The Neighborhood Series (The Neighborhoood)

by Tarrah Anders

  “Hey, it’s Wyatt,” I reply to her hesitant greeting.

  “Oh shit! I was thinking it was another damn telemarketer. I mean, I get that they are just doing their job and shit, but no one wants whatever the hell they’re selling! How are you? You at grandpa’s?” she rushes out.

  “Yeah, got here yesterday,” I say, sitting down at the small table and running my hand through my hair. “Getting settled in and all.”

  “How is everything? I did what I could around the house so that way when you came, it would be livable.”

  “Thank you. It’s a lot better than where I’ve been,” I say, knowing that I don’t need to elaborate to her.

  We talk for a good while, and she makes a promise to come and visit.

  When we hang up, I look around the space and go in search of the laptop that she said she left for me. I purchase new clothes, an e-reader for entertainment, and some household items then park my ass in front of the television for a few hours.

  Once I get bored of the mundane, I look over at the time and decide that I should venture out into Mercy.

  The Neighborhood Bar seems to be the mecca of where the town of Mercy hang out. For a Wednesday night, the place is packed. I pull up a seat at the bar and notice a guy other than Noah tending to the madness. He’s running back and forth between the back counter of the bar and filling up pint glasses. He glances over to me, gives the universal motion for one moment, and continues on with mixing drinks.

  A few moments later, I’m approached by the woman from the other night, who introduced herself as Rhi.

  “Wyatt! You starting work tonight?” she asks.

  “No, not for another few days. Just here to hang out tonight,” I reply with a smile.

  “Cool. My fiancé, Luke, is sitting over here. C’mon, I’ll introduce you. New friends are always an added bonus to moving to a new town.” She grabs my forearm and pulls me in the direction of the back of the bar.

  “Rhi! Quit hassling the customers!” the bartender yells at her as she just waves him off.

  We come to stand in front of one of the booths at the back of the bar, a man sits with his laptop and his beer. He’s immersed in whatever is on the screen and doesn’t notice us until Rhi pushes me into the booth seat across from him, and she scoots in next to him. His arm automatically goes around her shoulder, and he pulls her in to kiss her temple. She smiles and then clears her throat, with his gaze barely straying from the screen.

  “Luke, we have company.” She pushes at him.

  “Hey man,” he says, looking up at me.

  “Luke, this is Wyatt. Wyatt, my fiancé, Luke. He’s the doctor in town. And Noah just hired Wyatt to work here,” she explains.

  Luke holds out his hand. “Nice to meet you, man.”

  “Likewise,” I reply, shaking firmly.

  “Okay, I need to get back to work. You two have fun.” She stands up out of the booth and then turns back. “Whaddareya drinkin’?” she asks me.

  As soon as she sashays away, Luke looks over at me.

  “Any idea why she wanted us to meet?” I ask him.

  “Rhiannon wants everyone to be friends. Since I’m the newest to town, before you came, that is, and I work a lot, outside of the folks that work here, I haven’t really made friends with too many people. So, I imagine that she’s playing matchmaker.”

  “But for dudes,” I say, just as Rhi sets my beer in front of me.

  “I wanted you, Wyatt, to feel welcome. And I wanted Luke to maybe have a new friend that could talk him into not working for a night,” Rhi says while walking away.

  “Anything to do in this town?”

  “Not at all, the best thing would be to go to Hollybrooke for a night out, but that’s a forty-five-minute drive. I’ve been contemplating a project that would add to Mercy, but I wanted to figure out the logistics before bringing it to the chamber of commerce. Plus, trying to find the time and manpower.”

  “Well, I have nothing but time on my hands, and I would rather be busy than not,” I say.

  “Rhi says that you’re going to be working here? What are you planning on doing?” Luke asks.

  “Noah needs a busser and dishwasher. I figure I might as well take what I can get, until something else comes along.” I shrug.

