people would come to celebrate their day’s victory. Jake and I would pour drinks and once again there would be the sound of laughter in the air.
The racketeer rats wouldn’t win this round—not by a long shot.
* * *
A few hours later the bar was filled to capacity. Jake had put a sign on the door, welcoming everyone in for a “a free happy hour” which created an opportunity to recruit more signatures from people who’d commit to the Neighborhood Watch.
By the end of the hour we had over a hundred signatures, and the place was lively with a new camaraderie—locals coming together for the first time—even though they’d been neighbors, or working in close proximity for possibly years.
Today they’d been unified by a common purpose. Even the owners of the sports bar and Dominique’s came in, adding more weight to our cause.
Drinks and conversations flowed, and it was so much like the good-old-days, that my emotions got the better of me. I wanted to hug everyone, to laugh and to cry. This had been my world for so long and it was my baby too.
“Mom?” I turned quickly, hearing my son’s voice.
“Billy! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at school.”
“I was. I dropped Katie off, but when I heard what you were doing, I had to come back.” He put his arms around me. “I couldn’t leave you to fight this alone.”
“Oh, Billy.” Now I did cry, and I let the tears run free. “You shouldn’t have come. As you can see, the whole neighborhood is getting involved. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It is. But this is my fight too. I might inherit the Candy Bar one day, if you decide not to sell.” He smiled. “Can’t believe you’d ever retire, but if you do, I could handle this place. Why do you think I got my marketing degree?”
“Are you serious? You’d want to run it?” My emotions swelled, and I looked at my son with renewed appreciation and pride.
“Damn straight. You made a hellova a good living, and I know things have been tight a little bit lately, but once this place is cleaned up, it’ll be better than ever. All that business from Ocean Drive is heading our way, and it’s going to be a goldmine.”
“Not one that I care to run,” I told him.
I knew I was grinning like a fool, but I just never thought that Billy cared about the bar the same way I did. Matter-of-fact, I’d always thought he’d resented it.
“How does Katie feel about all this? Have you told her you’d like to take over the family business?”
“I did and she’s all for it. Actually, she encouraged me to skip the couple of classes I had this week so I could come back right away. She was worried about you.”
Katie was a very sweet girl, and I did hope that the two of them would have a long and happy life together.
“Well, skipping classes was not a good idea, but I’m delighted to have you here.” I grabbed hold of his cheeks, which infuriated him a little. “You are the best son anyone could have.”
“I haven’t heard that too often,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “You always said I was a holy terror.”
“Only for about four or five good years.”
Billy laughed. “So—you gonna give me a beer?”
“How old are you? Show me some I.D. and I might.” I turned my head and held up a hand to Jake. “Pull a draft for Billy. He’s come to join the fight.”
Before Billy’s beer could arrive, I leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Did you know that Jake’s a millionaire? Or his family is.”
“No shit!”
“Surprised the heck out of all of us. He picked the girls and me up in a limousine and took us to this high-end restaurant, which his mother’s third husband owns.”
“Hmm. Wonder why he didn’t choose to work there?”
“Beats me.” I wouldn’t tell him that it was because of me. I knew he liked Jake a lot, and I didn’t want to fill his head with ideas.
“He’s in love with you, you know.”
My mouth dropped open. “Why do you say that?” I’d only found out about Jake’s feelings for me, so how could my son have known?
“It’s obvious. Always has been. You’re probably the only person who couldn’t see it.”
“He admitted this to me, only this morning. I don’t understand it. How could I have been so blind? And what about Lydia, Susie and Fran? You know how protective they are about me and each other. They’d have picked up on it.”
“Maybe not. Or they didn’t want to bring it to your attention, probably, because it would have been awkward had you known.”
“Why?” I darted a quick glance at Jake, who winked at me. He was taking his time with the beer, probably giving Billy and I time to chat. “What do you mean?”
“You never loved him back.”
My stomach clenched as I thought of how I must have hurt Jake. Had I known, would things have been different? I’d like to think so.
Maybe we’d have married, had children of our own and been a real family. Now, it was too late. I’d be selling the bar—or Billy might be the one managing it. Was he mature enough to handle all that responsibility?
