Add to that constantly trying to be there for Mason and his family, still helping Mom with my father, and dealing with my own emotions about Mason’s dad, and I was wearing myself thin. But I wasn’t going to complain. And I wasn’t going to stop. They needed me, and I was going to do whatever I could.
I went into the kitchen to check on Damian. We had dramatically streamlined the bar menu to make it easier for him to keep up.
He was prepping quickly and efficiently, and I knew Jesse would be so proud of him.
Even with as much as he was putting into keeping up with the orders, within a couple of hours of opening, things were starting to get backed up. Service was much slower than usual, but I refused to worry about it. With as much popularity as we had built up over the last few months, people would be willing to give us a little leeway. I just didn’t want Damien and Miranda to get overwhelmed and discouraged.
Both of them were so new. They were suddenly thrown into the fire and were responding admirably. I hoped they would be able to keep it up and wouldn’t be totally burned out and not want to work at The Hollow anymore.
I brought a burger out to one of our regular customers and set it in front of him. “I’m sorry it took a little while longer than usual,” I said. “We’re trying to keep up as best we can.”
“Don’t you dare apologize, Ava,” he said. “There isn’t a single one of us in this bar who can’t wait a few minutes for our food. We’re not starving. With what you and the Anderson family are going through, we can all be a bit patient. And if there’s somebody in here who doesn’t want to be, they can answer to me. You are doing an amazing job. They are so lucky to have you. For all the reasons.”
I choked up and swallowed down the emotion before I spoke.
“I’m so lucky to have them,” I said.
After that, we found our rhythm and managed to get caught up. The rest of the night went more smoothly, but I was still exhausted. It was a relief when the last customer left and the three of us could go to work doing the closing tasks.
I would never again overlook the value of having the family here to help with all these tasks. Not only was it easier when there were for other people here to do the work, but the energy was so different. The bar was quiet and heavy. There was a stillness, an emptiness that almost felt like the building itself was sad. It didn’t have any of the energy and light it always had when we were all together.
Finally, we finished getting the bar cleaned up and prepped for the next day. I sent the others along home and was locking up when my phone rang. My stomach sank. It was the middle of the night. There was no good reason anyone would be calling me. I climbed in my car and answered the phone.
“He’s gone,” Mason said. “My dad is gone.”
The pain in his voice was almost palpable, and my heart shattered.
“I’ll be right there,” I said.
Adrenaline burned away my exhaustion. All I could think about was getting to the hospital and to Mason. I ran inside and found him sitting alone in the waiting area. He wasn’t crying. Instead, he was just sitting and staring ahead of him, like he didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. Like the whole world had just completely changed and he no longer knew his place in it.
I took him by the hand and helped him up to his feet. He didn’t argue when I told him I was going to bring him home. Of course, there were things that needed to be done. Decisions that needed to be made and plans that needed to be put in place.
But for right then, all that mattered was getting him to a place where he felt safe and comfortable, and getting him some rest. As soon as we were back in his house, Mason fell apart.
It was tragic and gut-wrenching seeing him so distraught. All I could do was sit there with him and comfort him. Eventually we crawled into bed, and I held him until both of us fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up and carefully got out of bed. Mason had woken up several times during the night but had finally settled down and was sleeping soundly. I didn’t want to disturb him. I made breakfast, then went to work cooking a few simple, basic meals I could tuck into Mason’s refrigerator and freezer.
I knew he would probably order a lot of takeout food or I would bring him meals, but there was something reassuring about having homemade food ready and waiting in your own kitchen when going through something like this. I let him sleep for as long as I could, then went back into his bedroom and gently woke him up.