Closing Time

by E. L. Todd

  That was understandable. “Do you have any names for the baby?”

  “Actually…” Sean folded his cards on the table. “Yes.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Skye.”

  Cortland smiled. “I like it. It’s cute.”

  Flynn agreed. “Pretty.”

  “Pretty for a pretty girl,” I said. “Skye.” I kept imagining my niece and I couldn’t hold back my excitement. I was thrilled to be an uncle. When Scarlet lost the first baby, I took it pretty hard. My sister was too good of a person to go through heartache like that.

  “I can’t wait until she gets here,” Sean said. “Seeing Mike with Trinity makes me jealous.”

  “Except when he wears that damn satchel,” Cortland said with a laugh.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Sean asked. “He wears that around the office?”

  “And to meetings,” Cortland added.

  Sean laughed. “God, he must look like such a dork.”

  “The girls swoon over him even more.” Cortland rolled his eyes. “If only Cassandra knew…”

  Flynn laughed. “It’s impossible to keep the girls away.”

  I remembered what Flynn told me last week. “Wait. Did you propose?” I can’t believe I forgot about it.

  His face fell in sadness. “Yes and no…”

  Cortland’s face was contorted in shock. “She said no?”

  “No. I didn’t get a chance to finish asking her.” Flynn threw his chips into the pile. “That piece of shit ex of hers showed up right in the middle of it.”

  “So what did you do?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” he snapped. “I couldn’t keep going like nothing happened. That’s not how I wanted to propose to her. I didn’t bring it up and neither did she.”

  Sean cringed. “That sucks, man…”

  “Fucking blows,” Flynn said with a sigh.

  “What are you going to do now?” Cortland asked.

  Flynn shrugged. “I’ll ask her again but now she’s expecting it. I’ll have to do it in a way where she’ll have no idea.”

  “Hmm…” That was a toughy.

  We played a few rounds, and Sean won the pile. Since it was my bachelor party, all the money I bet was returned to me. It was a silent rule we developed. When it was around one in the morning, I was done. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Me too,” Cortland said.

  Sean called Scarlet and checked on her—for the eighth time.

  “Dude, she’s fine,” Flynn snapped. “Let her sleep.”

  Sean glared at him. “Mind your own business.”

  “He’s sensitive about this topic,” I said. “Just let him be.”

  “Apparently,” Flynn said sarcastically.

  We left the table in the center of the room then retired to bed. I got the master bedroom because it was my party. When my head hit the pillow, I pulled out my phone and texted Janice.

  Night.

  Night.

  I was used to saying good night to her before bed. It felt weird not to do it now. I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly, thinking about how lucky I was. When I came home, Janice would still be there, whereas most women wouldn’t.

  I was up at four in the morning, ready to catch the fish. The morning was the best time to put your line in the water. Of course, all the guys were dead asleep.

  “Wake up, assholes.” I shook Flynn until he stumbled off the couch.

  “Fuck the fish,” Flynn said as he rubbed his eyes.

  I moved to Cortland next and slapped his cheek. “Up.”

  He groaned then sat up. “It’s still dark.”

  “The sun will be here in a few minutes.”

  He ran his fingers through his messy hair then sat up, his eyes still half-closed.

  Sean was the only one who was awake.

  “Wow. I thought I’d have to drag you out of bed.”

  “Nope.” He stood up then looked at his phone.

  Now I knew why he was awake. “Worried?”

  “I’ll never stop worrying.”

  “Dude, if you want to go back it’s not a big deal. I totally understand.”

  He shoved his phone into his pocket. “No. I want to be here, man. I’m sorry for being rude.”

  “You weren’t being rude. I know how much you love my sister.”

  “I do.” He put on his baseball cap then walked out.

  We packed the boat then shoveled off. It was dead silent. There were no ripples on the lake, and no one was in sight. We were alone, just us and nature. It reminded me of my childhood. My dad died far too young, but I remembered him as vividly as I remembered Janice’s face every time I went to bed.

  He took me to the lake every year, teaching me to fish. It was something only he and I did. Scarlet stayed home with Mom and we talked about life and sports. Sometimes we didn’t say anything at all.

  Every one knew how to fish but Cortland, but that wasn’t surprising to me. I showed him the reel and how to cast a line. He picked it up pretty quickly.

  When Sean cast his line, the pole started to drag. “Wow, I caught one already.”

  “No,” That was impossible. “Your line is caught on something.”

  “No.” He stood up, excited. He reeled in the line until it emerged from the water. It was a batch of moss.

  We all laughed.

  “That’s a nice fish you got there,” Flynn said sarcastically.

  Sean pulled everything off then sighed. “Fishing is harder than it looks.”

  My line got a nibble so I reeled it in slowly. “I got a small one.”

  “You probably got moss too,” Sean said.

  “Nope.” I fished enough to understand exactly what was on my line. I pulled out the small fish and it flopped around. “That’s how you do it, boys.” I put the fish in the cooler then prepared my hook again.

  “Show off,” Cortland muttered.

  “My dad is the best fisher I know. He does the Connecticut competition every year. He’s won five years in a row,” Sean said.

  I smirked. “Well, your dad and I should have a go.”

