"So are you?"

"Am I what? Happy? I just told you I am." I set down my bread that I had been nibbling on.

"No silly, are you gonna end it with Jason anytime soon?"

"I already told you. This is not the right time in my life for any breakups. They're too emotional. Why do you even care so much?"

"Because, I have exciting plans for us this summer and we don't want some dreary tagalong, like Jason"

"Hah, it's not such an easy thing to do. You know, it is not just one person getting hurt here. In fact I am not even sure who will be most affected, Jason or my dad."

Kat cracked a smile. "Your dad had it all figured out, didn't he? Hooking you up with daddy's golden boy at the office. Listen Niki, this is your life. Your destiny. It is not freaking India where women are forced into arranged marriages."

"Wow that would be scary. At least now I am out of the house. Away from my dad's constant disapproving scorn. Besides Jason is a nice solid guy. Everyone says we're perfect for eachother."

"Yea, well. Perfect doesn't always cut it. Wait and see."

I frowned and stabbed a forkful of salad that the waitress had just delivered to our table. Kat had a way of being right about people, an instinctive kind of understanding. I didn't want to admit that she was right. Again. But I just didn't have time to deal with relationship issues right now so I changed the subject.

"Are we still on for going out Friday night in Venice Beach?"

"Definitely. Party time is on my friend. Chase and Tanner and Jenna are going too. V Lounge will be a blast. The last time I was there, it was filled with hot guys.It was like, they were hanging off the wall fixtures there were so many. Could be our lucky night."

"Ha!" I laughed right when I tried to swallow and nearly choked on a piece of lettuce. "Kat, you're crazy, girl. You always see the positive in things. But I'm sure if there are tons of hunky guys they will all be after you. That's why I keep you around, you are always so much fun to be with."

Kat laughed and took a sip of her drink. "So are you bringing Mr. Killjoy with you on Friday to the V Lounge?"

"Actually, no. He'll be out of town. We just had a big fight about it. His grandmother passed away and he assumed I would go with him to the birthday but it's all the way up past San Francisco. That's a seven hour drive each way. I can't waste my entire weekend, I need to finish a big fashion design project that's due on Monday. So I argued like the lawyer that my dad wanted me to be. And he argued like the lawyer that he is and the whole thing blew up into a big mess. But I stood my ground in the end."

"Good for you Niki, way to stand up for yourself."

"I don't know. I feel guilty for not playing the role of the supportive girlfriend but I would have felt so out of place with all of his family there. I have hardly met any of them except his parents once. I don't think our relationship is ready for that big of an event yet. Maybe if we were a year or two into our relationship but not now. You know what I mean."

"Sure hun. Now we can have some fun together this Friday." Kat finished the last bite of her salad and pulled her wallet out of her oversized Juicy Couture bag.

Chapter Ten.

Jesse "Hope this will work for you," Kenny said, while opening the door to the spare bedroom in his house.

"This is great. Thanks Ken." I dropped my suitcase on the floor next to the bed. It was a cool place Uncle Kenny had. Right in the heart of Santa Monica, only a few blocks from the beach. Typical Californian style house that looked like all the others on the block, light colors, stucco exterior. East coast houses are different. Darker and more rustic than on the west coast. You don't see a lot of red brick type houses in LA.

I stepped over to the window and pushed the vertical blinds aside with the backside of my hand to check out the view. Damn. Bigger yards in New York, I noted as I looked out the window. But what the hell, the sun was shining and the room was bright, painted all white. I scanned the room ceiling to floor. This would be my home away from home for the next couple months. Shit, who was I kidding, I didn't have a home any more. I had been crashing at Jimmy's place in between races, ever since mom went in the hospital and our old house was sold to help pay her medical bills. But I had a good feeling about this move. Spending the summer here, helping my uncle getting "Rookies", his sports bar back on track, might not be such a bad idea after all.

"Help yourself to anything you need. Towels, bedding and stuff. There's plenty of food and beer in the fridge. Mi casa es su casa." He cracked a feeble smile. I hadn't seen him for years and wrinkles had settled around his eyes. And yet, for his age of forty-five, he wasn't a bad looking dude and stayed in good shape it seemed. I always wondered why he never married, or had any kids. He had a good heart, fun and easy going, one of those guys everyone gets along with. I guess that's why he opened his bar. Kenny was your typical friendly bartender.

