Page 13 of Craving You

“And that’s my inspiration to get my ass in gear.” As much as he would have loved to lie in bed for a bit longer, brunch was waiting. Five minutes under the hot spray was all he allowed himself before quickly drying off, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed. When he grabbed his phone and began heading down the stairs, he congratulated himself on getting it all done in only fifteen minutes.

“Finally!” his father called out as soon as Max stepped into his brother’s kitchen. There were plates of cinnamon rolls, thick slabs of coffee cake, a variety of muffins, and some sort of egg casserole.

“Hey, Max!” Billie called out. “Can I get you some coffee?”

Walking over, he kissed her cheek. “Good morning, and it looks like you’ve already done enough. I can make my own coffee. Why don’t you go and sit down?”

“Aww…you are very sweet, and I think I’ll take you up on that.” She moved around the kitchen island and called out, “Breakfast is served!”

For the next few minutes, everyone piled up their plates with goodies before sitting down at the table. Billie’s dad, Ronan, was there with them, and it felt nice to have these small family get-togethers. Typically, there were always a bunch of Donovans at every gathering, so this was a pleasant change of pace.

“Dad said you were working over at The Cornerstone last night,” Marcus began after a few forkfuls of breakfast. “I didn’t realize you were still doing the bartending thing. I thought you gave that up when you moved back to Sweetbriar Ridge.”

Max took a sip of his coffee before replying. “I told you when you first came back to town how much I enjoyed it. If there were a place here in town, I’d apply to tend bar there.”

“Me too,” Ronan chimed in. “I miss it. As much as I love going down to Laurel Bay every once in a while to help out at my brother’s pub, I really wish there was a bar here in town. That pub here has turned into more of a family spot. You hardly ever see anyone sitting at the bar.”

“I have to agree,” John said, reaching for his coffee. “It would be nice to have a bar in town that offered some food, but also had things like some dart boards and maybe a couple of pool tables.”

Nodding, Max added, “Not a full-on sports bar, but there would be a couple of TVs up playing whatever game happened to be on. Man, that was always my dream—a bar of my own.”

“Are you serious?” Marcus asked incredulously. “Really? You have a successful cybersecurity firm, Max. Surely the bar isn’t your dream anymore.”

“Cybersecurity is my job, but a bar of my own? That would be my passion.”

Across from him, Ronan laughed softly. “Maybe you and I should play the lottery, Max! And when we win, we build a bar right in the heart of Sweetbriar Ridge! This town is getting all kinds of businesses here, so why not a bar?”

“I know my bowling league buddies and I used to always wish for a place we could go after playing,” John told them. “Like you said, Ronan, the pub is more family-oriented now. We need a place where people can go to just hang out, have a few beers, eat some light foods like wings or sliders, and catch the game with friends.”

“Our family pub down in Laurel Bay has been around for generations. Working there and running the place is like second nature to me. I’ve been a bit bored out of my mind since I retired,” Ronan went on. “Don’t get me wrong; I love being near all you kids and the grandkids, but I need something to do with myself.”

“Dad, you should be enjoying your life,” Billie gently said. “You’re going to have three more grandkids soon. Won’t it be fun to spend time with them?”

“Billie, you and I both know that there’s only so much an old guy like me is going to be able to do with a bunch of infants. No matter how much I love them. I need to do something for me.” He sighed. “My whole life, it was always someone else’s pub. I know it belonged to the Donovans, but it was never mine. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if I’d had a place of my own.”

“Ronan, if I had the money to make it happen—and I do have a decent savings, but I also need to buy a house—I'd be all in with you,” Max said confidently. “You know more about running a business than I do, and honestly, I want to keep my day job, if you know what I mean.” Now it was his turn to sigh. “Unfortunately, I don’t even know how much we’d need to get started. For all the times I thought about doing this, I never did the research into what it would take to make it a reality.”

“You know, you could…” Billie was saying before someone’s phone rang. “That’s mine. Excuse me a moment.” She got up and grabbed her phone from the countertop as she walked out of the kitchen.

Marcus watched her go before looking back at everyone. “You’d need startup capital for a bar,” he stated. “A great location, contractors, a business plan, and investors.”

Frowning, Max asked, “Wait, are you seriously answering the question or are you trying to discourage us? Because I honestly can’t tell.”

His brother mimicked his expression. “I was seriously answering it. I think something like this could be a great addition to the town and if you’re all interested, then there’s probably a lot of people who would be as well. You’d probably do better at finding space in a building with other retail space rather than a free-standing building—at least from a financial standpoint—and there are still plenty of spaces available downtown. We’d just have to see if any of them are zoned for this kind of business.”

“That’s all fine and well,” Max countered, “but it’s kind of a moot point. I don’t have the startup capital, and I certainly don’t know any investors.”

“Maybe you do,” Marcus replied with a grin. “I might be interested in doing this with you.” Pausing, he shrugged. “It would be a way of investing in the town—like my wife is prone to do—and I’d be doing this with you. I trust you.” Then he looked over at Ronan. “And my father-in-law, I mean, we can make it a real family venture. It doesn’t have to be a Donovans Pub, but it can certainly be something like it, right?”

Ronan seemed a bit stunned and simply nodded. When Billie walked back into the room, she was all smiles.

“Who was on the phone?” Marcus asked.

Billie’s smile was part smirk and part giddiness. “You’re not going to believe it, but that was my cousin Hailey on the phone.”

Max knew his eyes went a little wide and it was crazy how curious he was to know exactly why she had called.

“Is everything okay?” Marcus asked.

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