"Mr Carrera?" JJ asked as he walked out onto the porch where Mike was sitting.
"JJ, come here" Mike said with a serious voice.
This was two weeks before summer started. Him and Kie had worked out their problems and things were getting better.
JJ came and sat down on the patio couch and looked at Mike in the chair in front of him.
"JJ, I'm gonna tell you something that I haven't even told Kiara yet." Mike started and JJ grew uncomfortable "I'm thinking about opening another restaurant. Somewhere else. It'll be the wreck just at a different location."
"Okay... What are you trying to say.." JJ said, getting tense
"Not in the Outerbanks." Mike said as if he were scared to actually say what he was trying to say
"Okay.." JJ said, not wanting to except what he was possibly getting at.
"JJ, we're moving" Mike blurted and JJs heart sunk and mind froze.
JJ just stared at him blankly for a moment as he tried to erase the words from his memory
"You're moving" JJ repeated.
"Yes" Mike said
"Not in the Outerbanks" JJ repeated
"Yes"
"To open another wreck" he repeated
"Yes"
He paused again and nodded his head slowly
"Now?" JJ asked just to make sure
"No, In a few years" Mike replied like it was obvious
JJ shot up from his chair and stressfully started pacing while running his hands through his hair. A sigh of relief escaping his body.
"Jesus mike" JJ exhaled as he rubbed his hands over his face. "You could have led with that"
"oh, OH no sorry" Mike started laughing as he realized what he did "sorry, I didn't mean to-" he continued to laugh
"Make me have a heart attack over here Mike" JJ joked but was also being serious
"That's- aha, that's my bad" Mike continued to laugh "no no it'll be in a couple years, y'all will be past 18 by then"
"Okay okay" JJ said, sitting back down and calming himself "continue"
"My point exactly though" Mike gestured to JJ "Look im not gonna pretend that I don't see it anymore. I've seen you two together and I've seen the things you do for her. And I know now that's it's not just puppy love. You've proven that to me" he pointed
JJ was confused but listened carefully.
"I have faith in you JJ. I've watched you grow from just the punk ass boy hanging around my daughter, to a mature, dependable young man" Mike said
"This is weird" JJ said, awkwardly
Mike laughed and took a sip of his wine.
"JJ I think you're going to marry my daughter one day" Mike said
"Progressively weirder" JJ mumbled
"I want you to come work at the wreck" Mike said
"I Remember you bringing this up before" JJ admitted "but.. why?"
"Because when I'm in Florida, starting another location." Mike started "I'm gonna need someone here. Making sure that this place doesn't fall to pieces."
JJ adjusted himself as he suddenly became very interested.
"I want to keep it in the family" Mike said "Kiara already said she would work there, but doesn't want the stress of being in charge. I'm counting on you JJ"
"You want me to run the wreck?" JJ asked
"One day" Mike said, standing up and looking out at the water "but you need to know how things operate up there first"
JJ scratched his face as he thought about it.
"What do you say JJ" Mike said "can I count on you"
He pondered the idea a little longer but then shot up from his seat again.
"Absolutely" JJ said excitedly and shook his hand
"Ahhh I knew I could" Mike celebrated "I want you to turn in your two weeks now, do it right. But then after that. Your up at the wreck everyday. Okay?"
"Of course" JJ smiled
After they wrapped up their conversation, JJ bolted upstairs to tell Kiara the news. He ignored all rules about going in her room and charged in.
"KIE!" JJ Said, running into her room and jumping on her bed. He wrapped Kie in a hug and then pulled away and looked at her excitedly
"Kie you are not gonna believe this. your dad just offered me a job at the wreck. And he wants me to work there so that I can understand how he runs things, because get this. He wants US to run it when he opens up the new location in Florida"
"Woah woah woah slow down" Kie laughed with her arms wrapped around his neck "what are you talking about?"
"Your dads gonna leave us the wreck when we're older" JJ said, running on pure adrenaline
"I already told him I don't want to run the wreck" Kie said a little confused
"Okay you don't have to" JJ said, shaking his head "Kie you never have to work AGAIN if you don't want to" he said, picking her up and twirling her around
"I'm confused, so he's leaving you the restaurant?" Kie asked
"Mhm" he nodded "not yet obviously but when we're older and married and he goes to Florida"
"Wait, he's going to Florida?" Kie asked, pulling away a little
"Oh, right he didn't tell you. You should probably talk to him about that, but he's going to Florida in a couple years to open a second chain"
"Seriously?" Kie asked, not sharing his happy mood anymore
"Kie don't you understand!? This is my ticket out of the cut. This is my chance to actually make something out of myself. To give you a life away from the cut, don't you get it?!" JJ explained. His tone euphoric.
"No, yea I do" Kie assured him "yea I'm happy for you I am really. This is great news. I just- need to go find my dad"
"Okay" he smiled and Kie rushed out the door "hey Sarah" he addressed, looking down at the floor and seeing a very confused sarah Cameron
"What just happened?" Sarah laughed
"I don't know Sarah but this so great" JJ looked up at the ceiling. "Opportunities like these don't happen for me. Okay not the JJ maybanks of the world. Maybe the toppers or the rafes but little old maybank. Never. And I got one!" He knelt down to her level. She was looking at him in awe but also a little like he was crazy.
"If I do this right. I can give Kie everything she's ever wanted. I won't have to raise my kids on the cut. Or drink cheap beer, or buy sketchy weed, ever again. It's over" JJ celebrated
Sarah looked at him and laughed
"Okay" she chuckled
[hey, happy new years ;)
Hope you didn't miss me too much]
YOU ARE READING
Jiara
Teen Fiction"To freshman year JJ" JJ says, saluting the blunt and taking a hit "May he Rest In Peace" he says, blowing out and passing the blunt to pope Is JJ finally ready to settle down? Leaving his life of lying, stealing, and cheating behind him, he decides...