  He smiled. “He would love that. I’ll tell him next time I see him. Mike and I were never very good at it. Actually, my mom is better than both of us combined.”

  “How is your mom?” Cortland asked.

  “Good. My dad scheduled the surgery after Scarlet has the baby,” Sean said. “She has this stupid fear that she’s going to die or lose her memory permanently. She wants to meet Skye first.”

  “I understand why she’s scared,” I said. “Surgery is never easy.”

  “Yeah,” Sean said. “But I know she’ll be okay. My dad always makes good decisions. He wouldn’t put her in a situation unless he knew she’d be okay.”

  Hearing him talk about his dad in such high regard made me miss my own. Would he be proud of me? Would he love Janice as much as I did? Did he know my mom would act the way she does?

  I didn’t like thinking about it. I stared across the water and listened to the distant sound of nats. The water was blue and clear. I could see the fish at the bottom. It reminded me of summer evenings on the lake in Washington. My dad showed a side to himself that Scarlet never got to see. It was one of the few things I didn’t share with her. He read to her every night before bed. That was their thing. But he took me fishing on most weekends.

  But he was gone. I always had to be strong for my sister, but there were times, like now, when I felt hollow and empty. As much as I hated to admit it, I missed him. I missed having someone around who would take care of me if I needed them too. Now all I had was Scarlet.

  “You okay, man?” Cortland clapped my shoulder.

  My thoughts were shattered. My best friend could read me better than anyone, except Janice. He was in tune to my emotions. I understood him in the same way.

  Then I realized something.

  I wasn’t alone. I had a family who would do anything for me. Only Scarlet was related to me by blood, but these guys
were my brothers. If I ever needed anything, they would be there, just like they always were. “I really appreciate you coming out here with me.”

  “Of course, man.” Sean reeled his line in and caught more moss.

  No one laughed, knowing I wasn’t in a humorous place. “My dad used to take me fishing all the time.”

  “That’s what Scarlet told me,” Sean said. “She used to come along?”

  “When she was little,” I explained. “But when she got older it was just me and my dad. It was our thing.”

  The guys stared at me but kept their thoughts to themselves.

  “I guess this is the only connection I have to him…now that he’s gone.”

  Cortland watched me closely. “But we’re still here.”

  I smiled. “I know. Having you guys in my life really makes me feel better. I felt alone for a long time, but now that we’ve built this…family…for the first time I can say I’m okay.”

  “We love you.” Cortland clapped my shoulder.

  “Yeah, we do,” Flynn added.

  “Thanks,” I said quietly.

  We continued to fish.

  “Okay. Now let’s crank up the fun.” Sean opened the cooler and tossed beers at us. “Let’s get wasted and fish.”

  “You’re only saying that because you suck at it,” Cortland jabbed.

  Sean rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

  And like that, the depression was gone. We enjoyed each other’s company and caught all the fish we would eat for dinner. I had a hard life, but now everything was perfect. It made me realize just how lucky I was—really lucky.

  “Shit, this is gross.” Flynn was gutting the fish and doing a terrible job of it.

  “You aren’t doing it right,” I said.

  “Either way, it’s gross,” Flynn snapped.

  “Can’t we just cook them the way they are?” Sean asked.

  “No one taught you how to prepare a fish?” I asked incredulously.

  “Sorry, I was too busy going to college and running a company,” Sean barked.

  “And I’m more fascinated by search engines and software than real life experiences,” Cortland said.

  “I’m a writer,” Flynn said. “Not a hunter.”

  I rolled my eyes and showed them again. Eventually, we grilled the meat and the house stunk of fish.

  “As soon as I get home, Scarlet is going to smell me and hurl,” Sean said.

  “I’m sure she does that anyway,” I jabbed.

  Cortland laughed then dealt the cards.

  I was so glad we didn’t head to a strip club or do something I’d regret later. Even though Janice and I hadn’t tied the knot yet, I still considered myself to be a married man. Going to a strip club was disrespectful to Janice, even if she didn’t care. That wasn’t how I wanted to start my marriage. Plus, Cortland and Sean were married. It would be a little weird for them to go. Fishing was exactly what I wanted, just the guys hanging out and playing poker. Besides, I wasn’t twenty-five anymore. If I wasn’t in bed by midnight, I was grouchy.

  It was our last night together and we were all pretty exhausted. None of the guys liked waking up at four in the morning, which was understandable. I was just too excited to sleep.

  “So, what were you so insecure about?” Cortland asked.

  I knew this would come up eventually. “Janice is just too good for me.”

  “How?” Sean asked. “It’s not like she’s a debutante.”

  “She went to college and I never did. She’s better looking than I am. She works for a prestigious publishing company and I ink for a living…the list goes on.”

  “But all of that is irrelevant,” Flynn said. “And you knew that from the beginning.”

  “Yeah…” There was another reason.

  “What are we missing?” Cortland asked.

  Damn, that guy could read me like an open book. “I just…don’t come from a good family.”

  “I still don’t see why that matters,” Sean said. “I love Scarlet for who she is, not because her mother is a piece of shit.”

