Family Ties

Nine - Justin

The numbers started to bleed together on the computer screen in front of me. I rubbed a hand down my face, exhausted. The noise from the bar filtered in and I sighed. If I were a different type of person, I'd go out, get me a drink, and flirt with a pretty lady. Instead, I pulled up another spreadsheet. I was determined to make Swigging Shots a huge success. If all worked out, I wanted to open a second location and then a third. The sky was the limit, as far as I was concerned. I hadn't mentioned the expansion to Dare or Hunter yet though. I wanted to have all my ducks in a row before I presented them with possibilities. One possibly I had to consider was that they may not want to expand. Hunter was finding a nice, domesticated groove with Andie and the Lord knew Dare had enough women in his life to occupy his time. The guys may not be interested, but it was a good business move considering how popular the bar had become, so I had to try.

"Hey." Hunter rapped his knuckles on my office door and poked his head inside.

"What's up?"

He frowned, "I'm not sure. There is a kid here, asking for you."

"A kid?" I blinked, in surprise.

Hunter nodded, "Yea, how old are Sophie's kids now?"

I sprang up out of my seat and hurried out of my office. All the way to the front my thoughts were running rampant with possibilities. I'd had a thing for Sophie Daniels since the moment I met her. I knew Dare and Hunter thought I was too shy to date. Ok, that was part of it. I hated putting myself out there only to get my heart stomped on. The main reason, however, was I'd already met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The problem is, by the time I met her, she was already married with two kids. To make matters worse, I met her at our parent's wedding. My mom married her dad. And Hunter thought falling for his best friend's sister was taboo, he had nothing on me.

When I reached the front, my eyes widened upon finding Sophie's five-year-old son sitting at the bar sucking something through a straw. I raised my eyebrows at Andie, who served him. She rolled her eyes, "It's sprite."

I grinned at her, "I didn't figure you'd serve a five-year-old a mixer."

Andie shrugged, "You never know. I suck at making drinks."

"Your talents definitely lie elsewhere." Hunter teased, kissing her on the forehead.

I was happy for them, but I turned my back on them and not only to give them their moment. I stared at Dylan Daniels. He stared at me. He was a cute kid, with a mop of blond hair that needed to be cut, dimples when he smiled, and mischievous blue eyes. He was going to be a heartbreaker someday and give his mother gray hair.

I glanced around, wondering how he had gotten there. When my eyes landed back on him, he straightened and said, frankly, "I walked."

"You walked? All the way across town? By yourself? In the dark?"

Dylan nodded and sat up straighter, as if proud of himself. "Yep."

I sighed, "Come on to the back with me and tell me what's going on."

"Can I bring my sprite with me? Mom never lets me have soda."

I glanced over to catch Andie's grimace. To Dylan, I grinned, "Sure, bring your soda."

Once I got Dylan settled in my desk chair, I leaned against the top of my desk and asked, "Alright, Buddy, what's going on? Does your mom know where you are?"

Dylan shook his head, "No, I ran away."

"Why?"

Dylan looked away and began to fidget nervously. A tear slipped down his cheek when he met my eyes and he swiped it away in an angry motion, as if mad at himself for showing emotion. Then he explained, "I can't tell you. If I tell, something even worse will happen."