Pieces (Riverdale #1) (2 page)

It frightened
Luke, because his brother wasn’t kidding. “You know, it would just be a
headache for both of us if those two got involved.” He brushed a piece of lint
off his pants.

“I rather see Sam
wind up with someone we know will take good care of her, then some random
asshole.” Jake smiled, satisfied with himself. He had shut his brother up real
quick with that comment. Sometimes Jake came out with something that made
sense, and when it did, it made anyone listening second guess their way of
thinking. “Besides, the last guy she dated, Mr. Twitch-A-Lot, really made me
crazy. Ever try having a conversation with him? His eye twitched so much, once
I begged him to close his eyes when he talked to me, the eyelids twitched
still! Imagine that?”

Luke rubbed his
face tiredly. Jake had a nickname for everyone under the sun and it was always
followed a Mr. or Mrs.

“Hey, don’t look
now, but here’s Mr. Suit and Tie now, sans suit and tie though.” Jake said and
stood up. He looked half perplex and half happy to see their friend, confused
by his attire. Nick Foti was a broad guy, over six feet tall and shoulders like
a linebacker. The thermal he wore stretched across those shoulders, molding to
the ridges of his chest. Son of a bitch worked out while it rained in Seattle,
figured Jake. His brown hair a little longer, since the last time he saw him,
brushed back, the ends curling slightly behind his ears. He looked very GQ, but
in a rugged way.

“I thought he was
Mr. Fancy Pants.” Luke said, rising to his feet as well, preparing to greet his
friend.

“Fuck. By the time
we get him settled, I’m sure I’ll have a dozen or so names for this jackass.
Nick! My, man!” He grabbed him in a brotherly hug. “Looking good asshole,
where’s your three piece button down?”

A large grin
spread across Nick’s face. “I hung that shit up, brother.” And by the looks of
it, he couldn’t have been happier. He looked at Luke, for a moment before
grabbing him into a hug. “It’s so fucking good to see you guys.”

“Same here, man.”
Luke said as he hugged his best friend. Jake smiled, watching the exchange. He
couldn’t imagine not having Cara around for six years, he was happy his brother
got his side kick back.

The friends pulled
apart and Jake picked up one of Nick’s suitcases. “Well, why the fuck, are we
still standing here? Let’s welcome this bastard home right.” Jake wiggled his
eyebrows at them, a plan formulating in his head.

Nick and Luke
exchanged a look, knowing that Jake was a little unconventional, and feared
what he had in mind. Jake caught the knowing look between the two of them and
rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. I meant let’s go to Rudy’s!”

“Of course you
did.” Luke nudged Nick, and whispered. “Cara’s probably working.”

Nick turned his
attention to Jake, “You still sitting on that?” He shook his head. “By now I thought
you’d be engaged for real.”

Jake started to
walk away from them, ignoring Nick. Then he glanced over his shoulder and saw
that they were just watching him. “Are you two assholes coming or not?”

     
Rudy’s
Bar and Grille was pretty packed, not that Cara minded, more money in her
pocket. She had been working here for years, she had started off as a hostess,
and then when she was able to get her bartenders license Rudy gave her full run
of the bar. Riverdale was a small upstate town, with not many bars, and Rudy’s
was a popular hangout. Cara knew most of the people that paraded in out of the
bar, and for some reason they all loved to spill their hearts out to her. She
could tell you anything and everything that went on in this town, just by her
profession.

     
She
placed two long neck beer bottles in front of two of her regulars and winked at
them. She knew when to flirt and when to back off, she just wanted her
customers to be happy, but not at her own expense. So she would tease the men and
treat the women like they were her oldest girlfriends. She ran a rag down the
other end of the bar, cleaning up after a few customers that left the bar to
play pool. She shoved the tips into her back pocket and looked up when someone
sat down in the empty chair.

     
Samantha
Lanza, was Jake’s little sister, and one of Cara’s only girlfriends. She often
came by with some of her co-workers on a Friday night. Single teachers were a
good time at Rudy’s, they hustled pool probably just as well as they graded tests.
She took Sam in; her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and with her
hair drawn back from her face, her blue eyes popped. However, they looked wary
and stressed.

     
“Hey
girl, you look like you could use a drink.” Cara said as she grabbed a glass
from underneath the bar. Cara knew that whatever was bothering Sam, most likely
had to do with the fact that Nick Foti was coming home. There was something
there years ago, and by the look on Sam’s face, it was still there.

 
    
Sam
blew out a breath and leaned back against the stool. She swiped her hands down
her face and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. “You have no
idea. Make it a double, please.”

     
Cara nodded, reaching for a bottle of
Fireball whisky. Filling a tumbler glass with ice, she peered up at Sam, from
the task her hands were busy with. “Want to talk about it?”
 
Since Cara was Jake’s best friend, she knew,
Sam was reluctant to divulge all her secrets with her, fearing she would go
back and spill them to Jake.

