Page 62 of Reckless

I barely slept that night. It wasn’t nerves that kept me up, but planning. Kieran and I drank until one in the morning. Technically he was twenty, but I guessed I could close my eyes about the drinking, since he was responsible for disposing of dead people. When I got back to my apartment, I started thinking about the future.

I had to make a lot of money. Fast. I wanted Chloe and Liam to have enough if something happened to me. Not that I wasn’t going to do anything in my power to prevent that development, but I had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

At noon, I sat in my back office with bloodshot eyes. The staff had to come in an hour for a meeting. Chloe told me the girls were happy with the new uniforms. None of them particularly liked serving drinks dressed like a stripper. There were some questions about the new owner. No one knew who he was except me, and Chloe and I intended to keep it that way for as long as I could.

My phone rang.

“Did you fix it?” I asked without a greeting.

“That sleazeball isn’t caving,” Madison said.

“You shouldn’t have lied about it, Mad.” I couldn’t believe I was the one playing the role of the responsible adult between the two of us. “You have to tell Clem.”

“No, not yet. I will corner him. I have a plan.”

“The wedding is in three weeks. They are inviting people. Clem is pregnant. She doesn’t need that stress right now.”

“That’s exactly the reason I am not telling her. If I fix it, she won’t even know it happened in the first place.”

“Ifyou fix it?” I asked. “At the engagement party you said youwillfix it. Now it’s an if?”

“I will,” her voice trembled. “I will book it. I am flying to California next week. No one will know. Just keep your mouth shut, okay?”

“Fine. It’s your mess anyway.”

“Exactly,” she said and exhaled loudly. “Enjoy this moment, Ty. You are the thoughtful one for once.” I disregarded her comment.

“What’s your excuse for going back to Cali so soon?”

“That’s the best part. No need of an excuse. Hannah is organizing a bachelorette party.”

“Does Clem even want one?” I asked. Hannah hadn’t mentioned anything about a bachelorette party. Not that she shared every thought she had with me, but she talked a lot about the wedding. She would have said something.

“It’s a tradition and I need to go to Cali. Clem is having a party whether she likes it or not.”

“Have you talked about it with the maid of honor? I’m pretty sure that if Clem doesn’t want a party, Hannah will show you the middle finger.”

At least that was what she would do to me.

“Don’t burden your pretty head, Tyler. I can handle Clem and her sassy little friend.”

“Just like you handled the venue?”

Madison hung up on me and I laughed.

The staff meeting went smooth. Fast. Everyone else was excited. I couldn’t force myself to share the sentiment. So, I stayed in my office for the next couple of hours. Chloe snuck in a few minutes before the opening.

“Are you okay? You’ve been here the entire afternoon.” I just nodded. She continued. “Do you want to come over tomorrow morning? I’m making pancakes.” She paused. “Liam will be so happy to see you.”

“No,” I said softly. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She didn’t deserve it. But I couldn’t visit them either.

“He wants to see you, Tyler. He asks about you all the time.”

“I can’t. You know that.” I paused, then added, leaning back in my chair. “You know me. Please, just leave things the way they are.”

Tears filled her eyes, but she said nothing. I stood up and motioned towards the door.

“I will go downstairs alone tonight. If everything looks okay, I will text you. If I don’t text, don’t come down. Got it?”

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