"Thanks again. I really appreciate it. Just let me know what kind of help you need from me. I'm here to help, you know."

"Sure Jess. Take a day or two and get settled in. I'll take you to the bar Monday and show you around. Don't worry about it. It's a piece of cake. The easiest job you'll ever have," Kenny said with a smile and paused as he went out the door. "Oh, but don't walk around the house naked. I'm planning on having female company later, if you know what I mean."

"Uncle Kenny." I grinned. "You dog, you."

He disappeared down the hall whistling and I headed out to the truck to get the remainder of my bags.

"Jess, meet Chase. He is my right hand here at the bar. Been with me ever since I opened this joint. Chase, this is my nephew, Jesse Morrison from New York."

Chase stuck out his hand. "Hey, man. Great to meet you. Kenny told me you were coming out here to help with the bar over the summer."

It was Monday morning and my uncle had brought me to his sports bar, "Rookies" to get me acclimated. It was my first day helping out and I was feeling pretty chill about the whole thing. Hanging around bars was not exactly new to me.

I shook Chase's hand. He had a firm grip, was well-built and seemed like a nice guy. "Great to meet you too, man. Yep, I'm out here for a couple of months I guess. We will see how it goes."

"Chase will show you around and explain the routine. Train you for the job." We stepped into the back hallway near his office. "Chase, will you get Jesse his uniform?"

I cringed at the word "uniform". I wasn't the military "everyone wearing the same outfit" type of guy.

He nodded in affirmation.

"I thought you were going to train me yourself, Uncle Kenny?"

It was Kenny's turn to cringed and wrinkled up his face. "You're going to have to drop the Uncle thing. It sounds so...old. And just not right for our working situation."

"Sure, sure. Kenny. You got it...Boss" Hope I will remember that one.

Kenny clapped me on my cheek as if he was some Godfather out of the old mafia movies. "Well, better get your thumb out of your ass and get to work." He turned to Chase.

"Chase, I'll be in my office for the next couple hours if you need me." He took a step towards his office and stopped to pull his wallet out of his pocket, handing Chase a couple bills. "Lunch is on me since its Jesse's first day, but after that you two knuckleheads are on your own. Just remember. Don't drink it all up, get some food too. And call me if you need anything." He turned to me. "Jess, I'll see you later." He slapped me on the back and gave a nod to Chase. "Have fun guys." He disappeared into his office down the hall and left me standing there facing Chase.

"Your uncle is a pretty cool dude, man." Come on. I'll give you the tour."

I followed him out to the bar area. "Yea, he's always been solid. It's good to see him again after all these years."

"What do you mean? How long has it been since you two have seen each other?"

"God, I don't know, lost count. The last five years I've been on non-stop tours racing in motocross and supercross. I'm hardly in one place for very long, well until this damn injury." I raised my left hand and open and closed my fist. "I haven't gained back the strength I need for the proper grip and control of the bike."

"Shit. Hey, maybe I can help you work on that, you know, target those muscles with some strength training. I'm also a trainer at a gym here."

"Maybe. Hey, tell me. What's up with the uniform thing? I didn't know I was gonna be wearing some lame ass uniform. I can't be messing with my swag, you know?"

Chase laughed and shook his head. "Don't sweat the load, man. It's just a polo shirt with the "Rookies" logo. Nothing elaborate, see I'm wearing it. Sometimes red, sometimes a black shirt." He pulled on the collar.

"Yea, you look kind of geeky." I grinned. Chase knew I was yanking his chain and I could tell right away he was my kind of guy. This gig was going to be a fucking piece of cake.

The rest of the morning was spent in training. Chase was showing me the basics you tend to around a bar. He also hooked me up with the goofy polo shirt slash uniform and finally we headed to a Chipotle on my uncles' dime. About time, my stomach was starting to roar.

"Tell me, Jess," Chase said downing a large bite of his burrito. "California is a long way from New York. Far to travel for a summer gig? Anything else that brings you to the West Coast, besides your uncle,"

"Basically, I'm an asshole and needed a change of scenery." I wasn't going to lie and try to pretty myself up for anyone. I am what I am.

