Page 81 of Forever Endeavor

Gary was about to pour a second beer as Sonny still nursed his first. “No thanks, I’m good,” Sonny said, waving it away.

Gary’s eyebrows lifted as he let out a low whistle. “Not sure I’ve ever seen you turn down a beer before, Sonny. Are you feeling all right?” He replaced the unused glass in the rack. “Haven’t seen you around much lately, we’ve missed you at open mike night.”

Sonny shook his head. “I haven’t picked up my guitar in weeks.”

“Listen, I know things have been rough since Billie left. Gurdeep says you’ve been working at the garage from sunrise until dark.”

He shrugged. “At least I understand what makes cars tick. Women not so much.”

Gary rested his elbow on the bar and leaned in. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. I think you and Billie worked pretty well together, it’s just that circumstances got in your way.”

“Circumstances, right,” Sonny echoed. He’d given up on hearing from Billie a few weeks back, but time hadn’t prevented him from missing her, dreaming of her, wondering how she was doing. It also didn’t stop him from hoping that by some miracle, she’d change her mind and abandon the palm trees of paradise for paltry Janus Lake.

A clap on Sonny’s shoulder startled him back to the present. “Is this seat taken?” Cal asked, parking himself on the barstool next to his nephew. “How you been, Son?”

Sonny faked a smile. “Hey, when did you get back from Hawaii?”

“Yesterday. We had a great time and Maui was postcard perfect, just like in the movies. I can see now why people do this vacation thing on a regular basis.” Cal nodded his appreciation to Gary as he slid a full beer in front of him. “Any word from Billie?”

Sonny shook his head.

“Well, not to worry, I’m sure you will. She’s probably been working on the book.”

Sonny stared into what was left of his beer. “I think I really blew it with her.”

“The way I see it, Billie did what she had to do, and you got out of her way so that she could get it done. That kind of sacrifice only comes when you truly care about someone.”

“You warned me this would happen if I didn’t tell her how I felt. You all did. And I should’ve done it while she was still here. Maybe it would’ve made all the difference.”

Cal patted his back before they sat in silence a few minutes. “Say, how’s business?”

“Busy, but we’re coming to the end of the season, so it’s bound to ease up a bit soon.”

“Speaking of the season, you still doing okay down at the cabin? You know Bernice and Stan would love to have you stay at the farm, you know. Your aunt would be in seventh heaven to be able to fuss over you.”

“The cabin suits me fine. It’s nearby and it’s comfortable.”

“And being there makes you feel close to Billie.”

Sonny smirked. “Yeah, maybe that too.”

“You’ve got all that money from the house just sitting in the bank. Why don’t you put it to good use and start looking for a new place? You know, make a fresh start.”

“You trying to say you’re kicking me out, old man?”

Cal laughed. “Hell no, stay as long as you want. Those cabins aren’t of any use to me anymore. In fact, they’re as good as yours. Do whatever you want with them.”

Whatever I want? The wheels in Sonny’s mind began to turn with possibility. He’d shelved his earlier idea of what to do with the settlement, but maybe it was time to dust it off and revisit. “You really mean that?”

“Sure. Now that I’ve decided to semi-retire, I’ll be spending more time with Liona. Plus, those ol’ run-down shacks haven’t seen a renter in ages, well, other than Billie. Why?”

Sonny took his last swig. “Not sure, it’s only an idea I’ve been batting around for a while. But I don’t feel right just taking the cabins from you. Let’s do this completely by the book. I’d like to make you an offer on that lakefront property.”

Billie

“The crab and avocado salad,” Carmen told the waiter as she snapped her menu closed.

“Very good, madam,” he answered, before turning to Billie. “And for yourself?”

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