“Where are yougoing?”
“Molly’s on Toulouse.You know the place, right?I know you’ve barely been home in the last decade, but you should remember a few things.”Bitterness crept intoHeath’stone.
“Twice.I’ve been home twice in the last decade, and yes, I remember where Molly’s is.”Did I sound defensive?Maybe.
“Good.Meet us there.”He ended the call without waiting for aresponse.
Ugh.I hesitated for a full sixty seconds before asking Carver to changedirection.
The last time I went to Molly’s was when I was twenty-one and finally feeling like I’d come into my own.Four years in California not giving a shit about what anyone thought, along with developing and selling a few apps while I was in college, had improved my confidence measurably, not to mention myfinances.
It had only taken one night at Molly’s to grind all that newfound cool-kid attitude into dust, though, and of course it was all because of one guy.Rhett Hennessy.I swear, he could be linked to every good and bad memory I had in this town, which probably had something to do with why I only came back when it was absolutelynecessary.
To this day, I hadn’t forgotten what it felt like to walk into that bar with my newly legal ID and see my brother and Rhett in the middle of a group of girls vying for their attention, each one taller, skinnier, and prettier than me.I was going through my Cali no-fucks-given phase, so I was wearing ripped boyfriend jeans and a worn white T-shirt shredded on the sides with a black bra under it.For me, it was the height of daring, especially knowing who I would beseeing.
Except Rhett hadn’t teased me like usual.Hadn’t asked me why I’d stolen his T-shirt (except I hadn’t ...not this time).No, he’d ignored me.Pretended I didn’texist.
The only saving grace was that he’d been blind to the pack of girls too, or so I’d thought.When he left an hour after I arrived, and I might have kept track down to that last minute, one particularly gorgeous stacked blonde exited the bar through the same door two minuteslater.
The next morning at breakfast with my dad, I caught a glimpse of Heath’s texts with Rhett giving him shit about going home withsomeone.
I still couldn’t help but wonder if the escape happened because he was taking pity on me, not wanting me to see him leave with someone else because he knew about my ridiculous crush.How pathetic,right?
But tonight, I wasn’t worried about any of that.Not my crush, not the past.Tonight was about helping an old friend, even if I used the term loosely, escape from some heavy stuff.My heart clenched when I thought of how Rhett must be feeling.His father, the man he’d looked up to his whole life, had been accused of terrible things.And then to know his dad had been blown up?Possibly by hisownhand?
I cringed at the horrificreality.
Honor was a cornerstone of Rhett’s character, and to think that his father had betrayed what he held most dear ...howdevastating.
Carver navigated his way through traffic and pedestrians to get as close to the bar as possible.“Would you like me to park and find a discreet place to waitinside?”
What he really meant waswill extra security be necessary?But with Heath and Rhett both there, I wasn’t worried about mysafety.
“You don’t need to stay.Go find a place to grab dinner, and I’ll text when I’m ready.I’ll be a few hours.”Long enough to miss any potential call withCarlos.
“Yes, ma’am.Enjoy yourevening.”
“Thank you, Carver.”I hopped out of the car and headed for the door tothebar.
Molly’s was a bit of a dive.Even with its proximity to Bourbon Street, it had a distinctly different crowd from the tourist-jammed bars a hundred yards away.Locals filled thestoolshere.
“Flounder!Youmadeit!”
The yell came from beyond the pool table, where my brother and Rhett had taken up position at a high-top with a bottle of whiskeybetweenthem.
That mental groan?It was for my childhood nickname being shouted acrossthebar.
Cue the question I’d gotten all too often during my life: are you named after the little mermaid?Why, yes.Yes,Iwas.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer while she was pregnant with me, and lack of medical technology at the time meant she couldn’t be treated until after I was born.I lived, and she didn’t.I steeled myself for the full-body wave of emptiness that came every time I thought about the woman who gave up her life so I could have one.My eyes burned with familiartears.
How can I miss someone so badly when I never knew her?My logical mind railed at me every time, but there was no reasoning away the pain.My brother didn’t realize that every time he used that nickname, it reminded me of the story my dad had told me about my mom spending her whole pregnancy watching Disney movies and telling me all the things she wouldn’t be able to share with me as Igrewup.
How different would my life have been if I’d had a mom?Rhett might have just lost his dad today, but despite everything that happened, he had over thirty years of good memories he could recall, regardless of whether the last one was shit.I didn’t even have that.I had nothing.The sense of loss dogged my every step as I blinked back tears and crossed the floor, avoiding meetinganyone’seyes.
“Shut up, Scuttle.”My brother laughed as I reached the table, the scent of whiskey waftingoffhim.
Another couple of blinks and I finally looked up.Bam.Rhett’s brilliant green gaze slammedintomine.