Page 106 of Lorenzo & Lily

He looked down at his hands. He’d unknowingly pulled the shell from his pocket, and his fingers had been toying with it. He felt the ridges along the top, and the smooth, sea-worn inside.

Lorenzo’s little girl had picked it for him. A little spot of bright in a dark life. If Lorenzo hadn’t made it back, he wouldn’t have had Liliana. He never would have met his Lily. If Hector hadn’t come back, what might he have missed?

He looked across the pub again, and saw Amelia. She greeted someone as they entered, then leaned over to wipe down a table. Her earrings caught the brief sunlight of the opened entrance, causing small beams of light to dance in the air.

Another spot of bright in the dark.

He still wasn’t sure he could do this, wasn’t sure he was up to it. Lorenzo believed in him, though, and Lorenzo wouldn’t let him fail.

Neither would he fail Lorenzo.

“All right.”

“All right what?”

“I’ll do it. I want to try.”

Lorenzo’s lips split in a wide smile. “Fan-fucking-tastic. I’ll get some paperwork together.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the asshole to put the place on sale first?”

Lorenzo waved a hand. “That’ll take a couple weeks, at most. He’s getting his notice about the liquor license in the next few days.”

“What about everyone who works here?”

“We’ll transition over everyone who wants to stay. We can give them paid time off while the place is being renovated, and even provide a bonus for those who stay. It shouldn’t take long to update everything if we plan well – a few days, maybe a week at most – and since the staff is small, those wouldn’t be significant costs.”

“Sounds easy, though I know it won’t be.”

“Definitely not. Bonus, though: asshole is more likely to sell to you than me, so that should work in our favor. He’d try to gouge me on price, but he’s not likely to do that to you.”

“Even though I’m sitting here with you? He probably realizes we’re friends.”

“Even then. He knows I bring veterans from the MARC here, so he wouldn’t think anything of it.” Lorenzo held out his hand. “Ready to be a partner?”

Hector took his hand and shook it. “Definitely.”

A heavy weight seemed lifted from his shoulders. He’d have a lot of work to do in the months ahead, but he could do it. Hewoulddo it.

“Thanks, Captain.”

“No problem.”

Hector held tight to his hand. “No, Captain.Thanks. For everything.”

Lorenzo sucked in a breath.

“Thanks for saving my life in the jungle, for bringing me to the MARC and saving it again. For doing this.”

“Perez.”

“Thanks, Low.”

Lorenzo took a shuddering breath. “You’re welcome.”

Hector nodded once, then let go.

“We should give the place a new name, unless there’s a reason to keep this one.”

“Don’t think there’s any historical reason for it. I think it’s just stayed the same through various owners. What would you change it to?”

He glanced around again, then down at the piece of beauty in his hands. The bar needed a fresh start, just like he did. He wanted to feel happy every time thought about the place, and wanted others to as well. There was one thing that made him surprisingly happy these days: his lucky talisman. “The Seashell. We should name it the Seashell.”

Lorenzo smiled. “I like it.”

Hector smiled his wonky smile back. “So do I.”

Time to look forward.

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