The Lies I Told(67)

Now I was so close to having it all, and I didn’t want to take even one step back.

I’d been sitting in my car in front of David’s townhome for an hour when he finally pulled up. Out of my car, I tossed my cigarette to the pavement and ground out the embers. This was my third trip to his house and the first time I’d caught him. For a guy who worked at home, he wasn’t around much.

I’d not seen David since we were teenagers, and to see him sitting in J.J.’s Pub celebrating Marisa’s birthday had caught me off guard. I’d not said anything, but the more I thought about him living in my town, the more doubts I had.

When David saw me moving toward him now, he momentarily froze, just as he’d done at the birthday party. I’d first met him years ago at a juvenile-detention camp. I was sixteen and in for breaking into homes and stealing. He’d been eighteen and working at the camp as a church volunteer.

David grinned. But I knew better than anyone that a smart man smiled no matter how nasty the shit sandwich. Never let them see you sweat.

“Jack, it’s good to see you.” Survival Rule #1: sound genuine, even if you aren’t feeling it. “What brings you here?”

“I was in the neighborhood checking out my new restaurant location. It’s two blocks from here. Want to get a drink?”

“I didn’t know you were opening up here.”

“Bought the property in December. Renovations started in January. Drink?”

David could always smell a lie, which was why I led with the truth. Another smile. “Sure, why not? There’s a bar down the street. A bit of a hole-in-the-wall, but the beer is cold.”

I huddled deeper into my jacket. “Singing my song.”

David had never been an athlete, but he’d been leaner the summer we crossed paths. He’d been everyone’s best friend, and that trait had earned him points with the boys at camp as well as the counselors and guards. However, a bad diet and too much desk time had softened him. I never wanted to lose my lean body, my edge.

“I remember Brit saying at the birthday party that you lived in the area, so I gave it a try,” I said.

He didn’t question how I’d found his address. Back in the day, I’d been the kid who traded in information. “Glad you did. We didn’t have much time to talk at Marisa’s birthday party.”

“Brit went all out, didn’t she?”

“That’s how she rolls. No half measures for that woman.” David slowed as we approached a pub located in the basement of a four-story brick row house. He walked down the three steps, opened the door next to the red OPEN sign, and held the door for me. “Gets better, I promise.”

I followed him into the dimly lit bar. The faint scent of smoke drifted from the shadows, mingling with a blues song played over an unseen sound system. As I strolled toward the bar, I glanced at the black-and-white, framed posters of old blues-guitar players. I’d been here several times to check out the competition. What I had planned for my new establishment would smoke this place.

“If memory serves, you were into beach music,” I said.

He chuckled. “‘Myrtle Beach Days’ is my theme song.”

“Let me get this.” I ordered two beers.

“Thanks.”

When the bartender served two bottled beers, I handed one to David, and we found an empty booth. Jackets off and hung on pegs, we sat.

David held up his beer. “Thanks again.”

I tipped my bottle toward him and took a long pull. I’d tried the sober route for almost a year, but lately had a drink or two. I knew now how to keep it in check, so I wasn’t worried. “What did you think of Marisa’s birthday party?”

“Like I said, Brit never goes halfway. She put a lot of thought into it. Wanted to make it a blast from the past. The Wizard of Oz hats were definitely icebreakers.”

“That’s for certain.”

I’d been assigned the Lion hat, a.k.a. the coward. If I were a betting man, and I was, I’d say Brit was sending us all a message with those damn hats.

“Are you and Brit serious?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“Seriously? You just met her two months ago.”

“That’s right. We met in the hospital after Marisa’s accident.”

“I met Jo-Jo when she was in high school, but when we met again five years ago, it took me weeks to get her to go out on a date with me. She knew I had a record and didn’t want any part of it. Does Brit know that you know me from before?”

“I didn’t see the point in bringing it up.”

“I don’t like remembering the camp. But I told Jo-Jo about my time there and in prison. Better she see me for who I am. For better or worse, right?”

“Right.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. You saved my ass in camp, and I don’t forget my friends.” I had been dealing in camp and was expecting a shipment through the kitchen. It’d been stolen by one of the kids, and my ass would’ve been in a sling if I didn’t sell and repay my supplier. David had told me at the meal break who’d taken the drugs. It didn’t take much to steal them back or beat the hell out of the thief. From then on, David saw to it that my stuff was protected. He always refused a cut. His payback would come later, in the form of one hell of a favor.