"The Brass Lantern it is," she replied and off we drove.
Chapter 4
Celia
I’d worked as a bartender part time for the past two years at the Brass Lantern, a pub that many Harvard students frequented, and it was my pub of choice when I was off work. I knew the entire crew and got drinks at a discount, so of course, given my new status as impoverished non-trust fund baby, I had to watch my pennies.
Amy and I slid onto stools at the bar and faced Dean, the bartender working that night.
"Hey, Celia," he said and smiled at me and Amy. "What can I get for you?"
"Margarita," I said. "Make it a double."
"Make that two," Amy said and nodded to Dean.
"Whoa," he said. "You two mean business. What's up? First week of law school got you down already?"
I shook my head and watched while Dean poured my drink. When he placed it in front of me, I took a long gulp. "Graham's in ICU."
"Oh, man, that's rough," Dean said. "What the hell happened? Car accident?"
I took another sip. "Bad business deal."
Dean made an alarmed face. "Oooh, that's not good. What happened? I thought he was a wizard with money. Doesn't he have this really hot investment startup?"
"Yeah, but let's just say he made a few bad investments and got into trouble."
"Sucks," Dean said. "Will he be okay?"
"They're keeping him in ICU overnight and then he'll be admitted to the neurology ward to watch him for a few days. He's going to need a lot of rehab."
"Well, you give him my regards."
I nodded and Dean went back to pouring drinks.
I turned to Amy. "What they hell am I going to do?"
"Go to Hunter," she said. "Graham's right. He's got lots of money."
"He's got lots of hate on for us, too," I said.
Amy shrugged. "What other choice do you have? Spencer will freak when he learns that Graham lost your money."
I shook my head. "Hunter hates us."
"Hunter had the hots for you. That's what Graham said."
"Hunter's a manslut," I replied, remembering Hunter from before. "He never has the same woman twice and he's never alone. The man must have slept with hundreds of women in his time. I was nothing but another piece of ass to him. Fresh, young and willing."
Amy took a sip of her drink. "Go to him," she said and sucked on the slice of lime. "Ask him for the money. Otherwise, those loan sharks will come back for Graham. And maybe you, too."
I had to admit she was right.
"Hey, Dean," I said. Dean came right over. "Do you need any relief bartenders? I need a second job."
"You know we're always short," he said. "Go look at the schedule and put yourself down for a few more shifts. We have openings and I've been pulling double shifts so it'd be great if you're available."
I nodded. At least I'd be able to pay for a rain coat in case I became homeless but even with extra shifts at the bar, there was no way I could scrape together enough money to afford to stay in Kirkland House, let alone pay for Graham's debt.