Chapter Nineteen
Josh
Things in the office were busy, and I had never been more grateful for it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about Reagan and what had happened, but the work certainly helped my mind from straying too far. It was a little awkward when she had brought it up in my office. Even if she hadn’t actually said the words, I knew what she had been talking about. I hoped she wasn’t upset about my nonchalance, but it was better if the two of us just acted like it didn’t happen. She was the one that didn’t want to sleep over, anyway, so I knew that she would prefer that we continued with things the way they had been before the incident. Admittedly, I was a little upset that she hadn’t wanted to sleep over, but the moment she said no, I knew that this thing between us wasn’t going to turn into a relationship. I was so lost in my work that when my phone rang I jumped up in surprise.
“Hello? Uh, Josh Maxwell speaking,” I said.
“Bulldog!”
I laughed. I hadn’t been called that nickname in a long time, and I smiled at the sound of my cousin’s voice. We hadn’t spoken in such a long time.
“Yo, Max. Good to hear from you. Hell, it’s been ages. This is a surprise.”
“I was in the area, and I thought I’d see if you were by any chance free for lunch? I do realize I’m calling you at a crazy time, but I’d love the chance to catch up with you again. If you’re too busy, I can always come in for a quick coffee or something.”
I barely had time to think at the moment, but I knew the break would do me good. I looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already lunch time.
“I just saw the time. I thought it was around ten. This morning has gone so fast. I probably need to get out the office for a bit. So yeah, lunch would be great. A man has to eat, after all. Want to meet in about half an hour? I just want to quickly finish up what I was doing, but I won’t be long.”
“Yeah, half an hour is perfect. Cool. Let’s go to Benton Burgers. I haven’t been there in ages.”
“Ah, they make the best burgers. Good idea. I haven’t been there in such a long time, either. See you there.”
My stomach grumbled at the mere thought of a burger. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until he mentioned it. I was looking forward to seeing Max again. The two of us had always gotten along well, but life was so busy that we barely saw each other. I knew it was mostly my fault. The last time we had seen each other had also been because Max had called me up and asked me out. I had promised him that I would be in touch, but I’d completely forgotten about it. I felt bad for not making the effort, but I knew he wouldn’t mind.
As I walked out the office, I saw Reagan sitting at her desk. She looked up and saw me watching, and she looked like she was going to say something but then changed her mind. I considered going up and talking to her, but I felt strange about the situation. Things had been fine between us, but that was because neither one of us had spoken about what had happened. It was probably better if we kept it that way. Also, the last thing I wanted to do was to cause suspicion in the office. A simple word or strange look between us could easily cause an uproar. I knew how quickly rumors spread in such a confined space, and we did not need a scandal on our hands. I quickly looked away and made my way out the door, and pushed all thoughts of her aside. I was grateful that Max had called. Distractions were just what I needed.
Benton Burgers was always a very popular place to go for lunch. It was situated right in the heart of the city and was surrounded by hundreds of businesses. Even though it was just one of many restaurants, it remained one of the most frequented by everyone. Nobody knew how to make burgers quite like them. The smell was the thing that greeted me first, and I moved from hungry to starving within seconds. I was grateful to see that Max was already sitting there, keeping a table for us.
“I didn’t think we’d get a table,” I said as I walked up to him.
He smiled. “I got here a little early just for that reason. I remembered how busy this place always was. I’m glad to see it’s still just as busy as before. The burgers must still be amazing then. It’s good to see you, Josh. You’re looking good. And I’m glad you didn’t take too long because the longer I sat here, the hungrier I became.”
I laughed. “I know, the smell is insane here. I’m starving. And thanks, man, you too. It always feels weird complimenting you because it feels like I’m complimenting myself. I still think you and I should’ve been brothers. I’m still certain that one day there will be this big family scandal and we’ll find out that we were brothers all along. The family hasn’t had a scandal in a long time; I think it’s about time.”
He laughed too. We were both so used to getting mistaken for one another. It had been like that ever since we were little. We looked so much alike that from a distance, we could easily be mistaken for twins. The only difference was Max was a lot more serious than me. I had always been the joker, while he did everything by the book. He worked as a detective for the narcotics division, and he said it was his job that had caused him to be so serious about everything, but I knew that he had always been this way.
“You won’t believe how many times I get mistaken for you,” he said. “I know we look similar, but it always amazes me that people actually confuse me for you.”
“Well, if we ever feel like switching jobs, we know what to do,” I said. “Although, I think I’d make a terrible cop.”
“Yeah, and I’d make a terrible senator. There’s no way I could go up there and talk in front of a crowd the way you do. You’ve done well, though, Josh. I saw the mess that you guys were all in recently, but I’ve only been hearing good things about you lately, so I think you managed to get yourself out of it. I have a good feeling about this one.”
“I hope so,” I said. “Good to hear, though. I’m starting to feel better about the situation too, and I also have a good feeling that it’s going to work out for us. It was a little scary at one stage. We all thought we were doomed. Luckily it didn’t happen right before the election because having a month to sort ourselves out has done us good. How about you? How have things been on your side? Work going well?”
“Oh, things are pretty much the same as usual on my side. Busy. You won’t believe how hectic my division is.”
“The narcotics division? Oh, I believe you.”
The waitress came around and asked us if she could get us something to eat. We ordered a burger and a cup of coffee each, and the waitress commented on how cool it was to serve such handsome brothers. We laughed and didn’t bother correcting her. I forgot how much fun it was to hang around someone that looked like me. When we were younger, we used to prank people, but we hadn’t done that in such a long time.
“So, did you hear about Uncle Paul?” he asked when the waitress was gone.
I sighed. Our uncle Paul had just recently being diagnosed with cancer. It was a horrible shock to everyone in the family because he had always been so strong. I nodded.
