“Still being stubborn?”
“Like a mule.” Graham sighed. “Do you ever wonder how things could’ve been different?”
Bowie nodded. “Every day. I look at Brooklyn and ask myself why I didn’t follow her or harass her parents about where she was. I let her go and tried to move on. I lost fifteen years . . .” A couple people walked in, and Bowie stopped talking. They sat at the end of the bar, away from Bowie. Graham went to them, tended to their needs, and came back to his friend. “What’s plaguing you?” Bowie asked Graham.
“Grady, obviously. My dad for being in denial. Rennie. She stepped up big time at the hospital, and I hate that I can’t be with her.” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Graham wanted them back. He glanced at Bowie, whose eyes widened.
“What?”
Graham shrugged. “Ever since this past summer, when she walked in here and announced herself, I’m back to where I was before everything happened.”
“Do you love Rennie?”
It was a question Graham often asked himself. Deep down, he knew the answer, but it wouldn’t matter, because she was in love with someone else. “I could say yes, but I’d be an idiot for even thinking that way about her. I could say no, but I’d be lying to myself.”
“You should tell her.”
Graham shook his head. “No way. She’s in love with Theo. I’m not going to tell her anything, because what we had was high school and college; it’s Brooklyn’s return, and subsequently Rennie’s as well, that’s dredged up these feelings. Before, we had a fling. It worked for us.” He shrugged. “Now we’re adults. She has a life, and mine’s in limbo. I’m not about to confuse her.”
“Well, sometimes I think she needs a little confusing. And for the record, Brooklyn has a feeling things aren’t great between Rennie and Theo. Maybe you can be the knight in shining armor. I’d be happy to give you some pointers.”
Graham reached into his own bowl of popcorn and threw a handful at Bowie. Luke was like a sniper and moved lightning fast to inhale the pieces on the floor. He sat at Bowie’s stool and begged for another morsel. “Now look at what you’ve done,” he said, reaching down to pat his dog on the head. “I’m going to head out. Call me later if you get any news on Grady.”
“Will do.” Graham watched as Bowie left, and another group walked in. A party of four sat at one of the tables, while another party of two sidled up to the bar. “What can I get for you?”
“Anything local on tap?” the young man asked.
Graham nodded and pointed to the chalkboard. “Everything on the board is local. Domestic is bottled.”
“Great, I’ll take the Muddy Moose Stout.”
“And I’ll have a white-wine spritzer,” the woman said.
Graham asked to see their IDs and, after a thorough inspection, handed them back and started his routine. Everything for him was automatic, from grabbing the right glasses to pulling the tab and tilting the pint glass at the perfect angle to pouring the right combination of white wine and sparkling water. As much as he hated the bar, the work was easy, and he was a natural. There were times when the rowdies came in, or he had to cut someone off—those days proved to be stressful, but he was a mindful bartender and owner. If he felt you had too much to drink, showed signs of being drunk, or had an overall feeling someone shouldn’t drive home, he called for a cab and notified the local police to come down and hang out. He felt having the police in the bar sent a strong message to the patrons. He didn’t want an accident on his hands, and Graham was more than willing to help people get home safely.
The bar was like Pandora’s box in the sense that once the door opened and people started coming in, others followed. By midafternoon, the place was about full. Not the type to look a gift horse in the mouth, Graham busted his tail to keep everyone happy.
ELEVEN
Rennie found herself standing at her office window, watching the snow fall to the ground. The accumulation was minimal but enough to cause concern and some panic among the locals if the temperature stayed below freezing. The somewhat-warm temperatures from the holiday weekend turned frigid overnight. She crossed her arms and shivered. After spending the past few days with Graham, she’d thought a lot about their past, especially in California. They had been close, more than best friends, but their lives had been turned upside down with a tragic event, and they could never find their way back to each other. Not that she’d tried, and she was certain Graham hadn’t either. One moment had changed everything.