All Aboard (Anchored 3)

I want to pursue this thing with her.

I want to wake up next to her with our arms wrapped around each other, and I want to not get ready for work filled with a sense of dread.

I want to look forward to each day.

I don’t want to head for the office wondering whose life I’m going to tear apart.

Jennifer brings my drink and sets it down. She looks at us thoughtfully.

“You know,” she says. “Sometimes taking risks is hard.”

“And what do you know about risks, sweetheart? Thank you, by the way,” I take my drink and sip it. Perfect. This bartender knows exactly what she’s doing. It’s incredible that this place isn’t packed every damn hour it’s open.

“I took a risk opening this place, didn’t I?” She asks. “You think I had any support from my friends or family? Yeah, right,” she laughs and leans against the bar. “I had nothing but my savings and a dream, but I still went for it.”

“No regrets?” I ask her, realizing that maybe Jennifer and I aren’t so different.

“None,” she says firmly. “Zack knows. He’s listened to me plenty of nights.”

“It’s true,” Zack nods. “Jennifer loves to whine.”

“Come on, now,” she protests with a laugh. “I’m not that bad.”

“Nah, you’ve got a good heart,” he says. “It’s why everyone likes you and this place.”

“I’m getting ready to kick it up a notch,” she says. “Things have been a little slow lately. I’m guessing it’s because there are a few new bars that have opened lately. We’re going to start doing theme nights and maybe even adding a trivia night or something,” she shrugs. “We’ll see.”

“It’s got a great atmosphere,” I tell her. “You’ve done a great job with it.”

“It needs a little something extra,” she says. “And I’m not sure what.”

“Hey,” a woman approaches the bar. “Do you guys have a food menu?”

“No,” Jennifer shakes her hands. “Just drinks. Can I get you another?”

“No thanks,” the brunette says. “I’d like to close my tab. We’re going to go grab some food.”

“Sure thing,” Jennifer heads to the register to get the girl her bill, and that’s when it hits me. After the woman finishes paying and Jennifer comes back, I smile.

“I’ve got it.”

“What’s that?”

“You need food.”

“I know,” she says. “It’s something I’ve been working on for awhile. It just hasn’t come together yet.”

“Yeah, how can you run a bar without food?” Zack complains. “I’m always hungry when I’m here.”

“You sure whine a lot,” she glares at him.

“My girlfriend is a caterer,” I say. “I bet she could help you set something up. If you want to hire full-time kitchen staff, she could help you with recommendations, or if you just want to have food brought in a few times a week, I bet she could do that, too.”

“We don’t have a full kitchen,” Jennifer admits. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve been hesitant to even start dealing with food. It would require a remodel that, unfortunately, I don’t have the cash for right now.”

“You never told me that,” Zack pouts. “I wouldn’t have bitched so much if I’d known.”

“Shut up, Zack,” Jennifer says. “I don’t mind your whining, but I also don’t want to blast my shortcomings to the world, you know?”