“Horrible. But I hear he’s doing well. Have you gone to see him?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t. I feel terrible. I’m definitely going to have to go to Arizona to see him soon.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said. “I’ve been so busy with the upcoming election, but afterward I think I should make a trip to visit him.
“Sort of crazy how life can just change all of a sudden like that. I never would have expected something like that to happen to Uncle Paul. Never. But then again, you don’t exactly get a warning for cancer. And I bet you he’s just telling everyone that he’s fine even when he’s not.”
I nodded. “Yeah. If there’s one thing the men in our family are known for, it’s keeping things to themselves,” I said and immediately thought of Reagan. I wondered if I’d feel better talking about it, but I wasn’t going to try it.
“That’s for sure. How often do you talk to everyone in the family?” he asked.
“Admittedly, not as often as I should. I am terrible at keeping in touch.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like you’re not busy. You’re one of the busiest people I know.”
“All the men in our family are busy,” I said. I was certain that all of us had been told that at least once in our lives by someone. We might have all chosen different paths in our lives, but if there was one thing that always showed us as a family, it was the way we dealt with our work.
“We’re workaholics that keep to ourselves,” he said and laughed. “Yeah, that about sums us up.”
“Do you still go to any of the motorcycle club meetings? I guess they’re kind of far away, though, eh?” I asked. “I know they often move around, but I personally haven’t been to any in a hell of a long time.”
It was strange talking about something that felt like another part of my life now. Our uncle didn’t just run a motorcycle shop, but he also ran a club, and for a while, all his sons and all the cousins were a part of it. Things had been different then, and certainly very carefree. We’d all enjoyed riding bikes back then, and while some of us had continued on that path, most of us had gone our own ways.
“No. I hear from them from time to time, and I saw they were in the newspaper recently. Some big scandal involving Ian, but you know how the media is. I doubt there was much truth to it. The guys at the club have a bad reputation for nothing. They’re all great guys who just happen to have a common interest.”
I thought of Kason and sighed. “Yeah. Trust me, if there’s one person that knows about the media blowing things out of proportion, it’s me. I always felt sorry for that club. Just because they wear dark clothes and like to ride bikes doesn’t make them bad people. Most of them are just normal members of society with real jobs and real families. It’s so frustrating.”
“I know. I used to tell people that I was a part of it once and they would look at me differently suddenly. As if I had just admitted to a crime or something.”
“Yeah. Same here. I had to tell people very early on that I’m a member of the club so that the media knew from the get go and didn’t judge me for it later on. I don’t really go anymore, but I do try and donate money when I can so that they know I do still think about it. Admittedly, it’s also nice for the public to see me doing good things, although that’s not the real reason I do it. It’s good to help Uncle Paul out where I can. Do you still ride?”
“Sometimes. Not as often as I would like, though. Whenever I do, I realize how much I miss it. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of going for a ride. Even just talking about it now makes me want to get back on again. How about you?”
I shook my head. “I haven’t been on the bike in years. It’s sitting in my garage gathering dust. I actually haven’t even given it much thought until now. You’re right, though; there really is nothing like that feeling. I should go for a ride again. It would probably be the best way to get rid of my stress. Uncle Paul would be so disappointed in us. Hell, I’m actually disappointed in us.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I think we should keep that bit of information to ourselves. He has enough on his plate as it is. The last thing he needs is to hear that his family is not into motorcycles anymore. I don’t think he will ever rid himself his passion for riding. It’s ingrained in him in a way that it isn’t with us.”
“Maybe it’s in us too, but we’ve just forgotten it. Who knows? All I know is that I’m going to go for a ride soon.”
“Me too.”
The burgers arrived, and the waitress continued to flirt with us a bit more. She was a pretty thing, but I couldn’t help but wish it was Reagan standing there flirting with me. When she walked away, we both chuckled.
“Nothing wrong with getting hit on by a pretty waitress,” he said. “Which reminds me, how’s your love life these days? Despite looking the same, you were always more of a hit with the ladies.”
I laughed. “Not quite. Well, to be honest, there’s not much to say about it. It’s a pretty dry love life at the moment.”
“I don’t believe that one bit.”
“What? Why not? I don’t always have a girlfriend.” Is that what everyone thought of me? That I always had a woman on my arm? I’d always assumed myself to be very discreet, although I probably had boasted about it a few times.
“True, but you generally have some girl that you’re with. Or you at least have someone that you’re sleeping with. Go on, you can tell me. I’m your cousin. I’m not going to run off and tell the media. I wouldn’t do that, you know.”
I thought of Reagan and almost said something. But I couldn’t do that to her, and I couldn’t do that to the campaign. She could lose her job, and I could lose all the votes that I was finally starting to gather up. It was tempting to talk about it and to get an opinion from someone else. But it wasn’t worth it.
“Oh, I know you wouldn’t go off and tell the media. That’s not the reason I’m not telling you anything. It’s really just a case of me having no love life at all. I’m not even sleeping around right now. Boring, huh?”
“Wow, this election must really be taking up a lot of your time then.”
“Yeah, it is. No time for anything at the moment other than work. That’s why I’m glad I took this lunch break with you. It’s good to take a break every once in a while. I should do it more often. But having time for lunch and having time for a relationship are two very different things.”
“You know, I always thought that you would be the one to get married first out of the family,” he said thoughtfully.
“Seriously?” That came as a surprise to me. I’d never once even indicated that I wanted to get married.
“Yeah, I’m not sure why but I always believed that.”
“Nah, after what happened with my mother, I don’t really think about things like that.”
“Yeah, I understand. Anyway, you have the election to worry about. The last thing you need is your mind on a woman.”
I laughed. “Exactly.