Page 3 of Whiskey Neat

“Uh, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“I didn’t even know him.” He chuckles. “He didn’t have kids and he left it to me because we have something in common. I’m the other queer in the fam.”

“That’s nice though.”

“Yeah. Shit. I didn’t ask if you were busy.”

“It’s okay. I’m talking to Kit on the other line.”

“Tell him to hang up and we’ll do a threeway.”

“Cool. One sec.” I click over to the other line. “Hang up. Ridley’s gonna call you and put us on threeway.”

“Got it.”

Kit ends the call and I click back to the video.

“What do you need my help with?”

“Money. I don’t know how to manage it. The house is in bad shape too. I don’t know if I should sell it as is or fix it up.”

“Where is it?”

He grins. “Willow fucking Bay.”

“No shit?”

“Zero shit. One sec. Let me get Kit on.”

The screen is black for a second, then Kit’s face pops up in the corner.

Kit waves. “Fuck, it’s good to see you, Rid.”

“You too, man. So I was telling Indy I just got an inheritance and a house in Willow Bay.”

Kit pulls his head back. “Are you fucking kidding?”

“Nope.”

Kit looks at me, clearly astonished. “Wow.”

“You two look weird.” Ridley says. “Did I miss something?”

“Just the reason me and Indy were talking.”

“I got laid off,” I explain. Ridley frowns, but I continue. “So I had this idea that’s been on my mind for a couple of years. Since the alumni event.”

“Okay,” Ridley says.

“I was thinking some of us could buy Jimmy’s old place. Fix it up and open a gay bar. The town needs one.”

Ridley’s expression is blank as he drags a hand through his unruly dark hair, the colorful locks of his youth long gone. “Seriously?”

“I know I don’t know shit about running a bar, but how hard could it be? I ran my own investment firm for six years and then transitioned to a tech career. If I can learn that, I can learn to sling drinks, right?”

“It’s more than that,” Kit says. “It’s all the behind-the-scenes shit too.”

“I know. That’s why I was gonna call Lowen next.”

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