My heartbeat quickened. I’d figured that once the neighborhood was safe, and when I knew for certain that the Candy Bar would remain serving up drinks and passing out magic, I could leave in peace. But with Billy running it—well, it would be stepping away but not giving up on it completely.
Billy and Jake together—keeping the Candy Bar alive and thriving. The thought put a big smile on my face.
I glanced over at “my girls,” Susie, Fran, and Lydia. They were sitting at a high-top, holding court to a group of men that were laughing, obviously dazzled by my beautiful, bright friends.
Behind their heads, toward the back of the building, I could see a fine layer of smoke rising upward. At first I thought someone was smoking, but when I looked closer, I knew that wasn’t the case.
I still wasn’t worried. Perplexed maybe, but not actually frightened.
“Billy, take a look beyond my friends. Do you see that?” I pointed in their general direction.
“Yeah—they’re having a good time—captivating the men as always.”
“No. Not them,” I said with a touch of impatience. “Smoke, rising from behind. You see it now? Where is it coming from?”
“Holy shit.” He rubbed his chin. “Should we sound the alarm?”
Jake showed up with the beer. I grabbed his arm as reality hit home. We all might be in danger. “Jake. I think we have a fire.”
I pointed and he looked. The pint of beer dropped out of his hands and landed on the hard wood floor. “Those bastards,” he snarled. “They just won’t stop, will they?”
Jumping into action, Jake ran straight for the fire alarm. His voice rose loud and clear, as he shouted to make himself heard over the din of a hundred voices. “Fire. Everyone out!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Panic seized me. If these mobsters—or whoever the hell they were—had torched the place, we could all die. This was an old building, and it was filled to capacity. I’d never worried about the fire exits before, but now I glanced around as people rushed toward them.
Already they were tripping over each other, in a mad dash for safety.
Billy remained rooted to the spot, so I gave him a shove. “Get out!” I screamed, and pushed again. He stood his ground, a stubborn look to his face.
Oh, why in heaven did I have to have a stubborn kid who had never—after the age of ten—obeyed his mother? I knew that look all too well, and the more I insisted, the more he’d dig in his heels. Darn fool kid.
“You got a fire extinguisher in this place?” he shouted at me.
“Get out! Are you crazy? There’s too many people.” I shoved at his chest, desperate now. “You have to go. Please, Billy. Now.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he hissed. “I’m staying with Jake. We’ll try to contain the fire until the trucks get here.” He had a wild look in his eyes. “You need to get th
e people out.”
“Get your ass moving and stop trying to be a hero.” I was in his face—so angry and scared I couldn’t think straight. “Last thing I need right now is to worry about you.”
The girls rushed toward me and grabbed me by the arms. “Come on. We have to go.”
I fought to get their hands off me, but their grip only tightened. “No,” I cried as tears ran down my cheeks. “I can’t.” I struggled, but couldn’t shake them. “Go…go! Please?” I pleaded.
“We’re not leaving you,” Fran said with a determined scowl on her face. “If you don’t go—neither do we.”
“I’ll join you in a minute.” I gave a reassuring nod. “After I make sure everyone’s out.”
“You’re coming now.” Lydia, who’s darn near six feet tall, grabbed me by my waist, half-lifting me off the ground. She carried me along as we joined the throng of people fighting to clear the exit.
“Where’s the damn fire department?” I muttered, smelling the smoke, seeing it spread up the walls. If they didn’t get here soon, how many people would be trapped inside?
I glanced behind me trying to see Billy and to find Jake in the crowd, but too many people blocked my vision. I was swept further away and couldn’t fight my way back if I tried.
“Billy’s back there,” I shouted frantically. I looked into Susie’s sympathetic face. “I can’t leave him.” Tears filled my eyes. “You know that.”
“He’ll be fine,” Susie whispered, as her eyes grew moist. “We can’t let you stay.” She continued to push me forward, and clung to Fran so they wouldn’t get separated.
“I hate you guys,” I yelled, and tried to break free from Lydia’s firm grip. Her arm still encircled my waist like a rubber band, not giving any relief.
“I know, honey,” she said calmly. “But I’d hate myself more if anything happened to you.”
I took several deep breaths, trying to get a grip on my terror. My flailing around was not doing any good. It only caused my friends more distress and I was wearing myself out.
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