"Dude, that's kind of a rough description of yourself. Man, what did you do to earn that title?" Chase asked with a grin.

"It's a long story but the shorter version is, I was at the peak of my racing career and got injured. Messed up my hand and my leg." I dropped my taco and wiggled the fingers of my left hand in the air. "The surgery on my hand didn't take right and my grip is fucked up now. If I can't clasp the handlebar and work the clutch with my hand like I used to, I'm screwed. I might never race professionally again."

"Man, that sucks. Where did you race?"

"All over the states, Australia and even in Europe. Last year I won Supercross du Paris in France."

"No kidding. Wow! You must have been pretty skilled on a bike. I'm impressed."

"Well, after my accident, things just went sought. I couldn't ride my bike the way I used to and that just killed me. I needed to ride. It's grained into my pores, my blood. I crave that kind of action in my life. It fuels my soul, you know? What the hell am I gonna do without it?" I shrugged and crunched into more taco. "Don't have any other job skills. Spent all my life on a dirt bike, never even went to college. Don't get me wrong, college is fine for...someone else. But me? Nah, I need the adrenaline rush every day. I would die if I had to get a job like sitting behind a desk all day. Literally die. I would rather just take a gun to my head and get it over with fast, than spending the rest of my life at a desk job. Suicide by desk, I call it" I cranked a smile, leaned back in my chair and crumpled the taco paper into a ball, tossing it onto the brown plastic tray. "So, I became an asshole instead. Drinking, whoring, and partying. Anything to fill the void. I was now getting my rush in a different way, you know. Oh, and then there was this whole thing about my brother, Jimmy. He is a cop and his career, wife and future kid didn't mess well with my lifestyle. After he pulled me out of yet another bar fight, he "suggested" for me to leave town and chill out here with Uncle Kenny for a while. Get my shit in one bag, you know. So basically, that's why I am here."

Chase pushed his tray away and crossed his arms across his chest. "That's quite a story. Well, I guess we all have one, but no worries, man. I'm not here to judge."

"That's cool."

"And Jess, don't worry about your hand. The human body is a pretty remarkable piece of equipment. I think I can help you with that hand. Don't give up just yet, man. Lets' see what we can do. I'll design a specific training plan for you. I can't promise anything but I might have a trick or two up my sleeve."

"I doubt anything will work. I went to all of my physical therapy sessions after the surgery and it still looks like shit. I think I'm just destined to be an asshole." I laughed, ran my hand through my hair and sucked down the rest of my Coke.

"We'd better beat it. It's time to go back." Chase stood up from the table and tipped his tray of trash into the can. He put the plastic tray up on top near the soda station and we shoved off into the bright California sunshine. This walking to things was different for me. I wasn't used to walking to lunch or walking to work back home. It kind of made me feel like I was cheating on my truck.

The early afternoon hours were spent with more training, how to replace the beer kegs when they run empty, how to operate the glass washing station, prepare the set ups for mixed drinks and where to find all the bar supplies. Tonight, I was just the bartender's assistant, helping Chase with anything he needed. Chase was going to train me in how to mix drinks and be an expert bartender later in the week. It was pretty easy stuff and I got a chance to get my feet wet by drawing beers from the tap for the after work customers.

A couple of days had gone by and I considered myself almost an expert, filling the heavy glass beer mugs with just the right head of foam. Every night I waited for "the big rush" of customers, but the reality was that my uncle's bar was more like a graveyard. I wondered if my stay at my uncle's house would be short lived.

Friday rolled around and I had been here in California for almost a week, working my butt off day and night at "Rookies". All I had seen was the dark inside of the bar and my bed for too long. I was restless and needed to blow off some steam. Hell, I didn't even know what Santa Monica looked like in the daylight but Chase came through with an invite to a bar. Hang with him and some of his friends.

Chase was texting when I slid into the passenger seat of his car.

"Hey man." His eyes were glued to the screen. He finished his text, dropped the phone in the console cup holder and put the car in reverse. "Are you ready for this? Santa Monica nightlife?"

"Hell, yea." I pushed my hand through my hair.

"Tonight you can see how we rock things here on the west coast."

