Second Chance Baby

“Some,” he said. “But I can make it work if they want any of it. And the bar menu is available.”

“Perfect. Tyler, hop behind the bar. Be ready for drink orders.”

I made my way into the office at the back of the space and woke my computer screen up. The idea of adding a bartender had been floating around for a couple weeks now. After the last conversation I had with Jesse about the possibility, I put together a draft of a job advertisement. Now I pulled it up and went over it. When it was polished and ready, I went to a local job site to post it.

As I was putting up the post, the door to the office opened and Matt came in. He had the same sagging look on his face and leaned back against the wall.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

“I have no social life,” he said. “I see the three of you more than I see anyone else. Do you know when my last date was?”

“No,” I said.

“Neither do I. That’s the problem.”

“It will be fine. We’ll get someone soon, and then all of us can relax a little. I’m sure plenty of people are looking for a job,” I said.

“But will they want to work here?”

“Sure they will. Locals know the value of this place. And there are new people showing up all the time.”

There was a brief pause, and I noticed Matt shifting around. “I think I saw Ava earlier.”

The statement hit me like a punch in the gut. “What do you mean think you saw Ava?”

“At the post office. I went to mail the care package to Afghanistan for Jordan, and she was there,” Matt said.

“Are you sure it was her?” I asked.

“I mean, I’m not one hundred percent positive. I didn’t talk to her or anything. But it looked exactly like her. She was pulling out as I was pulling in, so we were right there next to each other.” He hesitated again. “Have you talked to her recently?”

I shook my head. “Not since before she left.”

The conversation dropped, and Matt walked out of the office. I finished posting the job, and just as I was getting ready to walk out of the office, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number. It was Jordan. He didn’t get to call often, so I snatched it up. We chatted for a few minutes, and I did what I always did, trying to stay as perky and positive as I could for him. I figured no matter what we were going through here, it was nothing compared to what he was dealing with over there. He didn’t need the added stress of worrying about us.

“It’s mostly quiet,” he said. “Not a lot going on recently. Which is a good thing. But it’s hot. And stressful.”

“I’m sure. But, hey, you get out soon!”

Jordan gave a short laugh. “Yes, I do. And I can’t wait to be home.”

“We can’t wait to have you home.”

I was glad to hear from my brother. We didn’t hear from him nearly as much as we would like to. There was always that lingering feeling of worry and fear about him. Even when he wasn’t in active combat and nothing serious had happened around his area, we worried. Service was extremely important to him, and he was devoted to it, but we all couldn’t wait for him to finally get out and come home.

As if talking about adding extra help had somehow summoned more customers, the bar picked up as the night went on. It got a little busier than average, which was good. But it still wasn’t the crowds we were hoping for. The busy phase of the bar was short-lived when we very first opened, and now we were trying to find ways to get back to that point. It would mean more work, but that would be worth it. Besides, the busier we were, the more money we were bringing in, and the bigger staff we could hire. It would all work out.

“Any responses to that job posting yet?” Matt asked a few hours into the shift as he carried a bus bucket full of dirty dishes and glasses into the kitchen.

I laughed. “Not yet. Are you already complaining about actually having business?”

“Just keeping up with the news.”

“If we can get up to these crowds and bigger, we’ll definitely need the help,” Tyler said from the grill. “I wish Tom would come back and help.”

I let out a sigh and nodded. “Maybe he will one day.”3AvaUnpacking boxes and organizing the apartment was exhausting. Adding in the bottle of wine and giggling with Stephanie keeping us up until the early hours of the morning meant I slept far later than I usually did. Most of the time I was the kind of person who didn’t need an alarm to wake up. I set it anyway, just to make sure, but every morning was the same. At least twenty minutes before the alarm went off, my eyes popped open and I was ready for the day.