     
Sam shrugged, thinking about it. She
smiled slightly. “How many times a day do you ask people that?”

     
 
“It
comes with the job. I can tell you EVERYTHING that goes on in Riverdale.” She
winked at her.

     
Sam took a sip of her drink, cringing
slightly. “I bet.” She murmured, running her finger around the rim of the
glass.

     
Cara wiped her hands dry on a towel and
tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans. “So this bland look of yours
wouldn’t have anything to do with your brother’s going to pick up Nick from the
airport, would it?”

     
Sam looked at her, rolled her eyes, and
took another sip. “Is that happening today?”
 
She finished off the drink, sliding the empty glass back to Cara.

     
“Whoa, are we getting ourselves drunk
tonight?” Cara asked as she poured her a refill. Jake was right, she mused.

     
“I haven’t decided yet.”

     
Cara sighed and looked around the bar,
then back to Sam. “I think they’re coming here after the airport.” She slid the
full glass back in front of Sam.

     
“Well, that made up my mind.” She guzzled
the whiskey and put the glass down half empty.

     
Cara stared at Sam, she felt bad for her,
and she knew what it was like to hold your feelings in, “Sam, anything you tell
me, will stay between us. I’m not going to run back and tell everyone. If you
need to get things off your chest, I’ll listen.”

     
Sam looked up at her and tilted her head
contemplating. “You’re not going to tell Jake?”

     
Cara shook her head. “Jake’s too enthused
with his latest fling, to care about anything else.” Which wasn’t a lie; he had
blown her off a few times this week to go out with some biker chick. That was
partially the reason she showed up at the Tattoo Parlor today. When she and
Jake had gone to Cancun a couple of years back, they had rented motorcycles for
the day.
 
She still had the scar from when
she burnt her calf on the exhaust pipe; needless to say Jake never took her
riding on the Harley, just the biker chick.

     
 
Sam
gave her a long look and leaned forward, her elbows resting on the bar. “How do
you feel about that?”

     
Cara looked at her incredulously. “I could
care less.” She would never admit that it bothered her, not the fact that there
was another girl in his life, nor the fact that he hadn’t taken her on his
bike.

     
“I still don’t buy there is nothing
between you and Jake.”

     
Cara looked at Sam. “There isn’t. I’d
never risk the friend I have in him to tangle with something that could
possibly jeopardize our friendship. I need Jake in my life. He’s the only
stable person I have.” Jake was Cara’s family, bottom line. Her mother had died
when she was five, and her father was a drunk who wished she had gone and died
with her mother. Aside from Jake and his family, she really had no one.

     
Sam nodded. “I get that.” She took another
sip of her drink and smiled up at Cara. “I still think you guys are perfect for
one another. I’m a big Cara and Jake fan.”

     
Cara laughed slightly. Before she could
respond the door opened and Jake walked in with Luke and Nick on his heels. Her
eyes met Jake’s and he grinned widely at her. Every time he walked into a room
and searched for her, their eyes would meet, and she would feel like she was
the only women in the world. Tonight was no different, the butterflies in the
pit of her stomach sprang to life and she returned the smile.

     
“There’s my girl!” Jake beamed and led
Nick and Luke towards the bar. Cara glanced at Sam, who downed the last of her
drink.

     
“Can I have another?” She asked, her eyes
pleading with Cara.

     
“Hey, Sis,” Jake nudged her and pressed a
kiss to her cheek. “Fancy finding you here, huh?” He teased and Cara shot him a
warning look. He looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. “What? What did I do?”

     
“Nothing,” Cara said as she eyed Sam’s
glass.

     
“Oh, I get it.” Jake leaned over and
whispered into his sister’s ear. “You’re three sheets to the wind and you
didn’t even set your eyes on him yet.”

     
“Shut up Jake.” Sam said, looking
miserable. Cara looked at her sympathetically before Nick stood beside Jake.
She averted her eyes to the familiar face, and smiled warmly at him.

     
“Hey Cara girl, it’s good to see you.”
Nick said as he leaned over the bar and placed a kiss on her cheek. She wrapped
her arms around his neck and gave him a quick hug, catching Sam watching them
from the corner of her eye.

     
“Same goes for you.” She pulled back and
drank him in. “You look good.” She punched his rock hard shoulder. “Someone has
been working out.” She shook her fist as if to say she was in so much pain, and
winked at him. She always had liked Nick and he definitely wasn’t hard on the
eyes.

     
“It’s a good stress reliever.” He said as
he winked at her. His eyes left hers and moved towards Sam. Cara could’ve sworn
she held her breath as she waited for them to acknowledge one another. Holy
smokes, the way he stared at Sam, was making her hot. “Hi beautiful,” He said
his eyes blazing with heat, his voice thick and husky.
 
