Whiskey and Country

9

NICHOLAS

“That’s the last one,” I said as Tucker took the box from my arms and locked the storage unit door behind us. “The rest of my stuff is either in my truck or I gave it away.” I swiveled to face him. “Thanks for the help, man.”

“Are you kidding? This is the least I could do.” His face turned serious, the lightness in his voice gone. “You know—” He scratched his nape. “It’s weird thinking you won’t be around for a while.”

“Come on. You have all these women to keep you fully busy. And warm at night. You don’t need me,” I deadpanned with a chuckle.

“Nick, there’s more to a man’s life than a buffet of pussies,” my friend stated resolutely, counting on his fingers. “There’s beer. And whiskey. And hockey. And poker nights.”

I pulled him into a side hug. “I think you’ll be okay. Jace’s still here, and you could get a steady girlfriend if you want full-time company.”

Tucker stepped away, smoothing his designer shirt while shaking his head. “Jace is Pam’s slave, and no way I’m settling down. Look where it got my old man. Not gonna end up with the same fate. I’m all in for the fun part, not the relationship and love complications, though. You should know it by now.”

I looked to the skies in despair then grinned. “I wouldn’t recognize you if your speech was different. Sometimes it’s like I’m having a talk with your sixteen-year-old self. Glad this lifestyle suits you, Tuck. But I want more. Someday. I want what my folks have.” I dug my phone out to check the time. “Guess I should hit the road.”

Tucker nodded. “Yeah. Got something for you before you go. Something on the list.” He raised a finger and ran to his car. A minute later, he came back with a white cover.

“What’s this?” I asked with a frown.

Tucker handed me the envelope and pushed his sleeves up his forearms, his eyes flickering back and forth. Was he nervous? Tucker Philips didn’t do nervous.

Angst filled me. What did he do? With care, I opened the flap and pulled two tickets out. Whoa. Carter Hills’s show in Nashville next fall. My gaze sprang to my best friend, rocking on his heels. A million thoughts rushed to my head.

Tucker offered me a lopsided smile, his usual confidence gone. “Thought you could use those. You know… since he was one of Derek’s idols and shit. You get the point—”

I stared at him. My voice got lost on its way up. The back of my eyes prickled. With my free hand, I rubbed the column of my throat, trying to ease the tightness rendering me speechless. Tucker shrugged, and I pulled him into my arms. We hugged like we’d never done before. After a beat, I moved to study his face.

“Two tickets. Does it mean you’re coming with me?”

My best friend shook his head, his legendary smug smirk fully back on. “Nope. Don’t get your hopes too high, man. No way I’m going. Only girls gush over tickets like these. I wouldn’t recognize one of his songs, even if my life depended on it.”

I glanced at them. Fifth row. And blinked.

“Okay, you went all in for this. You would miss seeing Carter Hills up close for some principle? Now I see it. You’re afraid you’ll turn into a groupie. Or a die-hard fan. That makes sense. You’re right then; you should probably avoid going. Just in case,” I teased. “You can’t be too careful about fangirling. I heard it’s super contagious.”

“I’m just not a fan.”

I offered him a pointed look.

We stared at each other, and Tucker sighed with a headshake.

“Okay. Fine. If you insist and only if you haven’t found anyone to go with you by then, I might consider it. Unless you want to keep the second ticket as if it were Derek’s. Your call. Do as you want, but promise me I’ll be your last choice, okay? I’m not ready to transform into a Carter Hills follower, but I prefer sacrificing my ego than letting you go to that show alone like a loser who got dumped at the last minute. Are we clear?”

I pulled my friend into my arms again. “You’re just jealous because the guy is hotter than you. But I love you, man. You know I’ll miss your sorry face, right?”

Tucker pushed me back with both hands. “You better, and if you don’t, I will find you. I have my ways. Now go. Find your destiny or happiness or whatever. Find the old you. Make Derek proud.”

He averted his eyes.

My throat worked as a curtain of emotions wrapped around me.

Tucker stepped forward, and we fist-bumped. “See ya, man. If you ever change your mind, you can always come back and crash on my couch, now that you’re officially homeless. I wouldn’t say no to having you as a roommate. You clean after yourself, and you can cook.”

