Текст книги "Danny's Main"
Автор книги: Lisa N. Paul
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
Chapter Twenty-One
We Can’t Just Take Her On – We’ve Gotta Take Her In
DANNY’S ON MAIN was closed on Sundays, a decision made during their second month in business.
“The bar was our dream,” she’d reminded Danny as they dragged their exhausted asses into bed at three o’clock one Sunday morning. “The last thing I want is for it to turn into our nightmare. Until we find people we can trust to manage it without us, I think we need to see what day is our least profitable and not open the doors that day.”
When Danny’s bloodshot eyes focused on her for too long without him responding, Julie thought he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open. Not something he’d done before, but their fatigue had reached new levels. She wouldn’t have been surprised.
“Woman…brilliant. Tomorrow, closed.” While lacking enthusiasm, Danny’s voice, hoarse from repeating orders, breaking up bar fights, and just being social, made it clear he truly did think a day off each week was a great idea.
“We can’t close tomorrow, babe.” Julie rubbed her hand over her husband’s stubble-laden cheek. “We have staff that may or may not turn up and customers that are expecting us. But we can look at our reports, pick our day, and put up a sign with our new hours.”
Within a couple weeks’ time, she and Danny had determined the bar would be closed on Sundays. It gave them a full day and night to do home projects, explore the surrounding towns, or drive to Maryland to visit with Sheila and Chris. A day off gave Julie time to bake and Danny time to exercise—something he’d started doing more as he got older. Nothing sexier than Danny without his shirt, covered in sweat, and knowing that he was keeping his body healthy. Mmm.
###
JULIE SIGHED AS she fastened her seatbelt. “I love seeing Sheila and Chris. It doesn’t matter if it’s been a month or six months—we always pick up where we left off.”
She and Danny had driven to Maryland for the day. It had been months since the four of them had been together since Danny’s stayed busy and Sheila and Chris had become grandparents. Conveniently, the baby had been born on a Saturday, so Julie and Danny got to go to the hospital that Sunday with Sheila and Chris.
“Seeing that man holding a little girl…” Danny chuckled. “You believe he told me not to curse in front of the kid?”
Julie giggled. “That’s sweet.”
“She’s a baby. What’s she gonna repeat?”
Being with Sheila had been wonderful and seeing Sheila’s granddaughter was lovely. But a tiny part, not so deep down inside, of Julie still grieved the loss of their family. Julie didn’t begrudge her friend a family, not even a little bit, but watching Danny hold that sweet pink bundle…grandkids were another thing Julie could never give him. No children… no grandchildren. Shake it off, Julie.
Julie forced a laugh. “She won’t repeat anything…yet. But Chris was being protective of his girl. Let him be.” Julie rolled down her window as the need for fresh air overwhelmed her.
Danny’s large hand covered her knee, and silent comfort filled her body. “I get it, honey. Understand exactly how he feels, wanting to protect his girl.” His voice lowered. “The only thing that matters, baby.”
His words, more gentle than his caress, eased the ache in her chest that she hadn’t had the heart to voice. The way he knew her, saw through her, loved her was a blessing.
The way Danny could read people in general was a gift.
***
“WHEN’S THE LAST time you had yourself a real meal, sweetheart?” Danny stared at the skinny young woman who had entered the bar but had not taken a second step past the doorway. Sadness and loss rippled off her body in waves, too fierce for any person, let alone someone so damn young, to navigate. He’d seen that look before—every day when he’d seen his own reflection.
“Umm…” The blonde’s gaze darted around the open space, looking for what he had no idea, but when her shoulders slumped, she took a second step away from the door. And then a third.
“Seriously,” he coaxed, “have a seat, hun. We make a mean burger and a sweet cherry soda.” He didn’t leave his position behind the bar, fearing that his size may intimidate her, but he hoped the enticement of food would be enough to make her stay. Girl looked as if she’d been living off of hardly anything for weeks. She was clean and kempt but malnourished, which led Danny to believe that she could afford to eat but didn’t have the desire to do so. “Hamburger?”
“I’m not all that hungry,” the girl said with conviction that didn’t quite reach her eyes. At that moment, Julie delivered a burger and fries to customers having lunch at a table by the window. “But I guess a cheeseburger couldn’t hurt…and fries too. Please.”
He wasn’t sure why getting her to accept food felt like such a win, but it did. “You got it.” He tapped the order into the computer system that he’d finally learned how to use, then pointed at the stools. “My name’s Danny Marcus. My wife, Julie, and I own this place. Why don’tcha sit on down there, and I’ll pour you a cherry cola. I don’t use any of the pre-made shit.” He grinned, hoping to set the poor young woman at ease. “I have my own recipe.”
