Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“Do you think she has three wedding dresses because she’s sleeping with three men? One for Lee, one for Prescott, and one for the third guy? Because there would be a strange kind of internal logic to that.”

Jack just made a hm sound deep in his throat.

“At least he was going to break up with her anyway.” She’d explained what Georgie had told her at the Biltmore, although she’d held back from sharing the rest of what they’d discussed. If Dottie hadn’t called from the restaurant when she did, Maisie would have told him about River earlier. But now…well, he had enough baggage of his own to deal with at the moment. No need to throw more on the pile, especially since it was a nonissue.

“That’s not the part that will upset him most,” Jack said quietly.

No. A father’s betrayal was much worse than that of a horrible girlfriend you’d already been looking for an excuse to break up with.

Dottie had called them over to the table after Prescott stormed out. From the look on her face, serene and kind of tickled to see them, it wouldn’t have surprised Maisie if she’d asked whether they would like to see the dessert menu. Instead, she got up to hug them both, then told Jack in an undertone, “I want you to know that your grandfather very much wanted to know you. Your mother refused his many attempts to get in touch with you. I suspect she thought it would hurt her chances of a…congenial relationship with your father.” It was clear she meant getting money , but Maisie was glad she hadn’t outright said it. Jack had been through enough. After listening to Dottie and Prescott’s conversation, he had the look of someone who’d walked away from a car accident in a reflective blanket. “But she told him you wanted nothing to do with him, and I’ll admit he’d given up by the time you were an adult. He wasn’t proud of that at the end.”

“I…I didn’t know,” he stammered. “Any of it.”

Dottie lifted a hand to his cheek. “That’s why I’m so glad you made it in time. Now you have somewhere else you need to be.” This she said with significance. “It’s a short walk.”

She’d slid them another set of 8x10s and sent them on their way.

Off they’d marched, following Dottie’s tune, because hell, she clearly knew what she was doing. If you had to fall in line behind someone, you could do a lot worse than Dottie Hendrickson.

Maisie pulled Jack to a stop, and his eyes flashed to her mouth before lifting to meet her gaze again. Desire cascaded through her—inappropriate for the moment but undeniable all the same—before she got it under control. People parted to pass them, one person making a rude comment she threw back.

“But you’re telling Lee, right?” she asked, guiding him over to the side of the building next to them. “There won’t be a better time to talk to him than tonight.”

He rubbed between his brows, as if in physical pain, then said, “As much as I don’t want to be in the middle of this, I think I have to do something. Georgie and Addy love him.”

She heard what he didn’t say. Jack might not love him, not yet, but the little boy he’d been still wanted a brother, even after what had happened today. She’d intended to destroy Lee for the way he’d treated Jack earlier, and while she was going to give him a temporary pass—it wasn’t every day you found out your girlfriend was cheating on you with your father, who, oh, by the way, was running some kind of scam that could get you arrested—his get-out-of-jail-free card would expire right quick if he crushed that tender part of Jack’s soul again.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

And he actually laughed a little, deep in his throat. “Is there any being ready for this, Red?” He lifted a hand and stroked one of her curls, sending a jolt from her scalp down to her core.

“Stay focused. You’re distracting me.” But as she said so, she pulled him closer, hand on his firm butt, and kissed him.

He didn’t pull away, and it felt good, impossibly good, to be out in public with him without worrying who would see.

“That’s the kind of distraction I could use,” he said when she stepped back. But she headed in the direction of the bachelor party instead of seeking out somewhere they could get horizontal, and he didn’t object. He fell in beside her and took her hand, sending a thrill through her. Other than him, when had a man last held her hand? When had she wanted one to?

As they approached Libations, they exchanged a look, Jack getting that closed-down expression he seemed to roll out whenever he didn’t know how to process something, that look she’d originally misread as aloof, and she laughed and opened the door. She hadn’t let go of his hand. The bouncer, Ed, was someone she’d known since elementary school, and he grinned as they came inside. With the way the building was designed, a bottleneck with the entrance as the neck, they couldn’t see past him.