“Thanks. Very noble of you.” With a half-smile, I hauled myself behind the wheel of my pickup truck, pulled out of the driveway, and rolled down the window. “Don’t do stupid shit while I’m not there to watch your back,” I told my friend.

“Will you come running back if I do?” he asked, a cocky grin now curving his lips.

“Nice try, man.”

He waved at me as I drove away. My heart did a funny flip in my chest. For a second, I wondered if going on this trip was truly my purpose. But then my fingertips grazed Derek’s bucket list I’d clipped to the sun visor, and liquid warmth filled my heart to the brim, knowing I wasn’t alone on this journey.

A few miles west of Cleveland, I took an exit, parked my truck on the side of the road, and studied the piece of paper. I had no idea what to aim for first. With my eyes closed, I tried to picture Derek beside me. “What do you wanna do, bro?” I asked out loud. Yeah, as if he’d answer me. After a moment, my phone vibrated in the center console. With an exhale, I picked it up.

Jace: You left already? Sorry I missed you. Be safe. Sea you in a few weeks. Or months, I suppose.

Jace: *see, not sea. Obviously.

My entire self came to life.

My heart leaped in my chest.

I breathed easier once the shock subsided.

Jace just gave me the answer I’d been waiting for without even knowing it. I kissed my two fingers and saluted the sky. “To the beach then. Let’s go see the ocean. I haven’t been there in a long time.”

Me: Near Cleveland. Going to the ocean first. I’ll keep you posted.

Jace: Have fun. Call if you need anything.

Me: Thanks, man.

Never. Jace didn’t need to know that, though. Pamela would kill me if I asked my friend for anything. Why she hated me that much, I had no clue. Somehow, I always thought she slept with my friend, hoping I’d run after her and tell her she was the one. Things were clear between us from the start. We saw each other on occasions. It suited us both. Until it didn’t and she went all crazy on me. Now Jace was stuck in the middle.

Never would I have thought Pamela White was marriage material, though. I was wrong. Or I wished I was. For my friend’s sake.

My grumbling stomach cut my thoughts short. A quarter of a mile to my left, I spotted a truckers’ diner. Perfect timing. I’d been on the road for five hours, feasting on snacks. I could use a real meal just about now.

I parked next to an eighteen-wheeler and got out. The driver, a man sporting a gray beard and a forest-green cap, bowed his head as I circled my truck, giving me a front view of his crooked smile.

“Lost, young man?” he asked.

“No. Just hungry.”

“Ask Betsy for today’s special. Tell her Dick sent you.”

I offered Dick a smile and nodded my acknowledgment. “Thanks.”

After hesitating for a moment, I slid into a cracked old vinyl seat next to the wide window. Betsy, according to her nametag, neared my table, a glass of water in hand. Placing it, she pointed to the plastic-covered menu stacked behind the metallic napkin holder.

She stood there, watching me as I studied the dishes, her fists on her large hips. “Need more time?”

I cleared my throat. “Still serving today’s special? Dick told me to ask for it.”

A grin grew large on her face, and she pushed a white curl away from her forehead with one thick finger. “Oh, you know Dick? One special for you then.” She winked. “We only serve it to our special customers.”

“Thanks.” I ordered black coffee before Betsy could walk away. After she retreated, I opened the map app on my phone, wondering where I should head to. Following the roads that led out from this diner, I found my destination.

Medora Beach.

It was a long ride from here. But somehow, it appealed to me.

After my late lunch, I drove four more hours and stopped at a motel for the night, craving a more-than-welcome shower. And a few hours of sleep.

The ringing of my phone shook me out of my slumber the next morning. With my eyes closed, I patted the bed and nightstand to silence the noisy device. I hadn’t slept this well in a long time. And right now, I could’ve used a couple of more hours of sleep. Since I left Chicago yesterday, a piece of my heart had been slotted back into place. I couldn’t explain it in words, but I felt it. Deep in my bones. In my everyday life, I used to have plans. Nothing was done randomly. Never. Which served me in my job. That’s how I got away with the penthouse fuck-up two months ago. But now that I’d decided to check every item on Derek’s list, I wanted to be more spontaneous. To live and let live. To let life show me the way.