"Where are we going?"

"V lounge. Some friends of mine from back in high school said to meet up there. That's who I was texting. I haven't seen them for a while but they are nice and fun."

"Cool. I'm down."

As we headed to Venice Beach my mind was set on the burn of a Jack Daniels. New surroundings and a change to my daily grind had kept my mind off my own crap. Most of the time. But my injured hand kept me constantly pissed off and reminded me of the calming effect hard liquor induced.

As we walked into V lounge, Chase quickly noticed his group of friends. "There they are, in the corner over there." He pointed with his chin to a small group with a hot blonde reaching up on her tiptoes, frantically waving at us. We pushed through the mass of warm bodies in their direction. I swept the room with my eyes. Drinks were flowing like water all around us. I liked this place. I liked it a lot.

"Chase," she squealed. The hot blonde threw her arms around Chase's neck bouncing up and down. Damn, I would like to see that bouncing action riding me.

"Whoa, whoa, Kat. Take it easy on my neck, girl." He laughed. "Glad to see me, or what?"

The girl giggled and tossed back her long blonde hair. "Chase, sweetie, who's your friend here?" She radiated as she turned to scope me out, one arm thrown over Chase's shoulder and a seductive glitter in her eye. She'd been drinking already. Always an attractive quality in my book. I pushed my hand through my hair feeling like a side of beef hanging in a meat market.

"Kat, this is Jesse, he's the newbie at Rookies. He's Kenny's nephew," Chase said.

She dropped her arm from his neck looking at me hungrily.

"Hey Jesse. Where have you been all my life?" She turned back to the bar and grabbed her cranberry vodka. "Are you a fitness trainer or something? You are pretty damn hot with all those muscles and shit." She gazed up at me from under her lashes, like she could jump on me and eat me alive. Damn, this girl could sure turn the tables. Suddenly the hunter became the hunted.

I shuffled my feet. "Well, what can I say? I'm vegetarian and hit the gym religiously." I was being sarcastic. She didn't get it.

"Really?" she asked with wide eyes.

Chase blew out a sudden short laugh.

"No. Are you whack? My idea of weight lifting is lifting beer bottles to my lips," I snorted.

She stomped her foot and huffed. "You guys suck ass."

I eyed the bartender behind her, anxious to get a drink in me to better deal with this little vixen.

"Hey Jesse, hon. C'mon, you gotta meet my best friend." Before I knew it she was pulling on my arm for me to follow her a couple spots down the bar. When we stopped, my eyes lingered on a girl with long dark hair, in an outrageously short black dress standing at the bar with her back to us.

"Niki."

She heard her name and turned with a drink in hand, her long black hair undulating down her back in a wave as she moved. My eyes beaded a line straight on a face, fair and sweet, that imprinted on my soul in a heartbeat. I swore I heard the buzz of electricity and for a nanosecond time froze. My awareness of the room momentarily faded into a hazy blur, followed by another cool glance over her shoulder and with that the room warped back to normal.

Kat spun around and tugged on her friend's arm, pulling her attention away from some dude who had been chewing her ear off.

"Niki. You gotta meet Jesse. He's Chase's new friend and coworker. Kenny's nephew."

The sweet faced girl turned completely around looking right into me like she could see through me, like she could see all the way to where my thoughts were. How I had never given any thought to waste my life on cheap beer...or cheap women.

"Jesse, this is my best friend in the whole world, Niki. We've know each other since high school, well, all of us have. Anyway...oh my God, I think I need another drink," Kat said to the bottom of her empty glass.

"Hi Jesse, nice to meet you." Her lush lips moved. Her dark lashes batted. Her reaction towards me pleasant, but not impressed. My heart sank. Holy hell, I just met this girl and already the sparks were flying like heat lightning arcing between storm clouds. At least that was my reaction. Fuck. This was something new.

Her eyes flitted over to Chase and lit up with old friendship when she saw him.

"Chase, baby, good to see you again." She leaned past me to give Chase a hug. A wisp of her raven hair brushed my arm. "Chase where've you been hiding? I haven't seen you around lately." Her scent pleasantly invaded my nostrils. My pulse jabbed at my veins, with a sharp burst of adrenaline.

Damn, that felt good.