“We’ve been expecting you,” Ed said. “I hear you’re one of the ones who orchestrated this disaster. Fred says you better show up in the morning in a hazmat suit to clean up.”

“That bad, huh?”

“I’m less worried about what’s happened than what’s about to happen. Which one of you knuckleheads thought it made sense to make Lurch the designated driver?”

She exchanged a glance with Jack.

“I guess Dottie can’t get it right all the time,” he said quietly, with a smirk.

Something crashed in the back, and Ed winced. “Better get that hazmat suit ready. One of those guys looks like he’s ready to yack.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, and led Jack into the adjoining room. She would help if they needed it, but she was reasonably sure he was messing with her. Just before they reached the main part of the tasting room, she glanced at Jack. “What do you think we’ll find back there?”

His lips lifted slightly. “Maybe Lurch made up with the donkey guy, and they decided to recreate the petting zoo.”

“Or Stella came and she decided to do a live-drawing class. In the nude.”

He cringed.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out who’s right,” she said brightly.

They turned the corner, and Maisie burst out laughing. The place was somewhat crowded, but a bubble of space had been left around their group. Lurch’s face had been marked up to look like a goat, and while the rest of their crew had tasting glasses, he had four different beers arrayed in front of him and was halfway through three of them. The group was gathered around the table next to the dart board, which had been plastered over with a taped-up picture of Stella hugging a goat. Darts were embedded in the wall on all sides of it, but none had made it onto the picture. Josie, who was for some reason in a fairy costume, stood next to Lurch, soothing him by the looks of it, and River sat a couple of seats down, surrounded by familiar faces from Buchanan Brewery and Big Catch. He looked like he was having a good time, at least.

“I should have bet money on it,” she said. “Live art show. Although something clearly happened between Lurch and Stella.” She shrugged. “It’s surprising it lasted this long. Where’s Finn?”

It was then she realized Jack wasn’t looking at the sideshow at all. His gaze was on Finn and Lee. Lee was…was he dancing ? A Beach Boys song was playing over the speakers, but no one else was swaying to the music, only a very, very drunk blond man who looked surprisingly different from the stick-up-his-butt stiff she’d seen on that Thanksgiving video call. Finn stood next to him, bobbing to the music a little, a slightly nervous look on his face.

She should check in with River first. It was his bachelor party, and she was supposed to be his best man. Co-best man. But he had a big grin on his face—a real grin, not one of his fake smiles—and the days of codependency were over. She and River both had new commitments. New people in their lives.

So she squeezed Jack’s hand and led him through the crowd, releasing him when they reached the swaying pair.

When he saw her, Finn’s eyes lit up like he was a kid who’d just found his mother in a crowded shopping mall. “You’re here!”

She leaned in and hissed in his ear, “I said get him drunk or get him out. I didn’t say get him so sloppy he’s going to puke.”

He shrugged helplessly. “He wouldn’t stop. Like I said, something’s going on with him.”

Jack had come to a stop beside her. He was looking at Lee with a helpless expression that she understood all too well. They’d come here to talk to a sober person. What were they supposed to do now?

“It’s you,” Lee said, coming to a stop. He put a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “My brother from a different mother.” He paused. “Did you know the model for that awful painting at my sister’s house is here? He’s the designated driver, but he’s been pounding beer for longer than I have.” He started laughing, and the waft of alcohol from him made Maisie cringe. His mood turned more serious as he stared at Jack. He was looking at his face like he was searching for some resemblance between them. Their coloring was different, but it was there, undeniable as their identical noses. “Finn’s right. I shouldn’t have said that to you earlier. I don’t know you, but you don’t know me either. That conversation you overheard was personal.”

If he had trouble with near strangers knowing his personal business, he wasn’t going to enjoy talking about what they’d overheard at Shebeen.

A pause, into which Lee hiccupped. “I didn’t expect to meet you like this.”

Jack raised his brows. “Oh? I was under the impression you would have preferred not to meet me at all.”

A shadow passed over Lee’s face. “I almost went to your bar half a dozen times on my last business trip to Chicago.”

Shock filled Jack’s eyes. “But you didn’t?”

