Treasure on Lilac Lane (Jewell Cove 2)

“Fellas,” he greeted.

“Hey,” Tom replied, his gaze wary. “What brings you by, bud?”

“The house gets a bit quiet. I was hoping for a game of darts and here you two are. Just waiting for an ass kicking.”

Bryce chuckled dryly. “Bro, I’m already there.”

“Hey, Rick.” Tanya, one of the regular waitresses, came over with a tray of empties. “Can I get you something?”

He considered a single glass of beer. Perhaps one shot of rum—he could handle that, right? After all, it had been so long. Things were better now.

And then he thought of Jess, standing in the doorway to her place, looking soft and rumpled, and said, “Just a Coke, Tanya, thanks.”

Neither Bryce nor Tom said a word but Rick thought he could see their shoulders relax a bit.

“Carry on,” Rick suggested. “I’ll play the loser. It’s been a while, so it’ll be good for your ego.”

The game was over in minutes. Rick sipped at his soda and watched Tom aim a perfect last shot. “Looks like I’m playing the cop,” he observed, a half grin playing on his lips. He nodded at Tom. “Clearly married life hasn’t affected your dart game much. How was Paris?”

Good grief, was his friend blushing? “Paris was good, thanks.”

Bryce chuckled. “Abby was telling Mary all about it. Apparently our boy here is very romantic.”

“Shut up,” Tom advised. “I’ll go get the next round.”

When he was gone Rick picked his darts and took a few warm-up throws. They started their game while Tom chatted at the bar. It’d be a while before they saw their round, but that was okay. Neither of them was empty.

“So what’s new?” Rick asked, lining up for a shot. He let go and missed his target by a half inch.

“Not much. A few break and enters we’ve been looking into, but things have been pretty quiet. As they generally are when the tourist season winds down.” Bryce smiled and took aim, his shot perfect. “The wild parties tend to slow down once school’s back in and everyone’s gone home.”

“Mary’s doing okay?”

Bryce grinned. “Better than okay. She’s due December twenty-seventh, so give her another few weeks and she’ll start complaining about being as big as a barn and not being able to see her feet.”

Rick laughed. Bryce didn’t sound as if he minded too much.

“She’s driving me crazy about the baby’s room, though. It’s pink, the way it was for Alice, but we’ve moved Alice into a new room and she wants this one repainted. It’s a boy this time,” he said. “And she can’t decide on a color. Says she wants a mural or some crazy thing. Who in heck is going to paint a mural on our walls? Sure as hell isn’t going to be me. Unless she wants stick people.”

Another few shots and Rick conceded that he was indeed rusty. Bryce was wiping the floor with him.

Tom finally came back with their drinks. Rick could have used something stronger, but was thankful Tom had simply gotten him another Coke. As they paused to take a drink, Bryce put his hand on Rick’s arm.

“You’re not drinking,” Bryce observed. “Is it wrong to say I’m proud of you?”

“Naw,” Rick answered, taking another sip. “Bit awkward, but not wrong.”

“You had a lot of shit to deal with,” Bryce said, looking over at Tom. “I’m glad things seem to be coming around.”

“Me, too,” Tom added. “

Rick put down his drink, touched by his friends’ loyalty more than he wanted to admit, yet feeling a strange pressure to live up to their expectations. “I’m fine. Let’s just play some darts. I think I’ve spotted you a big enough lead.”

They went on to play for another hour, laughing and joking. When Abby came in to get the guys, Rick offered to be the designated driver so they could hang out a little more.

He didn’t want to go home. Didn’t want to go there and face an empty house full of disappointments. But he was happy about one thing. He’d faced something that needed facing and he’d done it without alcohol. Another test passed. Hell, if he kept on this way he might actually get his life back.

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