“Worse than your brother dying and you fall helplessly in love with the love of his life?” Luke asked.
“How about we dissect that question? No, it doesn’t get worse than your brother dying.” He decided to go out on a limb. “Especially after you thought you would be the one to save him.” He knew he struck a nerve because Luke chose to turn his face to him at that moment and that’s when he slid the envelope into his hand.
“Christ, Jake gave you a letter too?” Luke asked as he put down his drink and took the envelope.
“What?” Nick asked confused.
“Cara found a letter Jake wrote to me before he died.” He looked down at the envelope in his hands. “She gave it to me over two months ago and I still haven’t read it, so if this is another message from the grave, I’m not opening it.”
“You’re fucked.” Nick said seriously.
“Thanks, man.” Luke said with a sigh.
Nick shook his head. “It’s not from Jake.” He said as he watched Luke open the envelope and pull out the papers it contained. “I found them in the office this morning.” When he originally came across the paperwork he thought this may be the perfect way to help Luke deal with losing Jake.
Luke looked down at the paperwork. “It’s the deed to the land I bought.”
“The land you bought to start up the garage to build custom bikes. The land you bought to start up Jake’s dream.” Nick offered.
Luke lifted his gaze from the paperwork. “A dream that we said we’d help create because he was sick, but ultimately the plan was to give him a chance to make his own dreams come true.”
“So what, you’re just going to hang onto that land for the hell of it? In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never started something you didn’t finish. Why start now, man?”
“I don’t know… to be honest, I had forgotten all about it.” He admitted and glanced back at the deed. “It doesn’t feel right.” He looked up at Nick. “He’s not here to enjoy it so why the hell even bother?”
“Well, for starters, it’ll give you one last chance to do something for him.” Nick said, knowing his friend well enough to know that he felt like the transplant failed, despite the fact that it hadn’t. A lot of the guilt that Luke harbored had to do with the fact that Luke wasn’t able to save his little brother. Maybe Nick was wrong, maybe the idea of building a garage that specialized in customized bikes, wouldn’t help Luke grieve.
“I’ve already taken from him and now you want me to build a business that he wanted to build on his own and what? Reap the benefits of that too?” Luke shoved the papers back in the envelope. “I can’t do it.”
“Donate the profits.” Nick offered. “Start a foundation in his name. Do something that makes it okay for you to be the man that your brother looked up to.” He grabbed his drink and took a healthy swig. “I already ordered fifty thousand dollars in parts for motorcycles so I suggest you get the fuck on board with the idea.”
“You did what?” Luke asked absurdly.
“You’ll come around…” Nick said, shrugging off Luke’s anger. “As for the letter your brother left you? Read the fucking thing. I’m not going to pretend I knew why Jake did half the things he did, but seems like he asked you to take care of Cara for a reason. Maybe that reason is in that letter, maybe it’s for you to figure out on your own, but for the love of God, if Jake left me a letter I wouldn’t be able to stare at it for two months not knowing what it said.”
Luke looked at Nick absorbing his words and for no good reason other than his gut telling him too, he wrapped his arm around Nick and patted him on the back. “Jake loved you like a brother too. He’d be really thrilled that you were marrying our sister.”
*
Cara looked on, watching as a young couple took the dance floor at the restaurant that she, Sam and her two friends Phillip and Mallory were having dinner at. Smokey Sid’s Barbeque was a little hole in the wall that showcased cover bands on the weekends while they served up Riverdale’s best ribs. After their dress fittings the girls decided they wanted to indulge and chose Smokey Sid’s for dinner. Phillip met them there and after dinner they decided to stick around and listen to the band.
Sam tore her eyes from Mallory and Phillip, who were at the bar refilling their margarita’s and focused on Cara. She watched as her friend watched the couple on the dance floor with a faint smile on her face.
“I miss that.” Cara whispered and then looked back at Sam. “Sorry, I lost myself for a minute.”