Second Chance Baby

“It couldn’t possibly be that Ava’s back after so long? It couldn’t be that you just want to know what’s up with her and have her around again?”

“That’s not what this is about,” I said. “Like you just pointed out, it’s been years. I’ve put all that behind me, and I’m sure she has too. Her coming back here wasn’t about me, and me wanting to get the position filled isn’t about her. All of you know as well as I do this bar is our family’s one shot. If we’re going to be able to keep ourselves afloat and take care of Mom and Pops, this place has to make it. I’m thinking about that and nothing else.”

Tyler waved a French fry like it was surrender flag. “Okay. If that’s what you say, then I’ll go with it.”

“Good,” I said. “Now, have you called her to check in?”

“No,” he said. “She wanted a couple of days, so I figured that’s what I would give her.”

I nodded and headed for the office where her application was still sitting on the desk. For all my posturing and insistence to my brothers, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that Ava not immediately accepting the position was about more than just wanting to make sure she made the right decision.

This was about us. Or what used to be us. For a long time, I never thought I’d see Ava again. And most of the time I would just as soon never hear her name or have to think about her. After everything that happened, keeping her in my past was the best place for her to be.

In most ways, that hadn’t changed. But this wasn’t about wanting to see her or being happy she was back in town. This was business. The bar needed help, and she had what it took to help us. That meant I needed to convince her. Taking matters into my own hands, I typed the address from the application into the GPS on my phone and headed out.

Ava’s expression was surprised when she answered the door. Holding it most of the way closed, she propped the edge on her foot and leaned around it to look at me. Raised eyebrows over eyes that still haunted me questioned why I was there. But she didn’t shut the door.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

She drew in a breath, then nodded. Opening the door the rest of the way, she let me inside. I stepped into the small apartment and followed her over to a tightly packed cluster of furniture in the living room. She held out her hand in invitation for me to sit.

“I’m still getting everything organized. This place is smaller than my apartment in Michigan, so I have to figure it out. Can I get you a drink? I just made some tea,” she said.

“That sounds good,” I told her.

She walked toward the kitchen, and I took the opportunity to let out a breath to try to calm myself down. My nerves were a wreck, but I didn’t want her to see it. A few seconds later, Ava came back in with two glasses of iced tea and a plate of cookies on a tray. She set them down on a table in front of the couch.

The cookies struck me as odd. They were a prop, like taking a glimpse into the past. This was a woman who was taught from the time she was young that when guests came visiting, you offered refreshments. She brought the cookies out not because she anticipated us sitting around and having a nice visit. They were a social contract. One at that went untouched as she perched at the edge of the chair.

I picked up one of the glasses and took a sip. The tension in the air was palpable as both of us waited for the other to start the conversation. Finally, I set the glass down and looked squarely into her face.

“Look, I know we don’t have the best past. A lot went on between us, but that’s not what this is about. I know you really need this job so you can help your parents. And I can understand that, because I really need this bar to succeed so I can take care of mine. We really need somebody in that bartender position, and you’re perfect for it,” I said.

“No, I’m not,” she said. “I didn’t go to college and spend years building my reputation to come back here and sling drinks.”

I let out a gasp of exasperation. “Seriously, Ava, do you have to be so damn difficult? Nobody dragged you here and said you needed to apply for the job. But the point is, we’re not asking you just to be a bartender. We really need someone on board that can help us run the place, too. We know what we’re doing for the most part, but we need some help. We want to increase business and start offering something fresh to get more crowds in. Starting out as a bartender is just about handling the need we have immediately,” I said.