The girl gave a tiny smile, and just like that, her face transformed from innocent, maybe even appealing, to alluring.
Every one of Danny’s protective instincts kicked in as he handed her the soda. “Here you go…”
“Ashley. My name’s Ashley. And thank you. I have money to pay for the meal, so this isn’t like…a handout or anything.” Her brows pulled together as if she was rethinking her decision. “I don’t need any handouts. In fact, I don’t need anything from anyone.” She made a move to grab the bag she’d placed on the bar.
“Spicy little thing, aren’tcha? Ashley, didn’t your parents ever teach you there’s no such thing as a free lunch?” He thought his joke was funny, but from the way her pale skin turned ashen, he’d thought wrong.
“No, our parents didn’t teach us shit until it was too late.” She chomped on the inside of her lip. “Sorry, that was probably too much information. No, sir, never heard that one. But I do have money for lunch.”
“I’ll be happy to take your money, Ashley. In fact, I can charge you double if you want.” That got Ashley to smile, which made Danny chuckle.
Danny pulled up the bar phone and called the back office. “Hey, Jules, can you come up front please? Someone I want you to meet. Thanks, honey.” He needed his wife by his side. Julie would take one look at the young woman and help him assess the situation. Julie was astute, smart as a whip, and just as comfortable sitting in a corner as she was front and center, which made her invaluable in just about every situation.
After a few minutes, Julie came out wearing her ever-ready smile and carrying Ashley’s cheeseburger and fries. “I guess this is for you?”
“Umm, yeah. Thank you.”
Danny took in the way Ashley checked out his wife. The younger woman’s eyes traveled from Julie’s shoulder-length sun-berry hair to her black, worn-in Converse sneakers and the fit body in between. Julie may be closer to the young woman’s mother’s age, but his woman was a knock-out for any age. Whatever Ashley saw, she must have approved, because her face softened and her shoulders once again relaxed.
“I’m Ashley. Thanks for bringing me my food.”
“My pleasure, sweetie. I’m Julie, that guy’s wife.” She smiled warmly.
Danny slipped his wife the we-need-to-figure-this-shit-outlook. Julie’s nod would have been too subtle for anyone else to notice, but he caught it. The questions started.
“So, Ashley, where’s home?” Julie asked, sipping on a freshly poured club soda.
“Nowhere.” Ashley took a bite of the burger and moaned. “This is amazing.”
“Thanks, the recipe’s a secret. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” Danny grinned, Ashley snorted, and Julie rolled her eyes. “Where you from?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Ashley slowly said, enunciating each word, “because I’m never going back.” Another large bite.
A chill ran up Danny’s spine. What in the hell?
“Sweet girl,” Julie spoke softly, “is there anyone you need to call? Maybe someone who needs to know where you are?”
“Yeah, there’s someone. But he’s dead now. So he won’t be answering that call.” She popped the last bite of burger in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before reaching for her drink.
If Danny lived to be one hundred years old, the look in Ashley’s eyes when she answered that question would be burned in his retinas forever. He watched his wife bite her lip, doing her best to hold back the same gasp he felt.
“Wow, that was the best burger I’ve ever had. For real.”
“There’s more where that came from. You should stick around a day or two and try the chili—Julie’s recipe…it’s amazing.” Danny wasn’t a rambler, but he didn’t think this girl had anywhere to go and didn’t want her to leave. He wasn’t sure how to say that without sounding like some sort of sicko.
“With all due respect, I’m eighteen. I never needed a babysitter, and I don’t need one now.” Ashley’s hazel eyes flashed with golden specks of fire.
An adult by legal standards, but still a child in so many ways. “Respect much appreciated.” Danny’s brow arched. “But I’m a shit-ton older than eighteen, and I know damn well when someone could use another cherry cola. So have mercy on an old man and give me your time. Yeah?”
Ashley’s eyes narrowed as she glared from Danny to Julie and back, then shrugged.
“Spicy little thing we got here, Jules,” he muttered as he mixed the drink.
***
“I SEE MYSELF in her,” Julie whispered in the dark, her leg draped over Danny’s, her head on his chest. “All of her pain bottled up…and those eyes…my God, it was like she was ready to explode.”
“I felt it too,” he admitted as he ran his fingers up the length of Julie’s naked back.
Ashley had spent hours at Danny’s on Main, leaving well after the dinner hour but before the heavy drinking crowd descended. She wouldn’t share where she was staying the night but promised to return the following day. While neither Julie nor Danny was comfortable with Ashley’s choice, they had no say in the matter. So they both hoped the young woman’s promises were as good as her ability to recite the alphabet backward (very much a talent in Julie’s eyes).
