Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
The pride in his voice makes me smile. “I’m real happy for you two.”
With a nod and a smile still on his face, he admits, “I always thought you’d have one first.”
I grunt a response, “I’d need a woman to make that happen.”
“You had one when I first met you.” My body tenses some. I know Ma’s always bringing it up around everyone. She’s always pushing me to settle down, but I don’t need to hear it from my brother-in-law. I only put up with it from Ma, cause she’s my ma.
“I’m just sayin’,” Joseph takes a deep drink. “You’d make a good dad, if you ever wanted to.”
That’s my cue to stand up and stretch; I do without looking Joseph in the eyes. “Yeah, well. Maybe one day.”
I take a few steps to head upstairs, but turn when I don’t hear Joseph following me. The site of him is nothing but casual although he’s looking at me like he’s waiting for something.
“I heard you got a woman.”
I run my hand over my face with frustration. Why does everyone have to complicate everything and get into my business? I don’t need anyone in my head or trying to push things one way or the other with me and Grace.
“She’s nice,” I tell him.
“She’s in the wedding?” Joseph’s got a cocky smile on his face and it breaks the tension. I let out a laugh as he stands up, taking another drink. “Must be serious if she’s in the wedding.”
Shaking my head, I stare at the back wall, at the unfinished bar. “I’m going to need another beer soon,” I mutter to my brother-in-law. It makes him laugh, deep and low, and he relaxes his posture, leaning forward in his seat.
The downstairs would be a good place to hang with him after all.
I need to get down here and finish this room off.
“She’s real sweet. A graphic designer.” I add the last part absently.
“You met her at the bar?” I look back at my brother-in-law to see his face twisted, and his forehead pinched.
I shove my hands in my pockets and answer, “We hit it off there. It was just friendly at first.” I remember way back when I first laid eyes on her.
“That’s the way to do it,” Joseph comments with a nod and then sucks his teeth. “Friends first.”
“Yeah… then I got to missing her.” I surprise myself with the omission.
“Yeah I bet.” I’m thankful for his simple comment and not looking any deeper into what I just said.
When I bought the bar, Joseph was the only one who backed my decision. Everyone else told me not to pull the trigger, saying it was too risky. That it wasn’t a real career. But Joseph was right there. He gave me the pen to sign the papers with. He’s a logical man, but in that hairy ass chest of his is a heart of gold.
“So two stable people, two good jobs.” Joseph’s voice carries a bit.
“We just started seeing each other.” Even though my voice is harder than it should be he’s unaffected.
He throws his hands up comically. “I’m just saying, you seem happy lately.”
I don’t get where he’s coming from. I didn’t pressure him on marriage and babies. Bro code and all. “I’m doing fine.”
“Yeah. There’s fine, and then there’s happy. You're happy.”
My lips part to say something back, but I don’t know what he wants from me. I just don’t want people making a big deal of this and expecting something. It’s just fun. For fuck sake, just let us be happy.
“A wife would look good on you.”
“You’ve lost your mind,” the words spill out of my mouth.
“You still got that ring?” he asks me. Susanne’s ring. An engagement ring I spent all of my savings on. Thinking about it now, half a carat and as simple as they come, there’s not much to it. Just like the relationship I had with the woman who wore it.
“No,” the lie comes out easy. He snorts, like he knows I’m lying as he tosses his empty beer can into the trash then almost grabs another. But he stops himself. Instead he tells me, “I have to get home.”
Finishing the last bit of mine, I toss my beer can in the trash and leave the rest where they are. “I need to get going, too.”
The wooden stairs creak as we walk up the rickety steps. When he opens the door at the top, I flick the light switch off and the afternoon daylight filters down the stairway.
Almost time for work. Always working.
That day off with Grace made me realize how much I’ve been sacrificing. And what I could be doing if I wasn’t at the bar all the damn time.
It’s not an option yet, but I finally let Maggie go through applications for a manager. The memory of her broad smile and how she shoved my chest in victory makes me huff a short laugh that gets my brother-in-law’s attention.