Eighteen
Jeremy
Admittedly, I had ulterior motives when I invited Kenzie to lunch, but she knew it the moment I headed in the direction of the roadhouse on the outskirts of town.
“Gonna speak to Johnny?” she asked as we walked across the parking lot.
“Yeah.” I reached for her hand because I liked the way it felt in mine. I was nervous as hell. What if Johnny laughed in my face? Aside from Kenzie, taking over the running of the roadhouse had been all I thought about. It would be a dream come true, and if Johnny said no…I wasn’t sure I knew how I’d react.
We walked inside, and the counter was empty. Johnny was in the kitchen tiredly scrubbing the countertops. There was no whistling or music playing like he used to. It was quiet, depressing, and miserable.
“Hey!” I called through the door. Johnny looked up and forced a smile on his face. “Can you shut the kitchen down for a few minutes?”
Kenzie squeezed my arm and whispered, “I’ll go upstairs and see if Harper’s home.”
I nodded. “Send Julie down, if you see her.”
Johnny threw the cloth down and whipped off his apron. “This better be good. I got a lotta shit to do today before—” He snapped his mouth shut.
“Before what?” I asked, pulling up a stool at the counter.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
Johnny’s eyes were tired, his skin pale and splotchy. The bags under his eyes were huge. He was exhausted, and Julie didn’t look much better. “Jeremy.” She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Kenzie told me you want to speak to me. Us.”
I nodded.
“You’re here with Kenzie?” Johnny reared back, eyebrows arched and mouth wide open.
“Not what I want to talk about. What is happening that you need to get a lot of shit done? Before what?”
Johnny looked at Julie, and she shrugged. “I guess we can tell him. It’s only a matter of time.” She sighed and squeezed my arm.
“We’re selling the roadhouse,” Johnny huffed, spinning on his heel and walking back to the kitchen.
“What?” I stared at Julie, but she just smiled sadly. They loved the place. They couldn’t sell, and I was pretty sure they didn’t really want to let it go yet.
“It’s time. We can’t keep doing this forever.”
I stood and pushed through the kitchen doors.
“Don’t come in here and argue with me, boy.” Johnny waved his spatula in my face before I’d even said a word.
“Why are you selling?”
“Because we’re old.”
“This is your livelihood. Your retirement fund. Your life. You can’t sell.” I leaned against the counter and folded my arms.
“Well, we can’t keep running the damn place. It’s going to kill us one day. I’m tired, Jeremy. I just can’t do it anymore.”
“What if I came up with a solution that let you keep it, but not work so much?”
“What the hell kind of shit you been smokin’?” Johnny scoffed.
“Nothing. Just hear me out, yeah?” I nodded over my shoulder, indicating that he should follow me out to Julie.
He muttered obscenities to himself the entire way.
Once they were both seated in front of me, I took a deep breath. It was now or never. If I didn’t speak up now, they’d sell, and this place would be gone forever. “I want to run the roadhouse for you.”
Julie stared at me with a blank expression while Johnny roared with laughter. “You don’t know nothing about running a business.”
I shrugged and smiled, expecting that much of a response from him. “But Ryder does.”
“What the hell does that little punk have to do with anything?”
“He’s agreed to help me run this place, so you both can have a break and more time to yourselves.”
“Ha!” Johnny slapped the counter. “It’ll take more than you and the kid to run this place. I appreciate the offer, but it’s impossible.”
“It’s not. I’m going to set up the workshop, start fixing cars on site. Ryder will help with the management side of things. We’ve got Harper too. She’ll do whatever she can. Same with Kenzie, Bailey, Nate—the whole freaking Brady Bunch have offered to help. They all love this place and want you both to relax and enjoy old age.” I winked.
“You’ve really got it all planned out, don’t you?” Johnny furrowed his eyebrows.
“Yeah.” I shrugged, like it was no big deal, when it really meant everything. A life for me. A happy retirement for Johnny and Julie. Security. Family. It was everything.
Johnny looked at Julie, who returned his gaze with a watery smile and a slight nod. Johnny grunted. “Guess you got yourself a roadhouse, boy. Buckle up. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.” He reached out his hand for mine and pulled me into his chest for a hug. “You have no idea what this means. Thank you.”