And this freedom, even if scary when I thought too much about it, appealed to me.

No expectations. No obligations. No nothing.

Tucker’s face flashed on the screen. Seven a.m. Yeah, two or three additional hours of sleep would have been amazing.

His cheerful voice contrasted with my sleepy state.

“You up?” he asked.

I grumbled something, rubbing my eyes with my fists to wake up a little more.

“Just came back from my run. Thought you could use some morning cheer. Back on the road yet?”

I swept my legs over the edge of the bed and sat with my elbows propped on my knees.

“Slept like a baby. Didn’t put an alarm because I figured I’d toss and turn all night like I’ve been doing for months. But you’re right. I should go on a run too. Clear my mind for the d—” Whispers on the other end of the line stopped me mid-sentence. “Why did you call me if you’re not alone, man?”

“Bros before hoes. Remember?”

I stretched my arms over my head, got up, and slid my bare ass into a pair of black jogging shorts.

“Get back to your booty call. I’ll ring you later when I hit the road.”

“Have you decided on your next stop?” Tucker asked.

“Medora Beach. Seems like a quiet, small town. It’s not Chicago, but it looks cozy.”

“Wait for me in the shower,” Tucker said to someone who wasn’t me. The sound of a hand smacking naked flesh and a high-pitched laugh replaced the silence next. I shook my head. Some things never changed. “Sorry, where were we? Oh yes, that beach. I may have something to help you to your next location. You’d have to be there in about a month. I don’t have all the details yet. Let me know when you’re tired of the ocean breeze and the shining sun so I can run it by you.”

“Let’s talk later. You tell me all about it then.”

We hung up, and I ran for the next forty-five minutes. Until my lungs burned. And my knees wobbled. On my way back to the motel, I accepted a call from my mother.

“Hey Mom.”

“Oh, Nicholas. How are you? Have you left town already?”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I did. In Havertown now. Some small town in Maryland. Just finishing a run.”

“Nicholas, I’m worried about you. Are you sure this entire trip is a good idea? I know you always plan everything out, so this doesn’t sound like you.”

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m actually more than fine. Can we talk later? I gotta go. Tell Dad I said hello, okay?”

“I will. Be careful out there.”

“Always. Bye, Mom.”

My parents were pretty clueless about my life. I had no idea why they acted parent-y now. It made no sense. Murielle had been much more of a maternal figure to me over the years.

After a quick shower, I grabbed breakfast and got on the road again. Tucker called me back before I could merge left on the interstate.

“Uncle Mike,” he said as soon as I accepted the call instead of his usual “Hey man” or “What’s up?” My jaw clenched around the bagel I was about to bite into. “What if I told you that you could cross numbers four and five in one go?”

“Wait. What? You know Derek’s list by heart?”

“No. I took a picture with my phone the other day. Thought it would come in handy along the way. Keep tabs on you. Anyway, Uncle Mike is looking to hire a foreman for the next six months for this residential development he’s building. None of his employees are qualified enough for the job. I told him all about you, and if you’re interested, the position is yours. It would be a new experience. And you’d earn great money. Kind of a sweet deal, if you ask me. It’s not Chicago high rises or Cody’s big fat contract, but it’s a start.”

My friend didn’t have to say he was worried about me. I could tell in the way he tried to watch out for me, even from hundreds of miles away. Tucker and I were like brothers. Always had been. Jace was more like our annoying little cousin. We loved him very much, but we weren’t as close.

“O-okay. I didn’t think I’d make definitive plans so quickly. I left less than twenty-four hours ago. Can I have a think about it? The offer is nice, though. But it’s a long-term commitment. Where is Uncle Mike living?”

“Green Mountain, Tennessee. The Smoky Mountains, you know? It’s not that far from where you’re heading. It’s close to big cities. Nashville, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Louisville. There is plenty all around to keep you busy on the weekends. The job starts next month. Think about it. Uncle Mike needs an answer by the end of the week.”

I sighed. I hadn’t even reached my first destination, and my plans were already changing. I emptied my lungs. Let it go, man. Don’t fight this. No plans. Everything happens for a reason. Life will show you the way. Just this one time. Yeah, I could do this. Or I’d at least try to.

“Gimme forty-eight hours.”