Last Resort (The Grayton Series Book 1) (3 page)

“
I’m destined to be like my mother,” Marissa blurted out, causing Cassey to stand up and look down at her.
 

“
Why would you say that?” she asked, frowning down at her sister. She’d heard the horror stories of Marissa’s past. Her mother had had her when she was just sixteen. She’d been so into drugs, no one had thought that Marissa would survive the first week. But she had, and she’d lived long enough to suffer the wrath of a mother addicted to crack. At least until Lilly had swooped in, much like she had with Cassey, and rescued her.
 

Marissa had arrived at the Graytons less than a month before she had.

Marissa stood up in the water next to her, looking down at the round rocks along the shore. “I don’t know. It’s just some of the choices I’ve made in life.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I see so much of her in me.” Marissa looked up into Cassey’s eyes. Cassey could see sadness there and something else in her eyes.

“
What’s wrong?” She moved closer to her.
 

Marissa looked up and shook her head. “Nothing. I guess I’m just being emotional.” She smiled and then splashed water at her playfully. “I’ll race you to the docks?”

Cassey took the challenge and lost, like always, and quickly forgot all about the conversation until the next morning when she’d gone in to wake Marissa for school and found her bed empty with a note on the pillow. The note only said that she had to leave and nothing more.

Cassey blinked back to the now. She was losing the light, so she walked over and flipped on the overhead lights. A few bulbs were out, causing the room to be in shadows.

She’d wiped down the bar and cleared out the old bottles and trash from behind it. There were a few spots for small fridge units, and she knew the keg hold and lines would need some work. She planned on having a new soda machine installed.

Back in the kitchen, the pizza ovens were still in working order and she thought of adding flatbread pizzas to the menu along with fresh seafood items and some other favorites—burgers, steaks, and chicken dishes.

 
She worked until she was too tired to work anymore, but she was happy that the place was already looking better by then. As she cleaned, she added a dozen or more items she would have to buy or fix to her list. There was still so much to do before opening day, which she planned on being a little over a month from now.
 

She had applied for the liquor license when she’d signed up for her business license. It would take a few weeks for approval, but she had a few weeks to spare. The building inspectors were scheduled to stop by in three weeks, and there was so much to do before then.

Walking up the back stairs, she slowly made her way down the hallway to her new home. She plopped down on the bed, fully clothed, and was asleep before she could even remove her shoes.

 

“
Is she dead?” a deep voice said above her.
 

“
She looks dead. Poke her,” another one said.
 

“
I’m not going to poke her. Remember what happened the last time we woke her up?” the first voice said again.
 

“
That’s because you dumped a bucket of cold water on her head.”
 

“
It was your idea.” There was a deep chuckle.
 

Cassey rolled over and covered her ears with her pillow as an argument ensued.

“
Enough!” She sat up and looked into three gorgeous faces hovering above her. “How did you get in here?” She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.
 

“
You forgot to lock the front door.” Marcus, the leader of the pack, spoke first. His smile was contagious as his dark hair fell over his eyes.
 

“
You look like hell,” Cole said. His blond hair was long and his blue eyes sparkled with humor.
 

“
Shut up. Don’t pester her,” Roman said as he sat next to her. Roman had always been the sensitive one. His dark hair was neatly trimmed; his eyes were dark and had always been full of love. “Isn’t it obvious? She’s just tired. We should probably get to work and let her rest.” He patted her hand.
 

Cassey sank back on her pillows and listened to her brothers start to argue again.

“
Suits me,” Marcus said, smiling. “More donuts for us.” He turned to go.
 

“
Donuts?” Cassey sat up again. “There wouldn’t happen to be a raspberry-filled one in there?”
 

“
Two,” Marcus said, holding out a box from her favorite bakery, which was only a few doors down.
 

“
I’m up…if you have—” She didn’t even finish before Cole held out a tray of four cups of coffee.
 

“
You three are saints,” she said, moving slowly as she got out of bed. Every muscle in her body ached. Cole handed her a double-chocolate-chip Frappuccino and she took a sip and smiled. Then Marcus handed her a jelly-filled donut and her life was complete.
 

They sat out on the patio table as they ate their fatty breakfast and talked about the plans for the day. She knew her brothers would be there for her until the job was done. And they would work just as hard as she would, which made her love them even more.

 

By the end of three weeks, the place looked spotless. There had been a couple problems, but with help from her brothers and a few contractors they’d hired, everything had smoothed out.

The place had passed inspection with flying colors, and she now had her liquor license hanging behind the bar in a silver frame.