  “Cool, cool. Okay, so, I need an unbiased opinion. You look like you’re good with your hands, so maybe you’re just the guy!” Luke turns the laptop sitting in front of him around.

  On the screen, several realty listings are shown.

  “Why am I looking at commercial real estate listings?” I ask.

  “Because, I’m looking to invest in something more here in Mercy. If I’m going to live here, raise a family here and shit, I want a little something more here for folks to do.”

  “So, what are you trying to do?” I ask.

  “I don’t know, like a rec center or something.”

  “Okay, are there a lot of kids here?” I ask.

  “There’s a good amount, but I think it also helps the economy of Mercy, to have multigenerational businesses, and that’s important too, at least for the future of this town.”

  “You know that Mercy is small, right?” I scroll through a few listings.

  “I do.” Luke nods.

  I turn the computer back to him and smile.

  “I like this one; I think it has a good-sized main space, if I’m looking at the photos correctly, and there’s green space out back for shit.”

  Luke clicks through the photos and nods. “I think this was one of my top three that I was liking too. Thanks, man, for the reassurance. Do you have any experience with kids?” Luke asks me.

  “I was one once. But other than that, no. I’m an ex-con now, though, so I doubt that any parents want me by their kids, you know, being a bad influence and all. Plus, all my tats don’t offer up a wholesome boy, ya know.”

  “I guess, but that’s being close minded, there are some progressive folk around here.” He shrugs. “There’s also some old timey type folks that lived here, you know – the ones who are set in their ways, and it’s hard to get them up to speed with how shit is nowadays.”

  At that moment, a leggy blonde walks up to our table and slides into the booth beside me. She has shoulder length, wavy, blonde hair, fresh and youthful rosy cheeks with a beautiful smile. I feel like time has stopped.

  She’s breath-taking.

  She pushes her purse between us and looks back and forth between Luke and me.

  “Hey fellas,” she says eagerly.

  “Maggie, what can we do for you?” Luke asks.

  “Well, I may have overheard you guys talking about commercial properties from the booth over, and well, being that I’m the only real estate agent here in town, I reckon that I’m your gal.” She smiles proudly. “I don’t think I know you. Hi, Maggie Sinclair.” She offers her hand to me.

  “Wyatt.” I take her hand in mine and smile back at her.

  “You look like you would be a lot of fun, are you new in town? Passing through?” she asks with a tilt to her head.

  “I just moved to town. My grandfather left his home to my sister and me, and I needed a place, so here I am,” I reply.

  “Grandfather’s place, eh? You wouldn’t be talking about The Holmes House, would ya?”

  “I am.” I nod, realizing just how damn small this town is.

  “So then, does that make you Wyatt Holmes?” she asks.

  “That would be me,” I nod.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Closing time comes, and I stand out on the sidewalk with Luke and Rhiannon looking at the store front he showed me on the website. I shake my head and am trying to figure out how he would pull off his plan. He spoke about me being ‘his man’ because he had his family practice to run. But I was a complete stranger to him, and unsure of how he could be so trusting.

  “Are you guys going to be BFFs? Because that would be fun!” Rhi exclaims.

  “We’re discussing business type shit; don’t
start planning anything, Rhi,”

  “Are you looking at this empty place because you want to make it un-empty?” she asks.

  “Remember that crazy idea that I had about another business and talking to Noah? I’m getting an unbiased opinion, and Wyatt here is my guy,”

  “Your guy?” She looks confused.

  “He’s here to help me, Rhi,” Luke further explains.

  “Told ya, you guys are going to be BFFs!” Rhi claps.

  Luke shows up at my door the following morning with his laptop and thick files under his right arm. He walks into the house and looks around. He puts his laptop on the coffee table, takes a seat on the couch, and looks up to me.

  “What are you doing here, man?” I ask him with confusion, crossing my arms over my bare chest.

  “When I get a thought in my head, and it looks viable, I want to act on it right away. So, this morning the both of us are meeting with Maggie, and we’re going to figure this shit out.” Luke smiles.