Cara raised an eyebrow as she glanced quickly
at Jake. He had the biggest grin on his face as he inched closer to get front
row seats to the exchange. Yep, all eyes were definitely on Sam.

     
“Hi. Welcome home.” She said flatly,
glancing up at him so quickly if one was to blink, they would’ve missed it.

     
“That’s it?” Jake said, disappointment
etching his face.

     
“Yeah, that’s it?” Nick said, leaning one
hip against the bar, staring at her. “No, Hey Nick, nice to see you again? Not
even a simple I missed you? How you been?” He reached out and tilted her chin
upward, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Still sour that I left?”

     
“See, now this is what I’m talking about.”
Jake said, nudging Luke.

     
Luke rolled his eyes and smiled at Cara.
“Cara, would you mind getting me a beer?”

     
“Sure
thing, can I get anybody else anything?”

     
Sam
lifted her empty tumbler. “I’ll take another one, please.” She shot Nick a
sideways glare. “And for your information, I am not sour about anything. I
could care less where you parked your ass for the last six years. Can I buy you
a drink? Wouldn’t want you to think I wasn’t happy about your homecoming or
anything.” She said her voice rich with sarcasm, but managed to smile sweetly
at him.

     
“How
about a round of shots?” Nick said, finally taking his eyes off of Sam, to
question the guys.

     
“I’m
game.” Luke said, and then looked at Cara. “I’ve got to ask you? How do you
spend so much time with him?” He said wrapping his arm around Jake, wedging him
into a headlock. “This son of a bitch has been driving me crazy for hours.”

     
“Hey
man, watch the faux-hawk!” Jake said trying to dislodge himself from his
brother’s grip. Cara smiled and held Luke’s beer behind her.

     
“Let
him go or no alcohol for you.” She said tauntingly dangling the beer bottle,
like it was his salvation.
 
Her eyes met
Jake’s and he smiled at her. He knew she always had his back, jokingly or not.
She winked at him and Luke let him go.

     
“You
got a girl like that in your corner, you take her and you run far, far away,
little brother.” Luke said, seriously and took the beer Cara offered him.

     
“Thanks
Luke, but we wouldn’t get far. He won’t even let me on his bike. He’d probably
take off without me.” She stopped in the middle of pouring the fifth shot,
realizing the slip. She finished the shots and began to hand them out, when she
shoved Jake’s in front of him he grabbed her wrist.

     
“Hey.”
He said softly. “I didn’t let you ride the bike, because I don’t want you to
get hurt again. You know that right?” His eyes searched hers.

     
Cara
looked down at their hands for a moment and then lifted her head and looked
into his deep blue eyes. “I know that.”
 
And she put her best smile on for him. “Are we going to do this shot or
what?” Even if what he said was true, it didn’t ease the hurt or the jealousy
that she was too proud to admit, she was feeling.

     
Jake
let her wrist go, and held his shot glass up, his eyes still focused on her.
She could feel his stare as she smiled at Luke, Nick and Sam, avoiding his
gaze.

     
“To
the path that led you back home.” Luke said as he raised his glass towards
Nick.

     
“To
having a family to come home to.” Nick said in response looking around the
Lanza’s.
 
Cara smiled at Nick’s toast.
Nick, like her, was another lost soul the Lanza’s took in and called one of
their own. The five of them clinked their shot glasses, and toasted one
another’s friendship and love, before downing the fiery liquid.

     
Jake
couldn’t remember the last time the five of them had been together like this,
having a great time, reminiscing. Even Sam let go of her bitterness towards
Nick, and enjoyed the night. He and Sam had teamed up against Luke and Nick, in
a game of pool. Cara kept sneaking away every chance she could. She’d take a
shot, put it in the hole, and go back to work. She was his ace in the hole, all
the time.
 
He glanced across the bar at
her, and watched as she threw her head back in laughter. She leaned over the
bar and touched the cheek of another man. He couldn’t tell who it was. He pretty
much knew all the regulars, for all the nights he sat at the bar watching her,
making sure no one messed with her. He looked back towards the pool table, and
watched Nick line up his shot.

     
His
phone rang in his pocket, “If he makes this shot, we’re screwed.” He told his
sister as he reached for the phone. He looked down at the caller ID; Joanna,
the latest girl to scratch his itch. She was a pretty cool girl too, a little
rough around the edges, but they got along, had a good time, she served her
purpose in Jake’s life.
 
He answered the
call. “Hello?”

     
“Hey,
sexy;” Joanna purred into the phone. “I was wondering what you were doing
tonight, and maybe if you weren’t busy you and I could go for a ride?”

     
Jake
watched Nick take the shot, he had seen him take this shot before and knew very
well, he could do it with his eyes close, but he missed. His eyes peered up
from the pool table and stared at Sam. Jake shook his head, knowing very well
that Nick missed that shot on purpose just to go head to head with Sam again.
“Sorry I can’t tonight.” He told Joanna. “Family night.”