“I know you will. And if you don’t, I know where you live, fucker.” Though Wyatt injected levity into the quip, Noah detected an undercurrent of frustration in his cousin’s tone that was aimed his way—and he deserved all of it. Wyatt got paid big bucks, but his career had a short shelf life, and he had a family to think about now. Anyway you sliced it, Noah owed him a big chunk of change and had no idea how he was going to come up with it.
“Have you told your mom yet?” Wyatt continued.
Noah felt the strike to his chest as if a spearfisherman had hit the mark. Jesus, he dreaded letting her down; he’d rather lose an eyeball. “No, you’re my practice run. How am I doing?”
“Fucking awful, but knowing your mom, she’ll probably pat you on the head and give you a plate of cookies.”
Wyatt wasn’t far off. Noah’s mother was the epitome of a mom, and Wyatt—who’d been raised by the cold-blooded reptilian version of Noah’s mother—had eaten up her attention at every opportunity when they were growing up.
“Here’s the thing, though. Not only do I hate the thought of telling her, but she’s going to have to admit to my dad that she loaned me the money. It puts her in a really tough spot, and it’ll just be one more check mark in his column of reasons he’s disappointed in me.”
“I wish I had a magic wand, bro.”
“So do I.”
A baby wailed in the background. “Gotta go. Serena’s trying to catch a nap, and I’m on duty.”
They hung up, and Noah sank farther into his couch. Chance ambled over, slid his chin on Noah’s knee, and gave him sympathy eyes. Noah rubbed his silky ears. “You here for moral support? I could sure use it.” How anyone could have abused a sweetheart like this dog was beyond him. Merely imagining the abuse the dog had sustained made his blood simmer.
“Okay. You made your point. Your ordeal was ten times worse than mine, and I’m being a wuss.”
He filled his lungs with air and tapped his mother’s number.
“Noah! Where are you calling from, sweetheart?”
“Here at the bar, Mom. Where are you guys?”
“We’re poolside in St. Thomas. This Westin place is pretty nice. They keep bringing me colorful cocktails,” she giggled, pulling a smile from him.
He let her talk on about the beautiful water and the adventures they’d been on, letting himself be lulled into a world where he didn’t have acare—like when he’d been twenty, having the time of his life with a seemingly bottomless bucket of money at his disposal.
“Sounds nice,” he said when she came up for air.
“Ooh, you don’t sound so happy, honey. What’s going on?”
“Is Dad there?”
“No, he went to sign us up for a sunset sailing cruise.”
Noah launched into the abbreviated version of what happened, ending with, “The bar’s closed, Mom.”
A few silent beats passed, and his heart inched its way into his throat.
“Not forever, sweetheart,” she finally said. “What have you done to get it reinspected and passed?”
He ran through his plan of action.
“Sounds like you’re doing everything you can, Noah. Now you just have to sit tight and be patient.”
“It’s about more than staying chill, Mom. I’m not sure I can keep it afloat when it does reopen.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “I was already hanging by a shoestring, and now my reputation in this town is shot.”
“I have faith in you, Noah. You’ll figure it out.”
His father’s voice rumbled in the background. “What’s he done this time?”
Shit!
“Mom, I don’t want to get you in trouble with Dad.”
