Page 47 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

“She asked why I opened a bar.”

The confusion on his dad’s face cleared up. “Ah, I get it. That’s good. You two bonded, huh.”

“You could say that.” Cyril scratched his jaw. “Anyway, I told her about the good times I used to have sitting around with you, Uncle Tommy, Uncle June and Uncle Otis, listening to you all give us advice while you went through a twelve-pack of beer. That I opened this place to bring back those good feelings.”

The concern crept back into his dad’s face. “What else did you say?”

Cyril immediately understood his dad’s concern. Had he gone so far as to go into the details of why they didn’t all get together anymore? Had he gone into the scandal surrounding his mom’s death?

He shook his head. “Nah, I didn’t get into all that. I figured that story needs to come from you. It’s not mine to tell.”

His dad glanced away. “Well, I’m glad things worked out.” He looked back at Cyril. “What did y’all decide for the festival?”

They hadn’t gotten anything finalized. They’d gotten lost with the kiss. “Umm...we talked about getting a list of themes from the businesses. And Imani mentioned wanting a parade.”

“Parade!” Sam, the bartender helping them that night, said with a bright smile. “Are you doing a parade?”

Jay looked up from his two beers. “We’re having a St. Patrick’s Day parade? I used to go to the parade back in my hometown.”

Cyril held up a hand to push back the excitement coming his way. “I said we talked about a parade.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” his dad said. “We only have the Christmas parade in town, but having another one would be a good way for businesses to get the word out.”

Sam slid a beer to a customer before chiming in. “I agree! We could even do a truck with a keg on it and pass out flyers with discounts for the bar.”

“And advertise it to the surrounding towns that it’s not only a parade but also a day-long festival. That’ll go a long way toward strengthening our application for Best Small Town.”

Cyril spun around at the sound of Emily’s voice. When had she, the president of the Business Guild, come in? Had he been that out of it?

“I can’t put together a parade. I’ve got enough going on,” Cyril said firmly.

“That’s fine. We’ll pull together a committee to help. In fact, when I tell the mayor she’ll be on board and could probably get some assistance from the people who work for the town,” she said, excitement clear in her voice. “This is going to be great. I’m glad you and Imani came up with such a good idea.”

“It wasn’t my idea. Imani thought this up.”

His dad slapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you two worked together so well.”

He looked from his dad to the rest of the people around the bar. A few patrons who sat at the tables and chairs closer to the bar watched with enthusiasm and others spread the word to those who couldn’t hear the conversation. The news that Peachtree Cove would host a St. Patrick’s Day parade would be all over town before the sun rose.

“I’m taking my break.” He turned away from the excited chatter about parade plans and went to his office.

“I’m coming with you,” his dad said.

Cyril would have preferred to be alone, but he wouldn’t turn his back on his dad. He stood by the door and let Preston go in before him. Once away from the crowd in the bar he headed to where he’d blended his beer, but a vision of him and Imani there earlier formed. He made an immediate about-face and headed to the desk in the corner.

“I know you probably want to be alone, but I needed to tell you something,” his dad said, tuned in to Cyril as usual.

“I’m good. What do you need to tell me? Are you not going to be home tonight?”

His dad grinned sheepishly then shrugged. “I may stay with Ms. Kemp tonight, so I wanted to catch you. I was worried you and Imani wouldn’t get along earlier today.”

“Nah, we got along pretty good.” He shifted his stance and tried to ignore the vision of him and Imani still clear as day in the opposite side of the room.

“Good. Linda and I really want you and her to be like family. Like brother and sister. We haven’t had that for a long time, and well, this is our chance to build up our families again. One day you’ll get married and so will Imani. There will be grandchildren and we’ll all be together. I’m really happy that I’ll be able to give Linda that.”

The vision across the room evaporated. Guilt kicked Cyril’s stomach to his feet. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be like brother and sister.”

“Yes, you can and you will be. If you two keep getting along and become friends. Then we’ll be like one big ole happy family. Can you at least try? I know how much it hurt when your cousins turned their backs on us after your mother died. I know they were like siblings to you, and I want you to have something similar in your life again. Maybe Imani can be the start of you getting that. Don’t you think?”

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