  “I’m still not completely sure what the hell that you want me to do. Did you talk to Noah yet?” I ask him, knowing that was an important step.

  “Noah is going to meet with us before we meet with the realtor.”

  “Any why is it important that I’m involved?” I ask looking around the space and then retreating to my bedroom to grab a shirt. I stride back out into the living room and take a seat on the couch.

  “I need you to give it to me straight, to be real with me. Use your gut instincts. Not to harp on your past or anything, but I’m pretty fucking sure that you had to make snap decisions while on the inside. I also would want your help in other areas.”

  “I did what I could to keep to myself. I avoided confrontations and just counted the days to my release, but I’m not sure what I can really help you with, man,” I reply quietly.

  “Fair enough. Can I then ask you to be like an advisor?”

  “And what would I be advising on?”

  “Reality. If I’m jumping the line, you tell me. I tend to get these huge ideas and want to jump on them. I don’t notice how others are perceiving, can you help me with that?”

  “That’s it? Seems like you don’t need me in this meeting with Noah. We could just grab some drinks later and talk?”

  “No, man, I need your observations. Noah is a business man, and I’m a doctor with too many ideas and not enough of me to go around. If Noah gives me the what for and I’m not getting it, you can just give me an indication to shut the fuck up or something.”

  “So, I’m an enforcer. Dude, just because I’m tatted up, doesn’t mean that I’m violent,” I say, standing to my full height.

  “I know that, you know that, and Noah knows that. I’m not street smart, I’m book smart. Help me out a little here, just this once?” Luke pleads. “If I get ahead of myself, give me some sort of code word to tone it down?”

  Noah knocks on my door and after letting him in, I take a seat on the chair across from Luke as Noah sits beside him.

  With a confused look, Noah looks between Luke and me.

  “I wasn’t expecting an early morning phone call and to be coming over here this morning. But I’m here now, and let’s talk about why that is.” Noah holds out his hands palms up.

  “Hear me out man. Mercy is a small ass town. There’s nothing to do here aside from go to your bar. It’s an awesome joint, but what if it could be more awesome?”

  “More awesome?” Noah questions.

  “The store beside the bar is vacant. I want to put an entertainment zone in there and see if you would want to open up the Neighborhood and make it more?” Luke says eagerly.

  “An entertainment zone?” Noah asks.

  “Like pool tables, some dart boards or some other type of bar like activities. I love the Neighborhood as it is. I think the people of Mercy need more.”

  “And you want to tear down some walls, to open up the two spaces to one another?” Noah looks between us. “What does Wyatt have to do with any of this?”

  “I know that you just hired Wyatt, but my plan was that there could be a door or something that would open up into the Neighborhood for the bar and food, but Wyatt would run the entertainment part. At least off the top of my head, that’s where I’m leaning.”

  This is news to me.

  “Muskrat!” I cough into my hand.

  Luke looks at me and smiles.

  What the fuck is he talking about?

  Noah looks between Luke and myself. I’m stunned, to say the least, as I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen, but here I am sitting in my living room with two men that I didn’t know a week ago, but I have a feeling that they will be huge figures in my life moving forward.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Luke, Noah and I are standing in front of the vacant shop waiting for the hot real estate agent, Maggie, to show up and let us into the space to look around.

  Noah isn’t completely on board with opening up space between the bar and this storefront, but he’s not totally shutting down the idea either.

  A dark blue Honda Accord pulls up beside the curb just off to the side of the location.

  “Oh good, Maggie’s here,” Luke says just as the bombshell steps out of the driver’s side of the vehicle. She’s dressed professionally in a form fitting floral dress and matching heels that make her legs look like they go on for miles. My mouth has gone dry, and I’m blinking repeatedly to make sure that I’m not imagining her.

  Damn.

