Deliciously Bitter (Naked Brews Book 3)

by KB Jacobs

  It wasn’t until the scene came on with the younger squads at the competition that she asked, “That’s Alex, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” I said softly. “She was even beautiful as a kid.”

  The click of my mom’s phone snagged me out of remembering how much I missed the grown-up version of Alex. “What are you doing?”

  She held the phone up toward the screen, and it clicked again. Then she began to type. “I’m sending your father a text.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “A text about what?”

  She giggled. “I thought he needed to see the depth of his son’s new love. I don’t think he quite understood what I’d been telling him about your relationship with that girl.”

  “That girl?” I began defensively. I couldn’t believe that we couldn’t make it even one hour without things escalating into a disagreement.

  She waved a hand at me. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I know you love her, but sometimes, love isn’t enough to sustain a long-term relationship.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, it was obvious that she loves you, too.”

  She loved me? This was news to me. Last I’d heard I wasn’t even a possibility for a monogamous relationship.

  “But you’re both so different. You have different goals and wants in life.”

  Since I’d just been ruminating about the fact that I had no goals, I wondered what my mom saw that I didn’t. “How do you figure?”

  “She’s all about the limelight, being seen. You have more industrious goals.”

  Wow. Mom couldn’t have read either one of us more wrong. “Actually, she has no desire to go back to Hollywood or go back to that lifestyle. She hated it. She loves her job, working behind the scenes at Naked Brews, and she’s good at it.” I shook my head as I ate a handful of popcorn. It just wasn’t the same as the popcorn from that little theater in Aspenridge. “I, on the other hand, don’t have a clue what I’m going to do now that we’ve finished the Brew Pub at Naked Brews.”

  “You could come to New York and work at CBC.”

  “Thanks, but no.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was go to work for my mom. That was why I’d joined the military in the first place. I wanted my own goals and dreams, not hers.

  I ate some more popcorn and mindlessly watched the movie play out on the screen, remembering our night at The Palace. Where would that little theater be in ten years? Would Alex still be able to take her kids to see campy movies there? While I loved my house and the renovations that had been done on it, it physically hurt to think that something like that could be done to that wonderful, history-filled theater in Aspenridge.

  Someone needed to invest in it to make sure it was still there for the future. It just needed someone to come in with a lot of money and a willingness to preserve the historic details that made it so unique.

  Someone...

  Someone...like me.

  I sat up straighter in my seat.

  Was that even a possibility? Owning the local movie theater would not be maintaining a low profile, but as I considered it, the idea didn’t sound like the worst one ever. I’d managed to go out to the movies, ride around town on my bike, and work every day at Naked Brews with very few reactions to my scars.

  I let that shocking truth soak in.

  I’d hidden myself from the world for years out of fear of a situation that had never been a reality. What else might not be a reality? Had I maybe misread some of the reactions from Alex? Could I hope?

  I could do this. My future didn’t have to involve living like a virtual hermit. It didn’t have to mean isolation and loneliness. While I couldn’t guarantee a future with Alex, if I didn’t make an effort to rectify the situation with her, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

  I had to at least try.

  If I continued to hide, I was guaranteed to miss out on the best thing to ever happen to me. In fact, I might miss out on several amazing opportunities.

  I jumped out of my seat.

  “What’s wrong?” my mom asked in alarm.

  “I need to go. I have to go back to Aspenridge.”

  For a moment her mouth dropped open, but then slowly a wide smile spread over her face, and she nodded. “Good. Tell Alex I said hi, and that I expect my grandkids to look as cute as she is in this movie.”

  I stilled, but Mom grinned down at her phone as she began typing another text to my dad, ignoring me completely.

  Well, damn. I think I’d just been maneuvered again, but this time, I couldn’t even be upset about it.

  I leaned over and bussed a kiss over the top of her head. “I love you, Mom.”

  She lifted her phone and smiled as she clicked a photo of me to send to Dad. “We love you too, Damian.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Alex

  I pressed my phone to the side of my head and covered my other ear with my hand. “Yes, thank you. Ten minutes. Got it.”

  Setting the phone down, I peeked out the brewery window. Last week, I had asked the coordinator of the city’s Fourth of July festivities to let me know when the parade was ten minutes away from the brewery. I wanted the lead-time to get everyone in place outside before the parade ended with the official grand opening of Ice’s Brew Pub.

  Little did I know, the high school band would be so loud we’d be able to hear them all the way from their starting point at the gazebo in City Park. I ignored the jab of pain in my chest at the memory of asking Damian out on our one and only date in that gazebo.

  “Are they ready?” Lake yelled to be heard over the band.

  I nodded and took one more look around the space. Lake went through her notes for the dedication speech while Walsh rubbed her shoulders to keep her relaxed. Melissa helped Anthony straighten his oversized Uncle Sam hat. The bar was stocked and polished clean with Eric standing behind it at the ready. Harlan leaned against the bar, watching Lake like a proud father.

  Everything was perfect...as long as I pretended Damian’s absence didn’t leave a giant hole—both in my heart and the ceremony.