“She’s old enough to tend bar, Danny.” His soft skin felt hot under her fingertips as she drew figure eights over his bare chest.
“She is.” His hand paused on her back. “But like us, loss is written over her. She’s young, Jules. We can’t just take her on—we’ve gotta take her in.”
Falling more in love with someone she thought owned her was beyond her understanding, but it just happened.
Danny must have mistaken her silence for something else because he continued. “I’m not saying we invite her to live with us—I mean, we don’t even know the girl. But come on, we know that girl. We’ve been that girl.”
“Yes, we have.” Her fingers trailed up his chest. “I was that girl until you found me.” In the dark, her fingers found his lips and rubbed the soft skin. “And I say if she comes back tomorrow, we do what we can to keep her close. Okay?”
Her husband exhaled. “Love you, baby.”
“You’re an amazing man, Danny. Your heart has the capacity for so much compassion, so much love. Every day I’m grateful that we met. I love you.”
“Thank God for that. Thank God.”
Even though they’d made love before their conversation, his reply melted her insides, charging her sated body for another round of play. When she placed a wet kiss on his lips, he got recharged as well.
Chapter Twenty-Two
This IS Home
“MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU guys!” Julie’s greeting rang through the bar.
“Ho, Ho, Ho.” Danny pulled out three small boxes and placed them on the mahogany countertop.
“Who you callin’ a ho, Danny?” Ashley’s eyes sparkled as a giggle pealed out of her.
“I’m thinking he was addressing you, Spicy.” Kyle chuckled.
More than two years had passed since the feisty young woman entered their lives, and in that time, she’d become like a daughter to Danny and Julie. If he was being honest, even though Max and Kyle weren’t as young as Ashley, he and Julie still looked at them as family…sons. Max, Kyle, and Ashley were the reason Danny’s on Main had turned into the success it was. Sure, the bar had done well before they were employed, but it was doing ridiculously well now. There was a magic between the five of them that Danny didn’t think could be replicated, and for that, he was grateful.
Therefore, when he and Julie had discussed Christmas bonuses, they knew money wasn’t enough.
“They treat our bar as if it’s their own,” Julie had said over a candle-lit dinner she’d prepared one Sunday evening a few weeks earlier.
“I know. They work their asses off, above and beyond what’s expected.” Danny rubbed his hand over his scruff. He’d noticed a few gray hairs mixed in with all of the dark ones and wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Julie had noticed too, and based on her lust-filled eyes, wet lips, and rocking blow job the night she pointed out the first few, he decided he was just fine with the grays.
“I’ve been tossing around an idea, so let me know what you think.” Julie sipped her wine. “About two weeks ago, Kyle had to get his car from the parking lot—he’d left it there when he went home with one of the bar bunnies after work. I have no idea what he sees in those women…don’t look at me that way, Dan. He could do some much better.”
“But he couldn’t do easier, babe, and that’s what he’s looking for. Get back to the topic, or we won’t make the eight-thirty movie.” When she rolled her eyes, Danny’s pulse quickened. “So glad you just did that, honey. I’ve been looking for a reason to fuck you in the office when everyone’s around. Pump my dick into you knowing full well that you can’t make a peep. Looks like tomorrow’s the day.” His cock twitched in his jeans at the mere thought. “Next time, don’t roll your eyes at me. It’s rude.”
He leaned in and touched his lips to hers. Her moan told him that her punishment would be pleasure for the both of them.
“Now, let’s get back to the Christmas bonus idea,” he said.
Julie licked her full bottom lip, exhaled, and continued. “Anyway, he had been a bit drunk and a lot hasty to leave after his shift, and he mistakenly left his car keys in the bar. It was freezing that night. Sleet, crazy winds, and the guy couldn’t get into his car or into the bar, being that it was three thirty in the morning.”
“Shit, what did he do? And why is this the first I’m hearing about it?” Danny’s gut clenched at the thought of his boy stuck in the cold.
“Max came and got him, drove him to Kyle’s apartment because all of his roommates were too intoxicated to answer their cell phones.” Julie sipped her wine. “The whole situation got me thinking. Those three, we treat them like family, and they treat us the same. They respect our bar, treat it like home. Would it be so bad if we gave them each a set of keys in case of an emergency?”
The idea floated before it settled into his brain. “No, honey, I think that a brilliant fucking idea.”
With the five of them gathered in the empty bar closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, love floated through Danny’s veins. In that moment, it didn’t matter what was going on in the world outside; his little family stood there before him, and he felt content.
“Danny, give them their gifts.” Excitement seeped from Julie’s pores as Danny handed out the envelopes and the boxes.
