Chapter 13
Evan
I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing. Annoyed, I rolled over and opened my eyes, fumbling for it. Next to me, Lora was sleeping soundly. I didn't want to wake her up.
“He—hello?” I mumbled as I hauled myself up out of the warm, comfy bed and headed to another room.
“You sound as if you just woke up, son,” my dad’s voice boomed through the phone.
“I did, Dad,” I said as I walked to the bathroom and shut the door. I didn't want the noise of this phone conversation to wake Lora.
“Well it's six in the morning! You'd normally be up and about by now. Don't you wake up at five in the morning anymore?”
“Yeah, Dad, I do. Just not today.”
“What's the matter? Are you sick or something?”
“No, I just had a very late night.”
“Hmm. Well, that doesn't sound like you at all.”
“It wasn't anything crazy. I just needed some extra sleep this morning.”
“As long as you're not going down the same path your brother has been on.”
I really hated it when my dad called JB my brother. But he'd been doing it for so long I had given up on protesting or correcting him.
“Don't worry, it's nothing like that.”
“I hope not. But anyway, on the subject of your brother, we need to have a chat about him.”
I groaned. “Right now? Look, we've both tried to help him, and you know how he is. He's not going to change.”
“Oh, but that's where you're wrong, son. He has.”
His words took me by surprise.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Your brother has been working hard at fixing his past mistakes and changing himself for the better. He's been putting a lot of effort into improving himself. And I don't know if you heard, but he organized a series of karaoke evenings at the bar—”
“Oh, I heard all right,” I said dryly. “And I was wondering what you were going to do when you found out.”
“Well, I’m actually very pleased about it.”
Once again, my father's proclamation came as a complete surprise.
“Wait, what? Dad, you do understand that he bought an expensive karaoke machine in order to have these karaoke nights. You know that, right?”
“Well yes, of course I do.”
I sighed and shook my head. My dad could be really annoying sometimes. “Dad, the point is this: JB doesn't have any money. How do you think he got the money to buy the karaoke machine? With his record of bad credit and his reputation around Wytheville, you and I both know that no bank or reputable financial institution would have given him a loan. So, where then is the only place he could have gotten the money? A loan shark…or maybe even some sort of mobster.”
“Where he got the money is irrelevant,” my dad said stubbornly. “The point is, he's made an effort to change, and his plan to bring business back to the bar has been successful.”
I wanted to shout and punch the wall. How could my dad be so obtuse? It had always been like this. He always treated JB with kid gloves, because if he didn't, my step-mom would freak out. I should have just accepted it by now, because, after all, it had been that way ever since she and JB had come into our lives, but I couldn't accept it. I hated unfairness in any form, and treating JB like he was still a damn child pissed me off. Besides, maybe if they'd been a bit stricter with him, he wouldn't have gone so far off the rails. That, however, was a conversation for another day.
I forced myself to bite my tongue and not get into an argument with my father. “All right, so JB's karaoke plan has been a wild success. That's great. But why are you calling me about it at six in the morning?”
“Well, I'm excited about it,” he said. “JB messaged me early this morning, right after he closed up the bar. Last night he took in more profit than any other night in the last five years. Isn't that wonderful?”
“It's great. But why the urgency?”
“Well, since things have been going so well there at the bar, and since your brother has made such a sincere effort to get his life in order, I think he deserves to be rewarded. Encouraged.”
“Um, okay. What were you thinking of?” I asked warily.
“That's why I called you. I would like to give my shares of the bar to your brother.”
That was the third shock of this conversation—and it was by far the biggest one. I actually had to sit down because of how much of a shock it was.
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“I want to give my half of the bar to your brother. You and he will own it jointly.”
“But that means that…”
“That he will no longer be your employee. Yes. He'll be an owner.”
“Dad, listen, you really need to think about this. I have to say straight up that I do not think this is a good idea. JB is an irresponsible asshole.”
“That's no way to talk about your brother.”
“Step-brother,” I growled through clenched teeth. My patience was wearing seriously thin. “He's not my real brother, he's my step-brother.”
“And we've been a family for how long now? It's disappointing that you still haven't accepted him. It hurts me, Evan, it really does. And after everything we did for you…”
Great. So now, on top of this crazy idea he was pushing on me, he was trying to guilt trip me as well. This was just turning out to be a wonderful conversation.
I sighed and did my best not to get mad. “So you really want to do this?”
“I do. I think it'll do wonders for your…step-brother.”
“Yeah. Maybe it will.”
“I suspected there might be some resistance on your part, Evan,” my dad said. “And that's actually why I'm calling. Your mother and I want to have a family dinner this weekend, at home in Dillon. We can discuss all of this in person there. And you've been away from your own place in Dillon for too long now. It feels like we haven't seen you in weeks.”
I also hated it when he referred to my step-mother as my mother, but correcting him on that point was a sure way to get into a bitter argument, so I left it alone.
“A family dinner, huh?” I said.
“Yes. I think it's really important that you come.”
I sighed. “I'll be there.” A thought suddenly entered my mind. “Would it be okay if I brought a guest?”
“A guest? Friends of yours are always welcome at our house. Of course. Who do you want to bring?”
I smiled, even though I knew my dad couldn't see my face. Just thinking of her made me happy. “I have a girlfriend now.”
Dad's tone of voice changed right away—for the better. “Really? That's wonderful news! Tell me about her. How long have you two been dating? Yes, please bring her along so that we can meet her.”
“Her name is Lora. She lives here in Sala Valley, and works for Sala Valley Winery. That's how I met her—remember I told you they're now the main supplier for my restaurants?”
“That's wonderful news. I'm glad you've met someone. So, she'll be coming along to the dinner this weekend then?”
“She'll be coming along unless she has something going on already.”
“Well, I really do hope that she'll be able to make it. Anyway, we'll see you this weekend for dinner then, yes?”
“That's right, I'll see you then.”
“Great! Well, have a good day, son. See you soon.”
“Bye, Dad.”
A whole glut of emotions was now rushing through me. I was still shocked at my dad's idea to give his shares in the bar to JB, and no matter what he said, I thought—no, I knew—that it was a mistake. I was both annoyed and concerned about my dad's lack of concern for where JB had got the money to pay for the karaoke setup. I just had a gut feeling, some sort of sixth sense, that it meant trouble.
But then, despite these negative feelings, I at least had one positive—Lora. I was both excited and nervous about her meeting my father and step-mother, although I wasn't even sure whether Lora would agree to this.
Had I gotten ahead of myself by saying that she was now my girlfriend? And had I moved too quickly by putting her in a situation where she would be meeting my parents? Maybe I was moving way too fast. I didn’t want to scare her off. I really hoped that that wasn't what was going to happen.
There was only one way to find out. I drew in a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom to wake her up.