Cy’s Place was special in Jack’s book, and the grand opening had proved to be the night that everything clicked for Jack and Andie. The two of them had talked and laughed till 2:00 A.M., listening to Theo’s uncle Cy give them a taste of Miami’s old Overtown Village through his saxophone.
“See you in five minutes,” Jack told her.
He arrived even sooner, but it took another five minutes in the parking lot to decide what to do with the diamond ring-hide it in the car or bring it inside with him. Car break-ins were rampant around the holidays, and the thought of his mother’s engagement ring ending up in some pawnshop was too much to stomach. The box was too big for his pocket, so he removed the ring and put it in his pocket-promising himself that, no matter how much tequila he drank, the ring would not see the light of Cy’s Place. Jack took the rear entrance through the kitchen and continued into the bar, where he was immediately greeted by a roaring “Surprise!”
Andie threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Happy birthday, old man,” she said.
Jack smiled, but he wasn’t really surprised, even if it was more than two weeks after his actual birthday. Telling Andie
The longest hug, however, was for
She tried to whisper something to him, but the emotions choked her. As much as Jack resembled his mother, his fortieth-birthday celebration was at least on some level a tough reminder of how long it had been since
“Drinks are on Jack!” shouted Theo.
Cocktails were flowing all around the big U-shaped bar, and Cy’s Place was oozing that certain vibe of a jazz- loving crowd. Creaky wood floors, redbrick walls, and high ceilings were the perfect bones for Theo’s club. Art nouveau chandeliers cast just the right mood lighting. Crowded cafe tables fronted a small stage for live music. The hand-painted banner hanging from the ceiling, however, was a bit puzzling: HAPPY SECOND ANNIVERSARY!
“Second anniversary of what?” said Jack.
“Your thirty-ninth birthday,” said Theo as he filled two shot glasses with his best
Jack belted back one with him, and then Andie intervened, promising to make it well worth his while if he remained conscious tonight. Theo talked him into one more when Andie wasn’t looking, but Mexican brain-blaster number two put Jack in a serious, reflective mood.
“What are you thinking?” said Andie, as she returned to the bar stool beside him.
“Forty has been a pretty wild ride so far.”
“You can say that again.”
Theo came over in need of quarters for the pool table. “Dude, got any coin?”
Jack glanced at the cash register behind Theo’s bar, but the point seemed too obvious to make. He emptied his pockets onto the bar top. The engagement ring poured out with his loose change, the diamond sparkling beneath the white LED lights. The sight of it nearly stopped Jack’s heart, and he snatched it up. Theo grabbed the coins and, as he walked away, Jack buried the ring back in his pocket.
“What was that?” said Andie.
“What was what?”
She smiled. “That sparkly thing you just shoved back into your pocket.”
“I didn’t just shove any sparkly thing back into my pocket.”
Her smile turned seductive, and with an inquisitive tilt of her head a wisp of long dark hair fell into her eyes the way Jack found irresistible.
“Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I see it?”
“Nothing to see. Really.”
“I want to see.”
She reached for his pocket.
He grabbed her wrist.
She grabbed his elbow. “Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to let me see? Or am I going to have to break your arm?”
“I-uhm…”
A saxophone bellowed, and Jack turned to see Theo coming toward him, his uncle’s old Buescher 400 in hand. A jazz solo quickly morphed into his rendition of “Happy Birthday.” The crowd began to sing, and suddenly Andie was leading Jack around the bar to a big cake with forty blazing candles.
Andie came close and put her lips to his ear. “Come on, Swyteck. Just let me see it.”
