Page 59 of Temporarily in Love

“So…you sure you want to buy this place?” he asked.

“I want the bar to stay in the family.”

He nodded in agreement. “I can’t afford to buy it.”

“I know, but if I do, I still want you to manage it. I’d just be the owner.”

He crossed his arms as he studied me. “So what? You’ll help us get up to speed, buy the bar, and then leave again?”

I shrugged and finished counting the money and put it into the safe. “Not sure yet, but whatever my ownership status will be, I’ll draw up a contract, so we have everything in writing.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!” I exclaimed and looked at him like he had two heads.

Then I remembered that was a lawyer thing to say. I had been working as a lawyer for so long that I forgot places like this weren’t so insistent on getting everything on paper. But I knew how things backfired when not having stuff in writing. I’d draw up a contract no matter what.

“Such a lawyer,” Brian joked.

“Shut it!”

He grinned.

I grabbed my pad of paper and pen and walked out onto the floor. Sarah, my dad, and my mom were all behind the bar. It was the middle of happy hour, and the dinner rush was swarming in, so the bar was packed. I felt like it hadn’t been this packed in a while.

I watched a couple of the other servers weave in and out of the floor as they got drinks and food delivered to their tables. I checked the host stand for Sarah’s section, then went over to get table twelve their dinner order. Brian must have sat them and got their drinks already.

“Hi, I’m Lila. I’ll be serving you tonight. What can I get you?” I asked as soon as I got there.

Mr. Davies and his wife were sitting at the table, and they gave me a big smile. “Lila, what are you doing waiting tables again?”

“Just helping out. We had someone call out sick. What can I get you?”

“Tell us about the grand re-opening tomorrow,” Mrs. Davies said.

“Oh!” I exclaimed. “We’re changing up the menu, and we’re renaming the bar, so we wanted to do a big celebration. We’ll have some great specials and a Celtic band in the evening playing music.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun!” she said. “We should come back.”

“You should!” I said with a smile.

Maybe if enough people asked, and I was enthusiastic enough, they’d come out tomorrow. I was banking on it to help us pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. I didn’t want to go home with the bar still in dire straits.

“What are you changing on the menu?” Mr. Davies asked.

“You’ll have to come tomorrow and find out,” I said cheekily.

They both laughed.

“Tell us, dear,” Mrs. Davies began. “How’s the Irish beef stew?”

“Amazing! It’s made with Guinness, so it has a rich flavor to it. We also have a potato or beef pasty with a side salad if you want comfort food. I love that,” I explained.

“Oh, I think I want to do the stew,” she said. “It’s something different.”

I took her menu away. “What about you, Mr. Davies?”

He pored over the menu for a second. “Ah, give me the Drakesville Burger. I’m a simple man.”