Page 13 of (Un)Spoken

EIGHT

A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of the Lost Tavern, finding Javi and Theo waiting by the front entrance. They were both sitting on the bench by the planters, waving as we exited the car. I almost had to laugh—you couldn’t find two more different guys. While Javi had a wide smile, Theo was already scowling. It wasn’t unusual for him. I only knew of Theo’s soft side because I’d worked with him for so long. Most other people thought he was a power-hungry ass, but once you got to know the guy underneath, it was easy to see he was a secret sap at heart.

Javi was the complete opposite. He had a heart of gold, and everyone who met him wanted to be his best friend. But that honor went to Alex, he was almost more a brother than anything else. They had met while she was working at the Isadora, the largest hotel in the area. While Alex quit to start her own venture, Javi stayed and even got promoted. The new manager position suited him, and we were all ecstatic he was finally getting the recognition he deserved.

I walked up to them, knocking Theo on the arm. “Look alive, man. Tonight’s supposed to be fun.”

“I’ve heard that before,” he grumbled. “Remember when you dragged me to Malibu for that ‘can’t miss’ party, and I ended up with your flavor of the week, trying to keep her from puking all over their patio?” He glared at me. “I don’t trust your judgment of fun.”

I grimaced, sneaking a peek at Victoria over my shoulder. Luckily, she seemed to be preoccupied, talking with Javi about the hotel. “That was a long time ago.” I shook my head. “And besides, we all know why you’re really pissed.” I glanced down at my watch. “What’s it been, two hours since you left Calla’s side?”

“One,” he muttered. “What’s your point?”

“I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re even more of an ass when you’re missing her.”

I half-expected a snarky response, but Theo just shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with being attached to my wife. She’s the best part of my world. Find the right girl, and you’ll know what I mean.”

Those words felt so foreign coming from Theo, but they made sense. Ever since he eloped with Calla, Alex’s other best friend, the guy had softened. Where relationships used to be a four-letter word to him, he was happily committed, and I was honestly envious. Between him and Cole, I quickly learned that the right partner could change your life.

I glanced again at Victoria and smiled when our eyes met. Before my thoughts could venture back into dangerous territory, I turned toward Cole, clapping him on the shoulder. “Ready, big guy?”

He shook his head, hiding his laugh. “Seriously? Big guy?”

“I don’t know,” I chuckled. “Man of Honor?”

He shrugged, “Better than big guy. Let’s get this night started. I don’t want to be away from my girl too long.”

I rolled my eyes, needing to get away from all these happily coupled men. Luckily, Gray was joining us tonight, and he was even more opposed to relationships than me. While I had a bad history, at least mine was open to the world. Gray was a closed book, never talking much about the women he spent time with. The only reason I knew he went out was because some of the women at the lodge had gossiped about it over the breakfast buffet.

We pushed open the door, taking in the Lost Tavern. Even after coming here for months, it still put a smile on my face. On the other side, it looked like nothing special, just another storefront at the end of a strip mall. But inside, it was like a step back in time. From talking with Curt and Marta, I knew little had changed in the fifty years since it opened; they’d chosen to preserve the history of the restaurant. The Lost Tavern was divided into two sections, the front part being a large bar that wrapped around the entire room. On the far wall, there was an antique mirror, while the rest of the walls held pictures of patrons over the years. The back room was the dining area, with about fifteen tables of varying sizes—except for today, when they had all been cleared out, making space for the large poker table taking over the center of the room.

From the first time I visited, I loved the Lost Tavern. Marta and Curt were the most welcoming people, and they made sure I wasn’t bothered when I stepped through the door.

We took a seat at the bar, and I glanced around, calling out for our last players: “Curt, Gray, you guys here?”

“In the back,” Gray’s gruff yell echoed out. “Get settled. I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.” The sound of toolsclanking made me wince. “Motherf—Cole, I need you! The damn washing machine is acting up again and the old man’s no help.”

“Who the hell you calling an old man?”

Cole rolled his eyes and touched his sister’s shoulder before heading into the back room. Victoria claimed the stool next to me, taking in the room. Her eyes widened as she searched each picture, probably looking for familiar faces. They weren’t hard to find. Alex, Cole, and I had all managed to make it onto the wall a couple of times. Even Theo had been forced by his wife to take a picture or two. Calla, who Victoria hadn’t met but I was sure would love, had the most after Gray, pictures over her lifetime of growing up alongside the Anders family. She happily sighed as she turned back toward me. “This place is so cool.”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite places. You have to come back when they’re open. They have the best burgers I’ve ever had.”

“Is that an invitation, Rice?” she smirked, leaning back in her seat.

Shit, I wanted to say yes, to offer to show her all my favorite places in town, ending, hopefully, in my bed. But I bit my tongue, shaking my head. “I was thinking more you and Cole. You guys should grab dinner together before you head back home. “

Her brow furrowed. “Oh, yeah. That’s…that’s a good idea. I’ll ask Cole.”

As she turned back toward Javi, I ran my hand over my face. This was getting ridiculous. I was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, helping guide Victoria and Cole back into each other’s lives. But instead, I wanted to selfishly hoard her to myself, keeping everyone else away for fear of what they might say.

Gray and Cole emerged from the back, wiping their hands on a spare rag. Gray nodded to me, “Hey man, you good? Need a drink? I grabbed some ginger beers if you’re interested.”

“Sounds good,” I said, trying to ignore Victoria’s warmth next to me. Shit, I really could have used something to take the edge off, but I wouldn’t do that to Cole. Even though he insisted it was okay if we drank around him, none of us felt comfortable, not wanting to put him in a bad position, especially on his night.

As Gray introduced himself to Victoria, I could see the wheels turning in her head. It was funny—no one seemed to make the connection with Gray’s name until they saw him in person. She tilted her head. “Wait, are youtheGrayson Anders?”

He chuckled, reaching down to grab a glass under the bar. “I don’t know about that, but I’ve played ball for a few years, so you might know me from that.”

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