Page 2 of The Barkeep and the Bro

“You okay there, old man?” Leo asked.

“Yep. Fine.” I did a quick torso twist and positioned another piece of wood before Leo could dig in. He was a former lawyer. He loved to dig.

“We’re planning to put the house on the market this spring during the busy season.” Cal paced in a circle, making deep footprints in the snow. “I can’t believe I’m moving in with Russ.”

“You scared?” I asked.

“I’m scared he’s going to follow me around with a dustbuster all the time. But aside from that, I’m excited. I love him. I love Quentin. The boys get along great. Things are clicking along as they should.” Cal grinned ear-to-ear, and the positive vibes radiated off him like he was a helium balloon.

Usually, Leo and I would trade a shared look of mild, good-natured sarcasm. But not this time. Leo radiated similar helium vibes that pushed through his sarcastic smile. It was two against one.

I turned to my former ally. “And how are things with Dusty? Cohabitation also clicking along?”

“It’s the best. Morning shower sex for the win.”

I snorted. Leo had been staunchly against relationships, but then his straight best friend turned out to be not-so-straight. And now he was apparently having a side of morning shower sex with his coffee.

I raised my ax. My arms paused in the air. My friends stared at me.

“And what about you, Mitch?” I asked in a funny voice. “You’re the only one without a boyfriend.”

“Well…” Cal started. He looked to Leo for backup.

“I’m happy for you both. Really, truly. Seeing you fall in love this year has warmed the cockles of my crusty, middle-aged heart. But it’s not for me. I don’t have the time to find a boyfriend. First, I need to find a bartender.” I threw the ax down a little too hard, and the wood shot off the block. Cal jumped back. “I’m in a long-term relationship with Stone’s Throw Tavern.”

“But you can’t have morning shower sex with a bar,” Leo said.

“I barely have the energy to sprout wood in the morning.” I rested the ax on the chopping block. “If I were to date someone, they’d always be competing with the bar for my attention.”

My attention span for guys didn’t go beyond the very occasional one-night stand hookups, which was fine for me.

“Life didn’t go the way I expected. For better and worse. I’m grateful every day that I have Ellie for a daughter. But we make the best choices we can in the moment. I’m happy with my bar and my life.”

“Point taken,” Leo said without enthusiasm. They didn’t get it, but falling in love wasn’t for everyone. He brushed a splinter of wood off his jacket. “I’ll be honest, Mitch. I don’t envy you.” He picked up the scattered piece of chopped wood and tossed it on the pile. “Running Stone’s Throw doesn’t seem like it gets easier.”

A wave of exhaustion hit me. Not only physical but something deeper. “It’s been twenty-five years that I’ve been running Stone’s Throw. I did the math. A quarter century. That wasn’t the plan. I didn’t want to follow in my dad’s footsteps and take over his place. I was going to play hockey for the New York Rangers.”

“In your dreams,” Leo shot out. But I did have a shot. I was a star player on the high school hockey team and had scouts interested in me.

Cal let out a sigh. “But then Hannah got pregnant.”

“That she did. I should’ve sued the condom company for a product malfunction. I could’ve made millions.”

I chuckled at God’s dark sense of humor. The closeted high schooler out to prove his heterosexuality accidentally knocks up his girlfriend. The Lord must’ve had a good laugh at that. I was eighteen and had no discernible job skills outside of working at my parents’ bar, so I kept on doing that to make money to support our fledgling family. Busboy turned to waiting tables turned to shift supervisor turned to assistant manager, then manager. Then once my parents passed, the place was mine.

“I’m glad Ellie didn’t want to work with me. She can have a much better life as a lawyer.”

“You haven’t met many lawyers,” said Leo.

“It’s better than running a local tavern. She’ll work just as hard but make a lot more money.”

No more having to be jealous of the popular girls in school with their designer clothes and new cars. No more spending weeks filling out scholarship applications. I did my best to provide for Ellie, but we went through tough times when business was slow.

Now she was engaged to a wonderful guy. Tim was an attorney like her. They met in law school. He adored her, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. He was a big step up from her college boyfriend, a loud, cocky fratboy who treated college as a four-year-long party. He was very attractive, but I wouldn’t want him as my son-in-law.

“Do you ever think about selling the place?” Cal grabbed a Long John donut.

“I can’t. What would I do with my life?” I bit off a piece of donut and tucked the rest into my front pocket. Maybe not the classiest move, but I was amongst friends. “Besides, Stone’s Throw is an institution in Sourwood. It’s a part of this town.”

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