I patted him on the back then pulled Julie in for a hug as well, but not before I wiped the tears from her cheeks. “You’re a wonderful, beautiful, kind boy.” She kissed my cheek and fell into her seat with an exasperated breath. “I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. The idea of selling this place broke my heart, but now…” She cupped my cheek and smiled, her eyes crinkling with happiness instead of exhaustion. “Let me go and tell the girls the news.”
She darted up the stairs with extra pep in her step and returned moments later giggling with my sister and Kenzie.
“So, congratulations are in order, then,” Kenzie said. “Only I don’t know who I’m congratulating. The retirees or the new business manager.”
“The retirees,” I announced. Sliding my hand around her waist, I pulled her closer. “You can congratulate me properly later.”
“We need a toast,” Johnny said and reached under the counter and pulled out five beers.
“Promise?” She bit the corner of her lip and tried to hide her smile.
Flicking the top off mine, I raised it in the air and waited for everyone else to do the same. Kenzie leaned against my leg and raised her beer to mine, and we all clinked our drinks and cheered for the new partnership.
Harper watched us, a curious expression on her face before she smiled. “You two are totally hooking up, aren’t you?”
“No,” we both answered at the same time.
“That was too fast. Too loud. Something is going on with you.”
Johnny scoffed. “Kenzie is too bright to fall for his charms.”
“Thanks, Johnny. Appreciate it.” I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t be stupid,” Kenzie said to Harper. “He’s not my type. Muscles, tattoos.” She screwed her nose up and shook her head, while at the same time squeezing my thigh so I knew she was only joking.
“He’s exactly your type.” Harper pointed at her. “Because he is the complete opposite of Douchebag.”
Kenzie laughed, but then became quiet. “Speaking of, I think I may finally get that restraining order.”
“Really? How?”
Kenzie filled them all in on what happened last night with Chace, and the recording, and how now, hopefully, we’d get a restraining order to keep him away from her and Cole.
We?
When did we become a we?
I didn’t know, but I liked the sound of it, and I wondered how Kenzie felt about it.
Johnny snuck out the back and fired up the grill to make everyone lunch after Julie pointed out we were drinking beer and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. “I can fix that,” he replied, and he did.
We ate our burgers and left with the promise of continuing business discussions when Ryder was available.
“Want to go see Cole?” I asked Kenzie.
“Yes. You can just drop me off if you have things to do.”
“Not happening, babe. You’re stuck with me for the day.”
“However will I cope?” She laughed.
We pulled up at Ryder’s house, and Kenzie frowned. The car wasn’t in the drive, so I assumed it was in the garage, but Kenzie didn’t. “Where are they?”
“Call your brother,” I suggested, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel.
She pulled her phone out and called Ryder. “Hey, where are you?”
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back against the headrest, letting her voice wash over me. Damn. It gave me shivers.
“Oh. Okay. No, that’s fine. I just showed up to see him, that’s all,” she said, disappointment tainting her voice. “No, it’s—No! Don’t do that. He can’t come home, B.”
She was talking to Bailey, not Ryder like I assumed.
“Because Chace has a freaking key to the apartment and let himself in last night.”
“Yeah.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder and crossed an arm over her body.
“At Jeremy’s. We went to buy locks today, but the store was closed.” She glanced at me and winked.
“Tomorrow, probably.”
I backed the car out of the drive since it didn’t sound like they’d be home with Cole anytime soon and drove home.
“I don’t know. There again.” She answered a question with hesitation. “I’ll let you know later. Okay. Bye.”
She hung up the phone and stared out the window, picking at the nail polish on her fingers while we drove silently toward home.
I watched her more than I watched the road. Bad idea, but it couldn’t be helped. She was an angel in spiked boots and a leather jacket. Her hand rested on the console next to mine but not touching. I slid my pinkie finger across and caressed hers. Her sharp intake of breath told me that simple touch affected her more than I thought it would. She shifted in her seat, once twice, three times. Uncomfortable.
The scent of her perfume filled the car, tantalising my senses, making my mouth water. I pulled the car to a stop after what felt like an eternity behind the wheel and got out.
Kenzie climbed out and walked up the stone steps beside me, her shoulder bumping mine with every step, our hands brushing. I fumbled to get the key in my lock and struggled to turn it. It suddenly weighed a tonne. Everything weighed a tonne. This moment. The realisation of what would no doubt happen the moment I opened the door.
It would be epic.
Life changing.
Soul shattering.