Page 13 of Jack

The Den has become suffocating. Every two steps I take, someone new welcomes me home. Most of those interactionshave turned into thirty-minute conversations. I love seeing everybody and talking with them. I just need a few minutes to myself.

“Ross, you better win this pot.” I nod to the pile of money in the center of the table. That’s a nice size pot.

“Plan on it. You should join the next hand.” Ross has been trying to get me to play poker with him all week.

He stopped me as I was walking by. Naturally, I had to speak with the other five men at his table. Two are local townsfolk. Three are out-of-state brothers. They’re braver than I am. Ross has an unnatural way of winning. He swears it’s lady luck. His wife walks by from time to time. She pats his shoulder, kisses his cheek, and walks away. Several men over the years have accused Ross of cheating. No one has ever proven it, though. The cameras can’t even catch him if he is. Just know. I’ll never play poker with Ross. I like keeping my money.

With a final nod to everyone at the table, I make a beeline for the bar. I need a drink and some fresh air. From the looks of things, my best friend needs saving.

I walk up to the bar and toss an arm over Coty’s shoulders. “Crashing and burning again, I see.”

“Shut up.” Coty shoves my arm away.

The man next to Coty happily gives me his stool and heads out back. He has the right idea. I just need to tease my friend for a little bit first.

“Kayla!” I slap my hand on the bar. She turns at the sound of my voice. “Beer, sweetheart.”

Coty growls and elbows me in the side. If looks could kill, his eyes would cut me in half. I can’t help but laugh. He’s an idiot sometimes.

Kayla twists the top off a bottle and sets it on the bar. She gives me a big smile. “Good to see ya, Jack.”

She turns and walks away without so much as a glance at Coty. Oh, she knows he’s there. He makes his presence known every chance he gets.

“Hey!” Coty calls out. Kayla finally glances at him over her shoulder. Coty lifts his empty beer bottle. “Can I get another?”

Kayla drops her head back and rolls her eyes. Sure, Coty could go outside and grab all the beer he wants from one of the coolers. However, my friend has parked himself right here on this very stool every night since he found out Kayla is now one of our bartenders.

Kayla grabs another beer. She walks right up in front of Coty, locks eyes with him, and sets the bottle on the bar. For a moment, they stare at each other. Coty opens his mouth. Before he can speak, Kayla snaps her head toward me.

“Can I get you anything else, Jack?” Her sweet smile is all for show.

Coty sits with his mouth hanging open. Kayla continues to ignore him and pretends she’s happy waiting on me. These two need to work out whatever their issues are.

“No, ma’am.” I nod and lift my beer. “Thanks. I’m heading outside.”

“Great. Enjoy your night.” Her eyes move to Coty, giving him a little hope. Her smile fades, along with his hope. I swear an icy feeling settles over us. “Take your friend with you.” She spins on her heels and storms into the kitchen.

“Come on, Rodeo.” I grab Coty’s arm and pull him off the bar stool.

Reluctantly, he follows me. At the back door, he twists off the top of his beer and tosses it into the trash can.

“She didn’t open mine,” he grumbles.

I laugh so hard I have tears in my eyes. Coty shoves me ahead of him out the back door. The cool fall air is a welcomed changeand just what I needed. The backyard of the Den is just as crowded as the inside. At least out here, I feel like I can breathe.

The firepit sits about halfway across the yard. A nice bonfire is already lit. A few people are even roasting marshmallows. Wooden benches surround the Pit. Those are full. Both sides of the yard are lined with picnic tables. The back side of the yard has a covered stage. Dad makes club announcements there during the summer. On nights like tonight, a live band performs. The group tonight is one I’ve never heard before. They aren’t so bad.

The entire backyard is fenced in. Partygoers have to come through the clubhouse to get out here. Only the officers of the club have a key to the gates. Of course, my mom and grandmother do too. There’s a reason for the fence. My grandmother insisted on it being built. Too many fights broke out by people we didn’t know were here until it was too late. Nana actually started one of those back in her day.

“Uncle Jack!”

I hear her before I see her. I turn to the right just in time to catch my niece, Everly, as she launches herself at me.

“Hey, Twig.” I wrap my arms around her and twirl her around. “Where’s your brother?” I ask as I set her on her feet.

“Over with Uncle Jay.” She points to my right. Ah. It’s where she came flying in from.

Uncle Jay is actually Logan and Everly’s cousin. They’ve called him uncle since they could talk. Jay’s like a brother to me, so no one questioned it.

---