“Oh man, this is unnecessarily generous,” Max muttered when he lifted the check from the envelope.
“Shit, you two keep upping the bonuses, and I’ll have my own spaceship by next year.” Kyle’s wink made Julie laugh, but Danny wished he could buy that boy the happiness he deserved.
“Oh…my…God. This is…” Ashley had opened the box and pulled out the key with the note card attached. Tears filled her eyes, but none of them fell as she seemed to contain them by sheer will. “I don’t know what to say about this.”
Danny looped his arm around his wife as they both watched Kyle and Max open their boxes and pull out their keys. Kyle’s brows shot together as if he couldn’t make sense of the words, “You never knock on the door of your own home.” Kyle mouthed the words a second time before lifting his head and staring first at Julie, then at Danny.
“Is this the key to Danny’s?” His voice trembled as the question left his lips.
“Our bar, not our home,” Julie answered.
Kyle looked at Danny, who simply nodded.
“This is home,” Ashley said, apparently speaking for the three of them by the way they all nodded. “Thank you for giving me—us—a home. This is the greatest present I’ve ever gotten.”
What Max, Kyle, and Ashley didn’t realize was their arrivals into Danny and Julie’s lives were three of the greatest gifts they had ever received as well. It may not have been the loud Christmas Danny wished for once upon a time, but there in his bar stood his little family. He was a happy man.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ashley and Ryan
JULIE AND DANNY were in the kitchen, discussing recipe changes with the cook, when on the monitor, they saw a man enter the bar and approach Ashley. They couldn’t hear what was said, but they saw the way Ashley’s body froze.
“Don’t like that at all. I’m going out there,” Danny announced.
“No, wait.” Julie grabbed her husband’s arm and stared at the screen. Her head tilted from side to side before her brow rose with understanding. “There’s something interesting going on between those two. Something familiar. Give them a few minutes, babe.”
Her tone clearly implied that her request was not a request at all, hence Danny backed away from the door. They stared at the screen, transfixed, tranquility practically hugging her husband. Ashley’s voice broke the barrier of the kitchen door.
“Hello? You still in there?” Ashley shouted at the man. “I asked, why the hell are you in my bar?”
Tranquility gone. Danny snapped into action.
“Oh really, so it’s your bar now is it, little girl?” Danny’s voice held humor as he swaggered into the main bar to address Ashley, Julie right on his heels.
So that’s Ryan Baker, Julie thought after being introduced to the handsome younger man. The Ryan Baker. Ashley’s one true love. Over the years, Ashley, through tons of Julie’s prompting and patience, had opened up to Julie and Danny about her past. They’d learned of her brother Leo’s passing and the horrific circumstances surrounding his death. Ashley had explained her relationship, or lack thereof, with her parents, and after a while, she told them minimal details about her one true love. Looking at the gorgeous, dark-haired, tattooed, modelesque-man whose eyes barely left Ashley, Julie could understand the difficulty in moving on from him.
For the rest of the day, Ryan stuck by Ashley’s side like glue, as if he was afraid if he blinked, she’d vanish and he’d be lost…again. As tightly wound as Ashley was in Ryan’s presence, the spicy girl’s eyes held a softness that had been missing since the day she came to Charistown.
Hmm, interesting. Maybe I can finally get her to talk to me about him. Julie saw Ashley drink another shot of tequila and head for the restroom. Then again, maybe tomorrow would be better.
###
“THEY BICKER, THEY laugh, they flirt, they fight,” Danny said to his empty office as Ashley’s sassy words, no doubt directed at Ryan, filtered through the bar walls. He rubbed his hand over the week’s worth of scruff that lined his jaw. “Six months he’s been here, and while every day is different, they’re all the same. It’s like that movie Groundhog Day. Something’s gotta give eventually.”
No one knew what would happen during a shift when Ashley and Ryan were together behind the bar. The only thing guaranteed was perfect service and comical entertainment.
“Those two are gonna drive me to drink.” Julie shook her head as she entered the office, closed the door, and stared at Danny, who looked at her from his desk chair with a smirk.
“You own a bar, honey. Have at it. Or…” He reached for her, his eyes hungry and his brow arched with mischief. “You can take your frustrations out on me.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that.” She stretched to flip the lock on the door.
“Max?” Danny spoke into the phone that connected the office to the bar. “Julie and I are taking a conference call. No interruptions for at least a half hour. Got it?” Danny’s full-on smile told Julie that Max had something less than appropriate to say before the call was disconnected.
“Are you gonna share?” Julie asked about Max’s comment.
“Never. Now get your sweet ass over here and let me help you with some of your frustrations.”
Her man could bottle his relaxation techniques, but just like him, she didn’t share.