  I never told Sean about my mom. But she hadn’t bothered me in awhile so I assumed the worst was over. “My mom…kept coming around and I didn’t want Janice to get sucked into that…that was the main reason.”

  Sean looked like he might faint. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Don’t tell Scarlet.”

  He looked angrier than I’d ever seen him. “Ryan, tell me what happened.”

  I probably shouldn’t have brought this up now. Damn. “She called me a while ago and asked for some money. When I refused, she came to the shop and harassed me again.”

  Sean dropped his beer on the floor and stood up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because it wasn’t necessary.” I raised my voice. “I didn’t want to stress out my sister, and I knew my mom wasn’t going to bug her because she would have done it already.”

  “You still should have told me!” Spit flew out of his mouth while he screamed. “My wife is all alone and that psycho bitch could just show up at any second?”

  “That was the case whether this happened or not,” I argued. “I care about my sister very much. If I thought my mom was a threat, I would have said something.”

  “Well, I’m her husband and you aren’t!” His eyes were about to fall out. “You had no right to keep that from me. I don’t trust that despicable excuse for a human being, and I never would have left her alone if I knew your mom was still in New York.”

  ‘This was months—”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Sean stepped back then gripped his skull. “I have to leave. She shouldn’t be alone right now.”

  I stood up. “Sean, she’s fine. My mom won’t ask her for money. She already took a lot from you and she knows she won’t get anymore.”

  “Until she gets really desperate.” His jaw was tight and his fists were clenched.

  “Sean, calm down,” Cortland said. “Even if her mom comes to the house, Scarlet can handle it.”

  “No!” He threw his beer against the wall. “I don’t want that crazy bitch anywhere near my wife or my unborn baby. It’s completely unacceptable that you didn’t tell me. Fuck you, Ryan.”

  Wow…he was too far gone to be argued with.

  “I’m leaving.” Sean grabbed his bag while he made a call. “Mike? Go get Scarlet and bring her back to your house.” He paused. “Just fucking do it. Drag her by the hair if you have to.” He hung up then stormed out the door.

  I stayed rooted to the spot, unsure what to do. Even though my sister was a married adult, I was still protective of her as much as I always was. If I thought Scarlet needed to know, I would have told her. There was no point in getting her stressed out over nothing.

  Unfortunately, my brother-in-law didn’t see it that way.

  Cortland patted my back. “He’ll come around.”

  “I know,” I said. “I just wish he understood that I was doing what’s best for her.”

  “He will,” Cortland said firmly. “Eventually.”

  13

  Scarlet

  Sean checked on me every hour the entire weekend. Every time I looked at my phone, he was asking if I was okay.

  Super annoying.

  I humored him and said I was okay, over and over. I’d done nothing for the past two days other than sit and eat. I grabbed one of the baby books Sean brought home and read to Skye. But after a while, I got bored. I missed Sean and wished he were home.

  I wanted to stay with Mike and Cassandra so I could spend time with my niece, but I didn’t want to interrupt this wonderful time. She was only a few weeks old, and I knew Mike and Cassandra wanted to hog her.

  That was okay. I would do the same when my daughter got here.

  There was nothing on TV and I already ate everything in the house, so I went upstairs to my office. I was still running my editing company, but I was taking less and less books. I was too tired most of the time, and I was slowly w
eaning off until my daughter got here. I wanted to spend all of my time with her, so the books could wait.

  I checked my email then surfed the Internet. Even though Sean annoyed me like crazy, I missed him when he wasn’t around. He was my best friend and the only person who entertained me at all times. We could sit on the couch and talk for hours even though we’ve known each other for so long. We always had something new to discuss.

  In the middle of reading an article about changing diapers, the alarm to the house went off. The alarm buzzed loudly in the halls and every room. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Someone either opened a door or window, and it clearly wasn’t me. Mike always knocked. He never barged in.

  My heart thudded so loud in my ears I could barely hear the alarm. My hands shook as the panic set in. Was someone robbing us? What should I do? The police would come because of the alarm, so I didn’t need to call them.

  Mike. I needed to call Mike.

  When I reached for my phone, I realized I left it downstairs next to my bowl of eaten popcorn.

  Fuck.

  Sean. Sean had an alarm on his phone. He would know if someone was coming into the house, and knowing him, crazy and psycho, he would call Mike himself.

  Okay. It was going to be okay. I just needed to stay calm.

  Breathe, Scarlet. Breathe. You’ll be fine.

  I stood up and headed to the doorway. I peeked around the corner and looked down the stairs, but I didn’t see anyone.

  Maybe it was a false alarm. Maybe a rock hit the window from a passing semi. Or maybe a bird collided against the glass. Maybe there was no one at all. Or what if there was someone but they took off when they heard the alarm? All the logical scenarios indicated I was safe.

  I stepped into the hallway then looked down the stairs. No one was there.

  I listened for a long time, the alarm still echoing through the house. If someone was in the house, they weren’t moving. I waited for another minute but nothing happened. Then I made my way down the stairs, my eyes still peeled.

  “Turn off the alarm.”

  I froze, recognizing the sound of the voice. My heart moved into my stomach, suddenly making me feel sick. Fear washed over me. She was right behind me.