  I cough into a closed fist, avert my eyes to the side, and do what I can to compose myself. She comes to stand in front of us, and as she looks each of us over, she nods with a smile.

  “You guys ready to see your new business location?” she asks eagerly.

  “Maggie, calm down, we’re just here to see if this is a viable and practical choice,” Noah says.

  “Noah Baker, we’re going to pretend that we do not know one another, you got that?” She points her red polished finger at him with a scowl.

  “Whoa, bad blood?” Luke looks to Noah.

  “I’ll fill you in later,” Noah replies under his breath.

  “Well then, let’s get you guys into this place, shall we?” she unlocks the door and then steps inside.

  We spend about an hour looking at every little nook and cranny that the store front offers. We ask Maggie questions, and she answers them with professional skill. Once Luke and Noah deem that the appointment is finished, we all head outside.

  Maggie and I keep catching one another’s eye as Luke and Noah converse, both being the odd ones out. I’m still unsure of what I have to do with any of this business deal, but I still hang around, just in case it becomes clear.

  “So, Wyatt, how’s it going?” Maggie asks standing beside me.

  “It’s going well, and you?” I ask.

  “So, you hang out at The Neighborhood?” she asks.

  “What makes you say that?” I ask her with confusion in my tone.

  “Well, you’re hanging out with Noah, and he owns the place. You must be a trusted friend or something to be along for the ride of a business deal?” She tilts her head in question.

  “To be honest, I haven’t a clue as to the reasoning that I’m here,” I reply.

  She smiles at that.

  “Maybe I’ll see you at The Neighborhood, say tonight around eight-ish?” she says quietly.

  Wait, did she just ask me out?

  I look around me, just in case she’s talking to someone else, but Luke and Noah are still standing a few feet away from us, and it’s just her and me.

  “Well, I think I can clear my schedule,” I reply as a wide smile breaks out on her face.

  “Alright, sorry to ignore you two,” Luke says, turning around to Maggie and me. “Maggie, are there any other investors looking into this property?”

  Her attention breaks from me, and she returns to business mode. I tune their conversation out and my mind is reeling with the fact that I’m meeting up with Maggie later at t
he bar.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  I walk into the bar, expecting it to be packed full of the town of Mercy, only to walk into a mostly quiet space. I pull a bar stool out and perch on it at the bar. Noah nods his head over to me and finishes up with his current customer before placing a pale ale beer in front of me.

  “Try this,” he tells me.

  “What is it?” I question.

  “It’s from a new brewery that wants to start distributing. I met one of the brewers the last time I was in the city, and he actually remembered to send me a couple cases of his stuff.”

  I take a small sip and contemplate the flavors.

  “Well, what do you think?” he asks.

  “Why are you asking me, do you not have taste buds?”

  “Of course, man, but I don’t like pale ales. I would be a shit tester. I like dank ass beer and fruity drinks.”

  People in this town are quite interesting.

  “Man of many talents!” the man at the other end of the bar says, holding up his glass.

  “Don’t mind him, that’s Lewis. He’s a good guy; he’s one of our regulars.”

  “Good times. Well, it’s a sour beer, that’s for sure. It doesn’t really leave much of an after taste, and I like that,” I reply.

  “What flavors do you taste?” he asks.

  “It tastes like, like, it tastes like I’m getting ready to roast some s’mores.” I snap my fingers.

  “Oh, I like that. That could be a good descriptor for it. I’ve got like four cases of this shit, and my customers aren’t big on changing their beverages of choice,” Noah says. “Creatures of habit and all.”

  Noah dips a few pint glasses into the sink and begins to wash them. He rinses and sets them aside on the drying rack then returns his attention to me by placing a menu in front of me.

  “So, what do you think of this thing Luke wants to do?”

  “I see the appeal of it. You’ve got a bunch of people with kids here, and those kids don’t have any shit to do. So, I get it. And Luke’s about to become a dad, so I’m sure he’s looking out for the future of this town. I get it.”