Yet I didn’t feel like leaving still. So I shut off all the lights, took a tablecloth from the supply closet to lie down on, and headed out back to the beach. It was still dark, but it wouldn’t be too long before the sun started to come up. Normally I was a sunset kind of guy—sitting around reflecting on my day and watching Mother Nature put the sky to bed. I liked a fade-to-black ending. It had always seemed fitting for my life. But today sunrise seemed right—the dawn of a new day bringing hope and a chance to start over fresh. Maybe it would shed some figurative light on me while the literal took over the sky.“Hey, Rush.” Oak’s wife Min walked over and gave me a hug while holding one of her and Oak’s daughters on her hip. Every time I saw Min Lee, I got a kick out of how tiny she was. She couldn’t be more than five foot tall and weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. If I didn’t think he’d clock me, I’d be busting her husband’s balls about how the hell they made that shit work in the sack.
“Hey, Min. You look great. Still don’t understand what you see in that big doofus.” I winked.
“Watch it,” Oak said. “There’s no bouncer on duty right now to save your scrawny ass if I decide to use your head as a punching bag.”
Only a dude as enormous as Oak could call a guy my size scrawny. I chuckled. “You don’t scare me,” I joked while pulling his wife in front of me like a human shield.
“That’s right. Put the person with the biggest cajones in front of you for protection.”
We all laughed. While Oak and his family settled in, I went and got them their drinks: a mimosa for Min and a beer for my buddy. We liked to argue and screw around, but I had needed Oak a lot this year. He’d been my confidant with everything going on with Gia, and it would have sucked without him. That’s why I’d stuck an extra two grand in his end-of-year bonus this year. He deserved it just for putting up with my whining ass.
The rest of the staff and their families trickled in. I played hostess with the mostest, handing out bonus checks with an endless flow of drinks. Gia walked in late with her dad. I hadn’t realized that he was coming out from Queens for the party.
I shook his hand. “Hey, Tony. Nice to see you.”
“You, too, son. You must be glad the busy season is over.”
My eyes flashed to Gia and back. “It’s bittersweet.”
Gia had been looking down, seemingly lost in thought. And she looked nervous for some reason. When I touched her shoulder to lean in and kiss her cheek hello, she jumped.
“What’s going on? You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Just tired.”
I nodded, but would definitely be keeping an eye on her.
Once everyone had full plates and drinks, I went to the bar to make a few more batches of mimosas. Tony walked over and took a seat on a stool across from me. He looked over his shoulder at Gia before starting to talk. She was busy yapping with my mother.
“I take it from the surprise on your face when I walked in that you didn’t know that I would be here.”
I set down the container of orange juice in my hand. “I didn’t. But I’m glad you’re here. This party is for family, and I’m glad Gia invited you.”
Tony nodded. “I’m also guessing that you don’t know why I’m here?”
“Is everything okay with Gia?”
“Physically, yes. She’s fine. But when did she tell you she was moving back to Queens?”
“Her lease is up on Friday, so in a few days.”
Tony shook his head back and forth slowly. “She called me last night. Moved that up.”
My entire body went rigid. “To when?”
“Right after this party. Said she wanted to get a jump on settling back in. But my gut told me she might be trying to sneak out without saying goodbye to a certain boss. I drove out early this morning and loaded almost everything already. Just need to move a few more boxes, and we’ll be pulling out.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck!
I stared down at the bar. After a while, I looked up at Tony but wasn’t in any condition to talk to anyone. “I need to step outside for a bit.”
He nodded. “Go ahead, son. I’ll finish making the drinks and tell anyone who looks for you that you needed to take a call.”
I slipped out back and started to walk on the beach. Inside my chest, I had a crushing sensation that I hoped might be a heart attack. Gia wouldn’t fucking leave me if I was in ICU. Then again, is that really what it would take to get her to stay? I was pretty sure that it could be a hell of a lot easier than that. All I needed to do was tell her I wanted to be with her. Tell her I could accept her child and move on without spending every day loathing the thought of her baby’s father. Tell her I could move on without resentment. Why couldn’t I do it? I wanted to fucking do it.