  Of course, he should be here. Ice was his friend, and it was GSC that had made all this possible. Since the arson was still unsolved, the insurance company refused to work with us on a payment. A huge check from Ghost Squad Charities was the only reason we had anything to open.

  Him needing to be here had nothing to do with the persistent ache in my chest or the way I thought about him two to a hundred times a day. I just had to keep telling myself that.

  “All right.” I grabbed my clipboard and smoothed down my hair. “Let’s get outside.”

  The six of us filed out the door and climbed on the risers on loan from the high school choir, set up in the parking lot. Lake would be doing the talking, so the rest of us were just there as support. We all had a part in Naked Brews, but this was Lake’s big day.

  I walked by her on the way to my seat and gave her arm a squeeze. “He’d be really proud, sweetie.”

  She smiled up at me, her eyes dry and bright. “I know. Thank you.”

  The parade rolled to a stop in front of the brewery, the marching band leading the way with the mayor right behind, waving to the crowd from the back seat of a classic Mustang convertible. Mayor Murdock bounded out of the car, a bit larger than life as he strode to the makeshift stage, still waving at the crowd. The whole town had to be standing in the Naked Brews parking lot.

  “Happy Fourth of July to the sons and daughters of Aspenridge,” the mayor said.

  The crowd erupted in applause and flag waving.

  He calmed them with a raised hand. “Aspenridge has a long tradition of celebrating the birth of our nation and honoring those who make our freedom possible. Today, we stand here in front of an Aspenridge icon to pay tribute to one of those men. Lake?”

  He turned to Lake, and she rose with Walsh next to her.

  Lake adjusted the microphone and pulled up her notecards. “
Jimmy ‘Ice’ Hebert was the kind of friend that everyone wanted. He was loyal to a fault and always quick with a joke or generous word. None of us were surprised when Jimmy decided to join the military. It was part of who he was, needing to give back and defend people who needed defending.”

  Walsh took over but shook his head at the notecards. “When Ice joined my unit, he wouldn’t have been my first pick.” The crowd gave a soft laugh of approval. “He was always joking around and trying to find ways out of mess hall duty. But when you needed him, Ice was there. And when things got rough, he was the guy you wanted there most.”

  Lake turned to the next card and leaned toward the mic. “Whenever Jimmy came home on leave, he made it a point to come in and have a beer. He’d sit at the bar and catch up with whoever was there on whatever news Aspenridge had to offer. When his unit was taken out, it made sense to Naked Brews that he’d get his own beer here to carry on his memory.”

  “But as much as Ice loved Naked Brews beer, he loved this town even more.” Walsh wrapped his arm around Lake’s shoulder. “So when we were faced with some hard decisions after the fire earlier this year, the easiest one was to go bigger and better, and we knew Ice needed to be a part of that. Which is why we’re all here today.”

  Walsh stepped back, wiping at his eyes.

  Lake smiled out at the buzzing crowd. “After months of planning and hard work, we are thrilled to finally re-open Naked Brews with the launch of Ice’s Brew Pub. We hope it’s a place where more of Aspenridge’s finest can come share a story, tell a joke, and raise a glass to our fallen hero.”

  Lake stepped back, and the crowd let loose with shouts of excitement. It was obvious how much Jimmy was loved.

  We all turned to the doors where a red ribbon stretched across the opening. Lake, Walsh and the mayor all stepped off the risers, and the city manager handed him a giant pair of ceremonial scissors.

  I closed my eyes and forced a smile on my face. Damian should be here for this.

  The mayor raised a hand to quiet the crowd again. “It is my honor and privilege to cut this ribbon and welcome you all to—”

  “Wait.” A shout ran out through the quiet crowd.

  Every eye in the place turned to see who was interrupting such an important moment.

  My eyes scanned the crowd of faces until I saw his, jumping out of a cab at the edge of the parking lot.

  Damian.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Damian

  I rushed up the steps at the side of the rickety, metal stage and stopped beside the surprised mayor. “I’m sorry I’m late, Mayor. May I say a few words?”

  It took him a couple of interminable seconds before he gave me a hesitant nod. “Of course.” He handed me the microphone. “The floor is yours.”

  I closed my eyes and swallowed down the nausea threatening to end this moment before it even began. I tightened my sweaty grip on the microphone. The titillated whispers of the crowd prodded at me. I could feel the curious gazes of the crowd touching over my skin, lighting it with nerves. The way the stage was situated, they’d only seen the unmarred side of my face. To speak to them, I’d have to turn and expose my scars, expose my biggest vulnerability.

  I opened my eyes, panic pulsing below the surface of my skin with the need to run, to hide. But my gaze landed on Alex. She stood at the back of the stage, and I could see her belief in me, her indomitable confidence that I could do this.

  I could do this. I gave her a barely-there nod, acknowledging the gift she’d just given me. The gift of confidence and strength, something I sorely lacked right now. Despite the mess between us, she still believed I could do this. That was huge, and enough to get me functioning again.

  I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and turned toward the crowd. There were a few gasps of surprise when they got the full view of my face, but I ignored them as best as I could. “I’m sorry to bust in here late like this, but I hadn’t taken the parade into consideration when trying to get here. Did you all know that when you have a parade, you shut down the main street through this town?” I grimaced and a few humorous chuckles rose from the crowd. “Yeah, that was my bad.” I hoped they couldn’t hear that nervous waver in my voice.

