Page 101 of When You Stayed
I turned and walked away from him, catching my father’s hard gaze as I returned to my bike.
TWENTY-NINE
ROYCE
I parked directlyin front of the Hollow, uncaring that I’d always been told not to. No one heading into the bookstore was going to mind that me or my dad was in front, parking our bikes there, and if they did, then they could go fuck themselves.
I unzipped my leather jacket as I hiked the steps leading into the space, but was stopped by Heather, one of the baristas who ran the bookstore and coffee shop.
“Royce, oh my gosh!” She rushed over, panic stamped all over her round face. Her reddish-brown hair was tied into a knot on top of her head.
“Hey, Heather.”
She frantically explored my face, then flicked her gaze to my father, where her eyes went huge. “Uh…” She cleared her throat, and, stepped closer, whispering, “Who is that extremely hot man behind you?”
“That’s my dad, Heather.” I rolled my eyes, moving to the stairs leading down to the club.
“Sorry, I was distracted.” She shut her eyes, then walked close with me, talking quietly. “Rodney was found dead, Royce. I wasn’t sure if you heard or not, but you were gone this week, and I assumed maybe you did. We’re all freaking out over here. Bernie said he wasgoing to reach out to you about taking things over. Nick said he couldn’t get in touch with you.”
That’s because I had turned off my phone. I’d met the owner, Bernie Hatfield, a few times throughout the years that I had worked at the Hollow, but he typically dealt with Rodney over everything related to the club.
“Yeah, I came to check in on everything. I didn’t know Bernie had tried getting in touch with me.”
“He’s actually downstairs right now, trying to sort out Rodney’s files.”
“Perfect,” I said, but Heather wrapped her hand around my wrist, stopping me. “I’m so sorry about Rodney, I know you guys were close.”
It took all my strength not to scoff. Instead, I let Heather hug me, and then I turned away, feeling numb as I descended the stairs.
Dad was directly behind me as we passed by a few stickers of Mom’s that she’d put up on the wall. My father’s fingers traced them as we walked, and my heart lurched at the familiarity of it. The lights were all on as I trailed deeper into the house until I was on the bottom floor, seeing Charlie behind the bar, organizing bottles. Nick was on the stage, fixing a few electrical wires. I waved as he lifted his head. He waved back, then froze as he watched my father follow me inside.
“They’re still not big fans of our club, huh?” Dad mumbled behind me.
“No. We’re not.” I snapped in reply.
I moved across the floor, heading toward the office, and paused at the open door, seeing an elderly man wearing a pair of Wranglers and a snap-button, checkered shirt inside. He was seated at the desk, rubbing his brow.
Once I filled the doorway, he lifted his head, and visible relief cut across his pale face.
“Oh, Royce, thank goodness. I’m so lost on what all this means… Rodney wasn’t being entirely truthful with me about our profit, or who he was dealing with.”
I dropped my chin, disgusted that Rodney would steal from such a sweet man.
“Can you make any sense of this?” Bernie handed me the binder. I gently accepted it, but then I closed the plastic flaps. “I’m so sorry that Rodney wasn’t being honest with you, Bernie. Sadly, I think his choices caught up with him.”
Bernie watched me carefully before giving me a knowing nod. The quiet in the room was tense until Bernie let out a heavy sigh, covering his eyes with his hand. “Royce, you’ve been here for years…you wouldn’t be interested in running this place, would you?”
I wasn’t sure where the bout of bravery came from, but I straightened my spine and looked this elderly man in his face. “No, sir. I’m interested in owning it.”
His garbled laugh had me glancing back at my father who stood slightly behind me, watching the space that led into the hall.
“I like your fire, girl. I’ve been wanting to get rid of this place for years…and the Stone Riders recently informed me they’re not interested in buying anymore. I feel a little out of sorts, and at a loss of what to do.”
Humiliation pricked at my sternum, making me wish my father wasn’t right behind me to witness it. The Stone Riders had plans to buy? Of course they did…but did that mean Ford had called it off? “Uh…well, I don’t have…I haven’t talked to a bank yet, so I’m not sure if I have the funds. What would you sell it for?”
Something told me he wasn’t going to sell it for anything within my range of affordability, but it didn’t stop me from hoping he would. He considered me for a moment. His back had a slight hunch to it, making me consider he might be much older than I realized.
“Tell you what, Royce…Rodney earned a bonus check that, after talking to Nick, I discovered should have gone to you. How about I let you use that as a down payment, and we work out a monthly payment schedule? I’m eager to relieve myself of the stress of this place, so it’s yours, kiddo. Use that bonus as a way to secure it, then we’ll draw up some legal paperwork, ensuring it’s yours after a few payments.”
