I'm standing next to Jason's parents and start thinking out loud."People in Dallas would pay a lot of money for space like this. Rustic barn weddings are all the rage right now."
"We use it for barn events, like weddings and holidays. But we don't rent it out," Tim, Jason's father says.
"Oh, I figured. I was just thinking out loud. Though, if you need extra money, it would be a great way to increase your income. One wedding season could net you well over a hundred grand just from renting the space alone."
Tim chokes on his drink as Brice walks up.
"You okay there, old man?" he pats Tim on the back.
"I'm younger than your father, son."
"I call him an old man, too," Brice smiles.
"Your girl here was telling me how they rent spaces like this out in Dallas and how much we could make in one wedding season."
"Yeah, she has the connections if you ever need the money." Brice nods before taking my hand and leading me over to Jason and Ella, who are with Nick and Maggie."Hey, I was thinking maybe you should tell Kayla how WJ’s came to be. She doesn't know the full story."
Jason shoots a look at Nick, who just shrugs, and Jason nods to the empty chairs. When we sit down, Jason pulls his wife Ella onto his lap, kisses her bare shoulder, and then looks at me.
"The bar used to be called Waylon's, after the previous owner. Some locals still call it that. Anyway, he gave me a job cleaning the place after school before he opened for the night. During the summer, he paid me to do repairs around the place. This was before we bought the other side of the ranch, and we were all saving money waiting for it to go up for sale. But that part is Sage's story."
Ella leans over, kissing Jason on the temple, and I get the sense this story is hard for him to tell. Brice takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.
"When I was old enough to tend bar, Waylon taught me all I needed to know. Later, he had me help with the books and managing the bar. We ran it side by side for a while. Then he renamed the bar WJ's for Waylon and Jason's. I didn't know it then, but that was the day he changed his will and left the bar to me. When he passed, his kids were pissed that I got the bar, but Waylon was prepared for that. He had a video practically yelling at his kids for abandoning him, never visiting or calling, and keeping his grandkids from him."
Jason stops to take a drink, his gaze on his whiskey glass for a minute.
"I guess they had a falling out when his wife left him for another man. The kids blamed him for always being at the bar. But it was how he supported his wife's expensive shopping habits, how he put the kids through college, and paid for their weddings. I'm sure there is more to the story, but it wasn't my business. Anyway, in the long run, the judge granted me the bar. A year later Nick wanted to move back home and said he hated big city kitchens. I told him to come work for me and build the kitchen how he wanted. Jo, at the diner, wanted to close for dinner, so it was a good time for us to be open."
"Nick started entering some cook-offs in the state. He won a few smaller competitions before the big one in Dallas that put him on the map," Maggie says, beaming up at her husband, full of pride for him.
"That's about the time I met my Ella here, and we made the shift to make it family friendly. Nick's championship brought people from Dallas, even a TV show, so I made him a partner in the business. It was the best decision I ever made," Jason says.
"I think the best decision you ever made was bringing Ella and her family in to see the place. That was the day I met Maggie, and she became mine, even if she didn't realize it at first. Though she did play hard to get," Nick teases as he and Maggie smile at each other, lost in the memory.
I guess it makes sense to move forward, but keep as much attachment to Waylon as he can. It's how I feel taking over from my dad. Do my own thing while keeping my dad's vision in mind.
"It's why you don't want to franchise because you feel like you’re selling out," I observe thoughtfully.
Jason looks at me before just barely nodding.
It’s then I realize I have to come at this from a different angle. But I don’t have it figured out yet and I don’t want to think about it right now.
"Thank you for telling me that story," I tell Jason.
Again, he nods but doesn't say anything.
A couple sits down next to me and before I even have a chance to see who it is, Maggie introduces us.
"This is our brother, Royce, and his wife, Anna Mae."
I barely get time to say hello before Anne Mae is leaning in, telling us some news."Did you hear? Another horse showed up last night."
They start whispering and I turn to Brice. "What’s going on?"
"There’s talk of an illegal rodeo in the area. They keep dumping half-dead, drugged horses here in town. The police don't know why they’re still alive as they normally kill them. They caught one guy, but he hasn't given up any information."
I remember rumors of an illegal gambling ring doing something like this years ago, and shoot off a text to my dad asking him to look into it. He texts right back that he's on it.