“No, I was…” Lee trailed off, looking like he’d lost the point, or maybe like he didn’t want to admit to his little brother that he’d been scared. And for the first time, Maisie felt something like sympathy toward him. Maybe he wasn’t what he seemed, just like Jack wasn’t the humorless, straightlaced man she’d taken him for.

“Why don’t you take him to the bar?” she suggested, gesturing toward it.

“Do you really think more alcohol’s the solution here?” Finn asked in an undertone.

She let out a little huff of laughter. “In lieu of one of Dottie’s miracle hangover cures, I was going to suggest coffee.”

“Who are you?” Lee asked, shifting his attention to Maisie. “You were at Thanksgiving, weren’t you?”

Before she could confirm it, Jack put his free hand on her hip. “She’s my girlfriend.”

He said it hastily, then threw her a look, obviously worried about how she might react.

She just leaned into him and said, “I also have a name. I’m Maisie.”

“Oh, you’re the one who—”

Alarm knifed through her. Had Georgie told him something about her? Did he know she’d had feelings for River? She certainly didn’t want Jack to find out from his drunk-as-a-skunk half-brother.

“—who’s friends with Adalia,” he finished.

The relief was real. And when Finn pulled her away, giving her a pointed look that was probably obvious to everyone, she let him.

“We need to go check on River!” he announced, speaking louder and more emphatically than was necessary.

Jack gave her a look like maybe he didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t attempt to pull her back or refuse. In fact, he hooked an arm around Lee’s shoulders and helped him stagger over to the bar.

Maybe Jack would get enough coffee into Lee that he could relay the bad news. Or if their talk went really poorly, and he was feeling spiteful, he could just tuck the photos in his jacket into Lee’s pocket to give him a surprise for later.

She chuckled to herself at the thought, which was the kind of thing Molly would have come up with as punishment for a vindictive ex. Oh God, Molly was going to be pissed, but Maisie couldn’t let her write about this train wreck, even if the names were left out. It had become too personal for Jack.

“You think he’s going to be okay?” Finn asked nervously as soon as Jack and Lee were out of hearing.

“Which one?”

“Both of them, I guess. I feel kind of bad about Lee. I gave him some high-gravity beers back at the house. He started drinking hard after Jack left. I think he felt guilty about how things went down…and he just kept going once we got here.” He shot her a glance. “From what he said, I take it things aren’t going great with Victoria.”

She stifled a laugh.

Understanding flashed in his eyes, and he pulled her to a stop. “I can tell you know something, and I absolutely do not want you to tell me. I don’t need any more secrets.”

“Fair play,” she said, raising a hand as her white flag. “Suffice it to say that their romance won’t be long for this world. Dottie saw them breaking up in, like, five cups of tea.”

“Good,” he said decisively. “Because Addy hates her, and she sounds awful. Lee might be a stuffed shirt…well, most of the time”—he waved in the direction of Jack and Lee, who was singing loudly to Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out”—“but he’s not half bad.”

“A rousing endorsement.”

He shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

“Has River been having fun?”

“Yeah.” He glanced at the bar. “All of the guys from Buchanan and Big Catch showed up. It’s a good crowd.”

Something about the way he said it, and the look of little-boy longing he shot at the guys who used to idolize him, told her that some of the guys in the beer community still held a grudge against him for selling Big Catch Brewing to a corporate overlord.

“Still giving you a hard time?”

Another shrug. “You and River forgave me. That’s what matters. Maybe they’ll get over it too someday.”

He started walking again, and she fell in beside him and gave him a little nudge. “Big talk for the guy who always wants everyone to like him. Being in love suits you.”

He nudged her back, his eyes bright. “How about you?”

“Tsk, tsk. You said no secrets.”

He looked like he was going to say more—of course he did, Finn always wanted to say more—but they’d reached Lurch’s spot at the end of the table. He was talking to Josie while she swung a crystal pendant back and forth listlessly. Either she was bored or she was trying to read some sort of fortune for him. Maybe both.

“She drew the face on in permanent marker. Permanent!” he said, then paused to take a slug of the third beer on his makeshift tasting tray. “And she didn’t tell me she was moving on until after she took pictures.”

