AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah,” I finally say. “Real good.”
“Does it include me?”
I kiss the top of her head. “Tillie James, everything good includes you.”
I won’t tell her yet. I’ll make some calls. Run some numbers. Look at my savings.
But maybe by the time we’re in Georgia, I’ll know. And we can announce the plan to her family. Everyone will be happy for us. Drew and Ensley, settled into their new house with a menagerie of pets. Lila and Rosie, who also got a new apartment near Rosie’s day care and the bank where Lila has been working since before Tillie left Atlanta. Even Anita, if I decide to see her, and tell her, and let her in a little bit more.
And possibly, if everything goes right, the next time the crabs race across the beaches to scare tourists, the future we’re planning together will be our own.
Epilogue
TILLIE
The four of us stand in the center of the renovated house. Me. Gabe. Anya. Morrie.
It’s five minutes until we officially open his new bar for the first time.
Gabe seems ridiculously nervous for something that will be quite simple.
When the clock strikes noon, we will open all the floor-to-ceiling shutters to the ocean side of the room. We kept only the kitchen and bathrooms enclosed, knocking out all the other walls to create a big open space.
The ocean breeze will filter in, and the people waiting out there, quite a few of them based on the noise levels, will get to come in and order drinks.
Every detail is perfect. The interior is turquoise with red accents. A huge mural has been painted on the back wall, a reflection of the beach view on the opposite side, only draped with fishnet and dotted with beautiful metal art of all the varieties of crabs you can find on the island. The artist somehow made even the black land crab seem a little less hellish.
Above it is the name we chose together: the Swanky Panky.
There are two rows of low wood tables with cane chairs on the open side. Behind them are three long high tables with stools, suitable for seating larger groups. The varied heights ensure that everyone in the bar can see the ocean.
The counter of the bar fills the side wall, all wood and cane and bamboo to match the decor. The mirrored backsplash reflects the entire establishment, although the glass shelves are filled with bottles of liquor to make every drink we can imagine.
Mendo’s mom, Kia, pushes through the swinging doors from the kitchen. “I have enough red conch chowder for two hundred,” she says. “Let me know the minute you think we need another batch.”
“Will do,” Gabe says, but his voice isn’t quite normal. He’s rattled, for sure.
It was an important decision to us to serve food at the bar. It won’t be a full restaurant, but every day of the week, we will serve a different dish, sold until it runs out.
And we agreed that the one thing we will never serve is crab. It’s almost time for their migration again, and I’m honestly looking forward to a moonlight watch to witness them scuttling over the sand to drop their eggs. Everything will have come full circle.
The far-right shutter opens a few inches and Mendo’s face appears. “We’ve got a rowdy crowd out here. You’ll be ready in three minutes?”
Gabe nods. He turns to Morrie. “Is the sound system up and running?”
Morrie tosses his wireless microphone in the air and neatly catches it in his palm. He’s dressed in a bright blue-and-red outfit. “I’m ready to rock ’n’ roll.”
Anya drapes her arm around my waist. “This is the perfect day. It’s just ... the perfect day.” She’s oddly emotional.
“It is,” I say, curious about the both of them, Gabe and Anya. Maybe opening ceremonies have more emotional pull on the island than I’m used to.
The five of us will staff the new bar. Kia will cook. Gabe and I will mix drinks and handle tables as needed. Morrie will serve as runner, event coordinator, and easygoing bouncer. Anya will wait tables with us until we determine if we need to hire additional waitstaff.
We each stand in our designated spots. The tall blue wood-slat shutters run floor to ceiling, and we each have one to throw wide. Morrie flips on his mike. He holds up his hands, his five fingers spread.
Then four. Three. Two.
We all open our shutters. A cheer rises from the crowd. I’m momentarily stunned. That’s a lot of people.
