Only, I never really did. I didn’t think about her as much, and there were times when I even thought I was over her and didn’t even miss her anymore. And yet I still never dated anyone else. I never even considered a relationship with anyone else. I just blocked that entire part of my life out of my mind.
Until Ava came back. Then I was very much aware of that part of my life all over again. But I still wouldn’t let myself think there could be any chance we would be back together again. Definitely not so soon. Yet for the last two months, I had been taking her to work every day, then taking her home every night.
It didn’t feel at all forced or rushed. It was completely natural and easy, almost like we were just picking right back up where we left off. Just in a much better place emotionally. It might not have been what I expected to happen when she came strolling into the bar that day for her interview, but I wasn’t going to question it. I was finally happy, and she was at the center of it all.
The theme nights continued to prove popular. In fact, some of them drew such huge crowds, we had to turn people away and do two nights of the same theme in one week to accommodate everybody. It was an incredible thing to see, and every time we pulled it off, I was more impressed.
Tonight was no exception. We’d decided to hold off on doing Ava’s idea for a classic-car night so we could do it right. That meant a lot of preparations, cooperation from the city, and networking with other businesses around The Hollow.
But, finally, it had all come to fruition, and it was finally the night when we could see the results of all the hard work. Several hours before the event was to begin, city workers came to the street to shut down part of the road to create space for the classic cars to be parked. Having the area closed off made it easier for people to move around, admiring the cars and going from place to place. This was particularly important because a few neighborhood bars and restaurants were in on the theme night as well.
Rather than just showing up at the Hollow, people wanting to come to the event had to go to a central check-in location. Jesse and Tyler waited there how to sell tickets to the event. Once people had their colored wristbands that indicated what level of access they’d purchased, they were allowed onto the closed road. They could then jump in on the bar crawl that included several other bars serving special themed cocktails, restaurants with tasting menus, and other locations offering snacks, treats, and merchandising.
The entire thing had a carnival atmosphere about it, and I was amazed that Ava had been able to pull it off. I shouldn’t have been. By that point, I was well aware she was incredible and could pull off anything she set her mind to. Which included funneling more people into our bar that night than had ever been there.
We kept the doors to the patio open and had put up barriers to create a path where people could walk up to the bar for our special offerings of the night. Then the line would lead them back out onto the patio, or to the seating area of the bar if they wanted to stay there.
Part of me had worried when Ava first mentioned that we should team up with the other businesses and sell tickets to the event. Festivals and street fairs were huge, she assured me. They got massive attention, and people loved the atmosphere and immersive experience. I worried they would be angry about paying just to get access to the bar, only to have to pay for drinks and food when they were there.
I never should have worried. Making it into an event detailed right down to every business using the same custom themed napkins and offering cooperative experiences like a scavenger hunt made people rabid to come. It was even more exclusive now. Coming to the theme nights was turning into a status symbol, and now it was even more impressive.
I was having a blast wandering around keeping my eye on the entire thing. Until I saw the guys around Ava.
As much as I would have wanted to spend the entire evening by her side, that wasn’t an option. We were working, which meant all our attention had to be on the customers and making sure the night went by smoothly.
We were all motivated to make it the best it could be. But that meant I had to spend most of the evening away from Ava.