The Marriage Contract, Natasha Black [thriller books to read .TXT] 📗

In fact, he got more dedicated to coming up with menus that set us apart from all the other bars in the area. This was especially true for our theme nights. That was what we were known the most for among our customers. The brilliant idea of my brother Mason’s wife, Ava, the theme nights transformed the bar with decorations, lighting, music, games and contests, and specialized food.

It was those that put us on the map and started drawing in the big crowds. Now some of them were so popular we had to give out wristbands to prioritize who was allowed in when we opened. Tonight’s event probably wasn’t going to be quite to that level, but that didn’t mean we weren’t going to be busy.

Board Game Night was something other places had done, but Ava was, of course, putting her own special spin on it. I was looking forward to seeing how the customers would react to the life-size versions of games being set up in the two back rooms and the speed-dating-style rounds at the tables in the front of the restaurant.

Opening time was just a few hours away, which meant we were all hurrying around trying to get the bar ready. The only one of the gaggle of us brothers who wasn’t preparing for that night’s event was Tom, and that was only because he lived and worked in San Francisco. He and his wife Amanda came to town fairly regularly, but it had been a couple months since we’d last seen them.

I finished cleaning the souvenir glassware we’d ordered and had it set up behind the bar just in time for the shipment of supplies for the bar to arrive. As I walked outside to the back parking lot to start hauling in boxes and crates, a car pulled in. Ava and Mason got out, and I watched as they walked around to the back of the car. They paused for a kiss and grinned at each other before opening the trunk.

They had gone out in search of more games to have out on the patio and to break down and use in decorations for the night. I watched as Ava leaned over to get a bag out of the back of the trunk and Mason pinched her butt. She let out a little squeal and whipped around toward him.

Mason gathered her up in his arms, and they giggled, hugging and kissing again. Watching them flirt and then walk into the bar holding hands only reminded me of how badly I wanted that. Not Ava. She was like a sister to me and had been since they were just teenagers.

I wanted a relationship of my own. A family. There was a time when I thought I was almost there. Being in the military for nearly twenty years was hard and pushed me mentally and physically. But I always reminded myself I had a good woman back home who was waiting for me. And when I got out, we would get married and have a family of our own.

At least, that was what I had counted on. Then I found out my ex started cheating on me within just a few months of me leaving for one of my tours. She was carrying on with someone I had thought was my friend behind my back, all the while continuing to lead me on and letting me believe everything was great between us.

I didn’t uncover the truth until I was back in town visiting during a leave and went to surprise her at her house. She didn’t realize I was getting back so early. Obviously, or she wouldn’t have been on a blanket in the backyard with the guy I thought was my friend.

That image in my head, I looked back over at Mason and Ava as they came out into the parking lot again and went for another load of the games. My brother waved at me but didn’t let go of Ava’s hand for a second. I waved back, not letting him see the emotion in my face.

I wanted what they had so much, but I wasn’t sure I would ever find it. In my late thirties, I wasn’t old, but I also wasn’t the springy early twenty-somethings out in the dating market. Considering I had no intention of leaving my hometown of Astoria, the pool of options seemed pretty narrow and was getting narrower.

I carried a box inside and was unloading it at the bar when Ava came up.

“Hey, Jordan,” she said.

I looked up from putting the bottles in place and smiled at her. “Hey, Ava.”

“So, that new cocktail waitress I hired is starting tonight. She should be here pretty soon,” she said.

“You have her starting on a theme night?” I asked, surprised. “Throwing her into the fire, aren’t you?”

She laughed. “Well, I figure she better get used to it right off the bat. It’s better to show her what it’s like here when we’re busy than to lull her into complacency with just a regular night and then have her freak out on us when we have another theme night. At least tonight isn’t going to be as crazy as some of the others.”

“True,” I said. “You’re being easy on her. Magnanimous, even.”

Ava laughed. “Something like that. Her name is Hannah. When she gets here, will you show her around and let her know her duties and responsibilities? She says she has experience, so it shouldn’t be too hard for her to pick things up, but I want to make sure that she is ready and can keep up tonight.”

“Sure thing. I can do that,” I said.

My sister-in-law walked away, and I went back to putting away the shipment and getting everything set up for the night. We had some experience with running the theme nights now and had learned that it was important to be set up and ready well in advance. Having things like the glasses positioned for