  “I know you all are wondering who I am and what I’m doing delaying you from getting your ice-cold beer. I get it. It’s hot out here today. I just need five minutes of your time. My name is Damian. What seems a lifetime ago, I was known as Staff Sergeant Thorne, and I also served with Jimmy.”

  I gave them a weak smile as I thought back and remembered. “Jimmy was the good old boy of our group. We lived in a sandbox that made the temperatures here today seem downright frigid, but we’d be out on patrol, and he’d regale us hour after hour about how good a frosty Naked Brews beer in a bottle would taste. After a few hours of that, I could have sworn to you that I could taste those beers.”

  “Truth,” Walsh muttered behind me. He’d listened to just as many of those diatribes from Ice. While annoying at the time, the idea of an ice-cold beer had kept us walking so many times.

  “What most people don’t realize is that the day Jimmy and the rest of the boys died, we were carrying out a peaceful mission for the UN. It should have been safe. We were escorting a film crew making a documentary about the treatment of women in the Middle East.”

  A few in the crowd began to frown, wondering where I was going with this. “IEDs are a danger that every single military member in that region is aware of. Our path had been cleared less than an hour before we passed through. But someone didn’t want that film to be made, because the media is powerful, and the atrocities against women in that area are reprehensible. So, someone planted an IED with the intent of stopping our mission.”

  I closed my eyes as the memories swamped me. I got lost in the remnants of the smell of the smoke, the burned flesh, the screams of Ice and the three other guys in my MRAP as they died. I shuddered and sweat broke out across the back of my neck.

  A soft hand at the small of my back pulled me back from the nightmares. I glanced to my side.

  Alex, offering the quiet strength of her support.

  I reached to her and twined my left hand through hers. My heart swelled with her support. Everything might just work out.

  “The explosion from the IED had damaged our vehicle and mangled the armor skin plating on the outside of it. When the rocket-propelled grenade was then launched at our vehicle, we were trapped. Four men died that day. Four good men that I was lucky enough to be able to call my friends.”

  I swallowed the pain of those words. “But you know what didn’t die that day? That documentary that was getting made. In fact, it went on to win an Academy Award the next year for Best Documentary Feature. I urge you to go and rent it. The reality of our world is that there are people dying every single day because of their beliefs. I know there are a lot of differing opinions about if we should be involved and how the political mechanisms work behind the scenes.

  “I’m not here to tell you what’s wrong and what’s right. That’s not my place. The fact is, this is a democracy and that gives you the right to believe what you want. What I do know is that my four friends were just doing their job. That day, their job was to help tell the story about the innocents. They paid for that with their lives. That makes them heroes.”

  I gripped Alex’s hand tighter. “When we started Ghost Squad Charities, we wanted to honor those four guys. Ben McIntosh...Apple. Ross Perry...Katy. Jay Yates...Irish. And Jimmy Hebert...Ice. These guys gave everything to their country and for the freedom that the United States stands for.

  “A few weeks ago, I got an email requesting help with a film documenting their lives. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t even consider it, because putting a spotlight on them put a spotlight on me, and that wasn’t something I could deal with. Someone wanted to honor their heroics, and I chose to ignore it, to ignore the power of the media and what calling attention to them could do to enact change in this world. That was wr
ong of me.”

  I lifted Alex’s hand entwined with mine and kissed it. “I’ve been wrong about a lot of things lately, but I’m not going to hide from those truths anymore. So, what this long drawn-out explanation means is that coming soon to a theater near you—maybe even the one downtown if I have anything to say about it—will be a film documenting Ice’s life and ultimately his sacrifice to uphold the freedoms that we hold dear in the United States. He was a hero. I hope you’ll all lift a beer in his memory today.”

  I handed the microphone back to the mayor, ignoring the shaking of my hand.

  He nodded at me. “Thank you so much for both your service and what you’ve done here on Jimmy’s behalf. Aspenridge will never forget.” He turned to the ribbon. “I’m honored to welcome Ice’s Brew Pub as a business to Aspenridge. We’ll always remember you, Jimmy.”

  The crowd applauded, whooped, and hollered as the mayor cut the big red ribbon. In the shuffle, Alex and I got separated. Then there was a rush to get inside the new restaurant, and I knew it would be several hours before I could talk to her.

  She’d stood by me and shored me up. Was it too much to hope that was a positive sign for our future? Maybe. But since I’d had a taste of hope, I wasn’t going to let it go—let her go—without a fight.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Damian

  The Brew Pub was mass chaos. Half the town flooded the bar and tables, throwing out drink orders, and the other half stood outside, waiting for their turn to come in. My role in the festivities was now completed, but my mission was just getting started.

  From my spot in the corner, I caught a glimpse of Lake and Walsh, weaving between the packed bodies, shaking hands and handing out hugs to the people waiting ten deep to get a beer. Even with all the jostling and bumping shoulders, Walsh’s hand never left the small of Lake’s back. Melissa and Anthony helped out behind the bar, moving around each other like two satellites orbiting each other.