Maisie gave a shudder and glanced at Finn, who was steadfastly staring straight ahead.

“She’s not the one for you, Lurch,” Josie said. “The pendant never lies.” She paused dramatically, then added, “She left you for a fireman, didn’t she?”

“How did you know that?” he asked with wide eyes. The goat horns drawn onto his head winged upward.

“Lurch…” Finn interjected, “you’ve told all of us at least five times.”

But Maisie’s mind had skipped back to another time, another fortune. What was it Josie had said to her? You’re in love with someone, but he has no idea. He’s going to marry someone else, and you’re going to die alone. She’d assumed it was about River, but what if it was Jack she was going to lose?

She gave herself a mental shake as she made her way to River. She’d really lost it if she was starting to look to Josie for spiritual guidance.

River turned as she approached him, and his face split into a familiar smile. She’d told Dottie once that one of her favorite things about River was that he had a different smile for every person, and this was hers—a little crooked, one side higher than the other, a flash of teeth. It was impossibly dear to her, just like he was, and she was relieved they’d aired out their dirty laundry without destroying their friendship.

They hugged each other, both of them holding on for longer than they normally would.

“The man of the hour!” she said, pulling back. “Are you having fun?”

He glanced around at the friends gathered around him. “Yeah, this is awesome, but I’m glad you’re here. It felt like something was missing.”

She knew he was saying it to reassure her that they were good, that their friendship was intact, and she appreciated it.

He glanced around the bar. “Speaking of. Where are Jack and Lee?”

“Talking it out,” she said. “I hope. Either that, or they’re in the alleyway having a fistfight that Jack is absolutely guaranteed to win.”

He smirked a little. “Yeah, I can’t imagine Lee getting his fists bloody.” He nodded at Finn. “Did you tell her about what happened at the house earlier?”

“Which part?” Finn asked.

“About the agreement, I mean.” He glanced at Maisie and made a face. “I didn’t mention it earlier because—”

No need to let the world know about their conversation.

“Um. No,” she interrupted. “What agreement?”

He glanced around again, then motioned for them to move to an empty spot at the end of the bar.

It didn’t take him long to explain what Lee had asked for, and why. By the time he finished, Maisie was about ready to crack Lee like a nut, Victoria or no Victoria.

“And you let this happen?” she asked, turning on Finn.

He gave her a helpless puppy dog look that might have worked on Adalia but surely was not going to work on her.

Why hadn’t Jack told her?

Because it’s in his best interest for River to sign those papers.

If River didn’t sign, then Jack could lose his stake in the brewery and possibly his job. He wouldn’t, of course—River would never pull his job out from under him—but Jack didn’t know him like she did. He’d pinned all his hopes on the brewery, and he didn’t want to see them come tumbling down.

“I don’t care,” River said. “I really don’t. If this is what it takes to get Lee’s support, I’m all for it. God knows Georgie’s father is still doing everything he can to tear us apart.”

More than he even knew.

She just nodded distantly and turned from them to search the room for Jack and Lee. But her search was interrupted when she spotted someone else she knew—Blue, sitting with a brown-haired man in a brown shirt and khaki pants. Was she on a date ? She didn’t like beer, so it was the last place Maisie would have thought to look for her.

Blue hadn’t been sharing her usual awful dating stories on the group chat she had with Maisie and Adalia. But if she was dating someone, why hadn’t she told them?

She could practically see Mary giving her that disapproving look.

Because people worry you’ll make fun of them, Maisie. You and Molly need to work on your people skills.

Really, fair enough, Phantom Mary. She and Adalia had made a few jokes about the Bad Luck Club—they’d sent increasingly wild theories about what it was—and Blue seemed pretty sensitive about it. Maybe this guy was someone she’d met there.

“Hey, guys,” she said. “I’ll be a minute. I’m going to go say hi to Blue and then find Jack and Lee.”

River gave her a look. “Be gentle. Like I said, I’m okay with this. The guy’s kind of a dick, but he didn’t ask for anything I wasn’t willing to give.”

