Dirty Sweet Cowboy

I don’t look up, just nudge the second glass toward the empty barstool next to me. I hold mine under my nose, inhaling deeply. Japanese whiskeys aren’t quite as earthy as scotch. They’re brighter, a little simpler. And delicious .

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve,” Aden snarls, but I hear he’s tired. A little too tired to kick me out, or try to kick my ass. Not that he could, but it’s never stopped him from trying before .

Aden picks up his glass, contemplating the amber liquid for a long time before gulping half of it at once .

“So?” he asks. “What the hell, Ethan? You just decide to drop in? Haven’t you done enough damage already? Christ !”

“I need your help,” I admit. “I’m all out of ideas. I just need your help .”

He shakes his head slowly. “That ship has sailed, Ethan. You wanted my help, you should have come to me like a man. Doing it now… trying to go around her… it’s ridiculous .”

“I’m not trying to go around her. I’m going to do as she asks. I am. I just want you to help me set it up so she never has to worry about anything. She’s not going to like it. She’s going to act too proud to take it. But if you can help me… we can set up a trust. The kids will never have to want for anything. They can go to college… start their own businesses. They’ll have options .”

He squints at me over the rim of his glass, obvio

usly suspicious. “Why do you need my help to do that ?”

“Paperwork,” I shrug, figuring I’m at about seventy-five percent honesty here. Could I find this myself? Yes. Do I see a benefit in trying to knock on the Harrison door until somebody gets around to letting me in ?

Definitely.

“What kind of paperwork? I can’t afford to take on any more liability, Ethan .”

I look around the bar, sure he’s right. “You put a lot of money into this place,” I nod approvingly. “You did a really good job, by the way. You said you wanted a cool place to hang out. This is it, totally .”

His shoulders slump. “Yeah, well, tell your friends,” he says glumly. “I’m sure I can stay open for another couple of weeks if you guys wanna have a going-away party or something .”

“That bad ?”

He takes a deep breath, letting it out with a barely suppressed groan .

“You know how it is,” he sighs. “I had such high hopes. For the neighborhood… for the restaurant… I thought I was making conservative choices, but I might’ve gotten in a little too deep .”

“What? You?” I tease, remembering his habit of getting in too deep to just about everything. “The way I remember it, too deep is practically your middle name .”

“My middle name is actually Ralph,” he informs me .

My eyebrows go up. “Wow, that is a surprise .”

He smiles, his cheeks crinkling like they used to, with dimples up near his eyes. Damn. I realize I haven’t seen him smile in years. Years and years .

“Well, I did buy a house in the neighborhood. Fixer-upper. I’m gonna need a place to eat, Aden. If you close, I’ll be eating a lot of falafel next door. So I need you to stay open .”

He knocks back the rest of his drink, wincing. “It’s too late for that, Ethan. Maybe if you had asked me six months ago …”

“If the doors are open, it’s not too late,” I reply simply. “You would be amazed what a stupid amount of money can accomplish .”

“I bet you’re right,” he chuckles cruelly. “I’m constantly amazed what a stupid amount of stupid has accomplished, anyway .”

We sit in silence for a few seconds. I sort of assume what happened here. Aden started writing checks that the economy couldn’t support, got in too deep, then got his usual attitude problem. He is stubborn, like his sister. When he gets scared, he gets angry .

I bet I could fix the scared part .

“You know, it’s kind of like you stole my idea,” I start .

“Your idea?” he repeats incredulously, snatching the bottle of whiskey and pouring out two more healthy glasses. “I know you’re not referring to my restaurant. What possible part of this could be your idea ?”

I casually wave my hand around the empty room. “Well, those armchairs look like the ones in my grandparents’ hunting lodge, remember? We took a weekend up there and drank all the good brandy ?”