Opening day was less than two days away and still her brothers stuck by her side. She had most of her staff hired and was still training a few of them. The food and liquor had been delivered and Cole had helped out immensely in the kitchen, working with the staff she’d hired to make sure there were appetizing items on the menu that the customers would enjoy. They had even set up several tables and chairs out front for customers to sit at during the day. After all, Boardwalk Bar & Grill, or the BBnG as she liked to call it, would be open for lunch and dinner.

She stood back and watched the sign being lowered on to the front of the building. The letters of “Boardwalk” were in yellow, and “Bar & Grill” sat below it in white. The sign would glow at night, showing off the crisp letters.

She had smaller signs from some of her vendors posted in the new front windows. Awnings hung over the three large windows to shield customers from the hot sun as they dined out front in the gated areas. There were tall palm trees out front, which created shade, too.

Cole had suggested she hang planters on the large wood posts of the boardwalk, which closed in her patio area. Marcus had worked for three days to build the small boxes, which she filled with brightly colored tropical flowers.

The place looked wonderful, better than even she had envisioned. They’d painted the outside a dark teal blue with white around the windowsill and doorways, giving the old place a brand new look.

She watched as her brothers walked out the front doors. They looked good together. An image of watching them walk out of the Grayton house together that first time played in her mind. They looked the same, but different. Now they were all well over six foot. Their bodies and faces were different from one another, yet they were brothers in every sense. They would stick together through anything. Cassey smiled at them as they approached her.

“
The place looks good,” Marcus said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Can you believe it? You’re a business owner.”
 

“
I always thought that Roman would be the only entrepreneur,” Cole said, throwing an arm around his brother and rubbing his shorter hair.
 

“
Knock it off,” Roman said, pushing Cole away.
 

“
What needs to be done now?” Marcus asked, looking down at her. If she didn’t think of them all as her brothers, she would swoon over the attention they gave her, but she’d never felt that pull towards any of them.
 

“
Fliers.” She smiled at them. “Opening day is two days away and we need to hit the beach and the streets.” She had stacks of fliers she’d printed out on her new laser printer in her newly remodeled office the night before.
 

Cole groaned. “Aww, man. Really?”

“
Hey, don’t knock it. It’s the best way to pick up girls. Remember that summer I spent working for Petro’s?” Marcus smiled.
 

Roman laughed. “The summer you had twelve girlfriends?”

“
The very same.” Marcus smiled. “I’m game. But if you want to sit this one out, Cole,” he said, grabbing his brother in a headlock, “maybe you don’t like girls.”
 

“
Knock it off, you two,” Cassey said under her breath. She was the peacemaker between her brothers. She’d broken up more fights and acts of roughhousing than she could count. Maybe that’s why she’d never thought of them as anything but brothers.
 

For the next two days, Cassey stayed busy as her brothers handed out stack after stack of fliers. When opening morning came around, she stood looking at her staff and her brothers in the main dining room.

“
Is everyone ready for today?” Everyone shook their heads. “If there are any problems at all, don’t hesitate to let me know. How’s the kitchen?” She looked towards Sam, the head chef she’d hired two weeks ago. He was a middle-aged man who had a long line of impressive references.
 

“
Great. Ready to get cooking.” He smiled.
 

“
Wendy, how’s everything behind the bar?”
 

“
Ready,” her head bartender replied. “The last of the stock arrived yesterday, so we are up and ready. Can I just mention that I love that you took my advice on the blenders.” She smiled a warm smile. Wendy had been invaluable and was quickly becoming one of Cassey’s best friends. “I can’t wait to whip up some mixed drinks.”
 

Cassey nodded. “You’ve all been so wonderful.” She looked down at her watch. “Now, how about we open those doors and see what happens. Stations everyone.” She clapped her hands.

“
What about us?” Marcus asked.
 

“
Stand over there and look gorgeous…and flirt with all the single ladies.” She smiled.
 

“
Can do.” He saluted her and then turned to his brothers. “Pure torture.” They laughed as they walked over to the bar area and immediately
started flirting with Wendy.
 

Cassey walked to the front doors, closed her eyes for just a moment, and took a deep breath.

A memory flashed in her mind. Her stepmother hovered over her as she screamed, “You will never amount to anything. You hear me girl? You are worthless.”

Opening her eyes, she straightened her shoulders and flipped the lock on the doors. The sunlight hit her face and she smiled as she saw the long line of customers waiting outside.

Two years later…
 

C
assey watched customers come and go. She knew what her financial books said and wondered why things weren’t clicking. It had been two wonderful years, and she’d paid off half her loan in that short time, faster than she had imagined. But now something was wrong. Customers weren’t coming as frequently. She had Sam change up the menus a little to reflect the changing styles. People always said how great the food and atmosphere were, but then she wouldn’t see them again.
 

They had their regulars at the bar, and the weekends during the season were still good. However, in the last few weeks, she had seen a change and customers just weren’t coming.