Page 126 of On The Rocks

There were two huge hotels nearby and already a strip of shops near the beach. The closer we got, the louder the ocean became. The humidity and salt hung in the air along with the nearby laughter of people vacationing on the beach.

We rolled onto the parking lot, which was large enough to hold a ton of cars. It was pitted and definitely needed resurfacing but was well kept. A car, which had to be Richard’s, waited by the front doors.

His driver was standing against the car, his arms folded.

We parked near him and both of us got out.

“Hi, is Mr. Devon inside?”

The man nodded but he said nothing.

“Okay.” I shook my head and headed up the ramp to the front doors.

The stairs were in desperate need of repairs, but the doors were a very cool Art Deco style. Inside it was definitely an ode to the 80s with some old carpeting that definitely needed to go. Itlooked as if whoever owned it before had done some remodeling, but now it was a dingy white with ceiling fans that looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in a decade.

There was more Art Deco treatments on the frosted glass doors.

I glanced over at Griffin, who was looking around with a remote look on his face. His poker face was way better than I expected after getting to know him.

The happy-go-lucky Griffin was gone.

We’d been so close the day before and now the tension was as heavy as the humidity in the building. I plucked at my shirt to get it off my sweaty skin before I walked through the frosted doors.

I rolled my shoulders to kick off the nerves.

Richard wasn’t in the main club area. But my mouth dropped open at the massive circular bar that took up one whole corner of the place. It was a hideous, teal-tiled area, but the space was awesome.

I hurried over to duck under the side access to the bar.

Inside was a long counter that curved with the same shape of the bar. Tons of space for alcohol, glasses, mixers, and best of all, bartenders. There was plenty of room to move without knocking into people, and a high ceiling to allow for all of the flair.

“Lennon?”

“In here!”

Richard came through another set of doors to the back deck. I hadn’t gotten there yet. He noticed Griffin first and held out his hand. “Oh, hello. I didn’t realize she was bringing someone with her.”

“Griffin St. James. I’m just a friend along for the ride.”

Thefriendword arrowed into me. It was what I wanted. No strings, just us having a good time.

Even if we’d left the good time on the beach last night.

Richard came farther into the room and to the bar. He was in his forties and trim in a neutral summer suit. Shrewd eyes the color of moss offset sandy hair cut short. “I knew this would be a selling point for you.”

“It’s amazing. The front needs a lot of work, though.”

“Mostly just surface stuff. I had a code enforcement guy come through before I contacted you about this with a list of things that need work. It does need new HVAC, which will cost a mint, but the place is structurally sound. It’s mostly cosmetic for renovations.”

“That’s good.” I looked beyond Richard to see Griffin standing on the expanse of ugly carpet outside the back doors. Then I refocused on Richard. “Looks like they’re doing a lot of work on the area.”

He nodded. “They want to build up this space. Spread out the vacationers and focus on younger people.”

“Which is where I would come in.”

“Exactly.” He held out his arm. “Wait until you see the deck.”

“I can’t wait.”

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