She squeezed his shoulder—“I know”—and thought, but didn’t say, that it hadn’t been Lee’s right to ask.

“Should we head back over?” Finn asked, gesturing to the table they’d left. Maisie had to smile to herself because it was clear from the way he said it that he really would rather not.

“Not yet,” River said. “Let’s stay over here awhile and talk.”

Maisie made her way over to Blue, whose eyes widened when she caught sight of her. There was a nearly untouched beer in front of her, but the man she was with had finished three quarters of his pour.

Blue didn’t seem happy to see her. No, that wasn’t quite true. Her first reaction had been the kind of happiness you weren’t expecting, but it had given way to nerves.

“Hey, Blue,” Maisie said as she got closer. “I guess I forgot to tell you the bachelor party would be stopping here tonight. Surprise!”

“Oh, are you with that group over there?” the guy asked, nodding toward the bar. He didn’t say it with a tone, not really, but something in his face said he disapproved.

“Yeah, that’s us,” she said, holding out a hand and reminding herself to reserve judgment. “I’m Maisie.”

He shook her hand. “Dan.” He glanced at Blue. “And you’re a friend of Blue’s?”

Blue gave a pained smile. “Yeah, a good friend.” An awkward pause hung between them for a moment. Then Blue said, “Hey, Dan? Would you mind getting me a glass of water from the bar?”

“No, not at all,” he said, getting up. He was a tall man with dishwater brown hair and brown eyes fringed with long, sandy lashes. Good-looking, but in a somewhat generic way she wouldn’t have expected from a man who’d gained Blue’s interest. He turned to Maisie on his way past and said, “It was nice to meet you.”

It kind of rubbed her the wrong way, like he expected her to be gone by the time he got back, but she just nodded and said “likewise” before turning to Blue with raised eyebrows.

“New boyfriend?”

Blue gestured for her to sit. Biting her lip, she said, “Sort of. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

A flash of hurt must have shown in her eyes, because Blue lifted a hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I was nervous about introducing him to you and Addy. He’s not my usual type, but the Bad Luck Club has helped me realize my old patterns weren’t working for me.” She waved toward Dan, who didn’t stand out from the crowd of men he’d disappeared into. “Dan’s a good guy. He hasn’t asked to meet my friends or see my studio. He lets me be my own person, and that’s what I need right now.”

It was on the edge of Maisie’s tongue to say it wasn’t necessarily a great sign that he didn’t want to take part in those aspects of her life. Although codependency was a trap she understood, it was possible to be part of someone’s life without taking it over, and vice versa. But it wasn’t really her business to say so, and she didn’t want to give Blue any more reasons to pull away from her. From now on, any theorizing about the Bad Luck Club would have to be strictly limited to texts between her and Addy.

“Addy and I have been giving you a hard time, but we care about you. We want you to be happy,” she said. “And if you like Dan, we absolutely want to hear about him. Even if he has a doll collection like the last guy you went out with.”

Blue’s mouth twitched. “No doll collection to speak of. He might be the most normal guy I’ve ever met.”

Which didn’t bode well for their relationship, in Maisie’s opinion—Blue was one of the more unique souls she knew. But it didn’t seem like the right time to say so. Maisie knew when to shut up—she just didn’t often choose to.

“Well, I’d love to get to know him. Are you bringing him to the engagement party tomorrow?”

Blue played with her full glass of beer without taking a sip. “I wasn’t planning on it. Do you think that would be okay?”

“More than okay. Jack got plenty of food for the party, and I’ve heard there’s even some wine.” She grinned at the full beer glass. “Plus, I’m sure Addy will want to meet him too.”

Blue glanced behind her, her eyes widening. “Speaking of Jack…are you here with him?”

Before Maisie could answer, Jack came up beside her, Lee with him. If they’d had a fistfight, there were no marks she could see. Jack’s expression was closed down, and it amused her to see Lee’s look was identical. Still, she was somewhat pissed at both of them.

“Hi, Blue,” Jack said. Then he turned to Lee, presumably to introduce him to Blue. But just then, Lee doubled over and vomited on Blue’s shoes.