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  “I’ll come with,” she said, standing and trying to juggle both her drinks and the remnants of her scone.

  She finally figured it out, and we headed out of the coffee shop. For the next couple of hours, we strolled through town dipping into every restaurant, shop, boutique, and small office we found. I put in applications where they said they might be hiring and left my business card with those who said they weren’t, just in case. We were sitting down in a small park to take a break when my phone rang.

  I fished it out of my pocket and showed the screen to Stephanie when I saw who it was.

  “The bar,” I mouthed.

  Stephanie pointed at the phone. “You know they can’t hear you until you actually answer, right?”

  I rolled my eyes and answered. “Hello?”

  “Ava, this is Tyler Anderson again.”

  “Hi, Tyler,” I said. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing well,” he said.

  “That’s good to hear. How’s your mama?”

  Stephanie squeezed her eyes closed, pursed her lips, and shook her head, mouthing, “No.”

  “Well, she’s not doing all that well, Ava,” he said. “She and Pops have both been dealing with cancer for a while now.”

  It was like a kick in the head.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” I said.

  “It’s actually why the other boys and I got started with the bar. We need to help them out. But I know they will be happy to hear you were asking after them. I’ll be sure to tell them next time I see them. Now, speaking of help, we are in need of it,” he said.

  “Yes,” I said, not really knowing what else to use to fill the silence after he stopped talking.

  “We went over the other applicants, and all of us decided you’re the best candidate. You’re officially hired.”

  Getting a reliable job was exactly what I wanted, but now that I heard it coming from him, I hesitated. “Can I have a couple of days to think about it first before I give you my answer?

  “Sure,” he said. “That’s not a problem. But I hope you’ll choose to work for us, because we think it would be a great fit.”

  I got off the phone and found Stephanie staring at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You should just take the job,” she said. “Why are you hesitating?”

  “You know exactly why I’m hesitating. I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to work with my ex. Not even with my ex. For my ex. That can’t possibly be a good dynamic,” I said.

  “The two of you were always a good dynamic,” she said. “Even during difficult times. And even if you weren’t, it’s been a long time. Years.”

  Hearing that made my stomach turn slightly, and I looked away to fight the emotion that still burned the back of my throat and bubbled up in my eyes when I thought about those hopeless, helpless last couple of weeks in Astoria.

  “Were we?” I asked. “I don’t know if that’s really true. There were definitely times when we were not good. But that’s not the point. Regardless of how long it’s been, there’s still awkwardness between us. Seriously palpable tension. I just don’t think we could work together without it becoming overwhelming.”

  “Think of it this way. You haven’t even been called back for another interview yet,” she said.

  “I only just put in the applications within the last couple of hours,” I said. “They probably haven’t gotten to it yet.”

  “The Andersons have. And they want you for the position. You said you were looking for something quick that you could depend on to help you take care of your parents. They offered you the job. All you have to do is accept it.”

  I sighed and looked out over the pristine calm of the park. “That’s the thing. There’s a lot I don’t know if I can accept.”

  6

  Mason

  “She asked for a couple of days to make a decision,” Tyler said.

  I looked at him incredulously it. “She asked for a couple of days? She’s the one who put in an application for the position. She came in for an interview. Why would you need a couple of days to decide if she was going to take the position?”

  “I don’t know,” Tyler said. “She didn’t give me an explanation. All she said was she needed a couple of days to think about it. I figured maybe she put in applications other places and wanted to consider her options.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head, “during the interview she told me the only reason she was even applying to be a bartender when she has as much experience and education as she does is because she really needs the job. Her parents need her help. The whole reason she came back from Michigan is to help take care of her father after his accident. Now she realizes they need more help than she thought, and the only way she’s going to be able to give them that is to have a job.”

  After a few silent seconds, I turned to look at my brother. He was staring at me from the corner stool at the bar.

  “What’s going on?” Jesse asked, coming out of the kitchen with a pile of fresh fries mounded up on two plates. Tyler saw them on the bar and snagged one to eat.

  “Mason is having a meltdown,” Tyler said.

  I rolled my eyes at my brother. “I’m not having a meltdown.”

  “You just gave me a full in-depth analysis of why Ava is back in town because you’re freaking out over her not saying whether she’s going to take the position or not,” Tyler said.

  “I was giving you an explanation,” I said. “You wanted to know why I thought it was strange she asked for a couple of days to think about it.”

  Tyler shook his head and reached for a bottle of ketchup. “Actually, I didn’t. I didn’t ask anything.”

  Letting out a breath, I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, we haven’t heard anything from her, and time is ticking. We really need to get that position filled, and she was the only applicant that came even close to being right for the position. In all reality, she isn’t even right for the position. But she is the best we can get and has the opportunity of helping the business more in the long run.”

  “So, you’re just motivated to keep the business going?” Tyler asked.

  “Of course,” I said. “What else would it be?”

  “It couldn’t possibly be that Ava’s back after so long? It couldn’t be that you just want to know what’s up with her and have her around again?”

  “That’s not what this is about,” I said. “Like you just pointed out, it’s been years. I’ve put all that behind me, and I’m sure she has too. Her coming back here wasn’t about me, and me wanting to get the position filled isn’t about her. All of you know as well as I do this bar is our family’s one shot. If we’re going to be able to keep ourselves afloat and take care of Mom and Pops, this place has to make it. I’m thinking about that and nothing else.”

  Tyler waved a French fry like it was surrender flag. “Okay. If that’s what you say, then I’ll go with it.”

  “Good,” I said. “Now, have you called her to check in?”

  “No,” he said. “She wanted a couple of days, so I figured that’s what I would give her.”

  I nodded and headed for the office where her application was still sitting on the desk. For all my posturing and insistence to my brothers, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that Ava not immediately accepting the position was about more than just wanting to make sure she made the right decision.

  This was about us. Or what used to be us. For a long time, I never thought I’d see Ava again. And most of the time I would just as soon never hear her name or have to think about her. After everything that happened, keeping her in my past was the best place for her to be.

  In most ways, that hadn’t changed. But this wasn’t about wanting to see her or being happy she was back in town. This was business. The bar needed help, and she had what it took to help us. That meant I needed to convince her. Taking matters into my own hands, I typed the address from the application into the GPS on my
phone and headed out.

  Ava’s expression was surprised when she answered the door. Holding it most of the way closed, she propped the edge on her foot and leaned around it to look at me. Raised eyebrows over eyes that still haunted me questioned why I was there. But she didn’t shut the door.

  “Can I come in?” I asked.

  She drew in a breath, then nodded. Opening the door the rest of the way, she let me inside. I stepped into the small apartment and followed her over to a tightly packed cluster of furniture in the living room. She held out her hand in invitation for me to sit.

  “I’m still getting everything organized. This place is smaller than my apartment in Michigan, so I have to figure it out. Can I get you a drink? I just made some tea,” she said.

  “That sounds good,” I told her.

  She walked toward the kitchen, and I took the opportunity to let out a breath to try to calm myself down. My nerves were a wreck, but I didn’t want her to see it. A few seconds later, Ava came back in with two glasses of iced tea and a plate of cookies on a tray. She set them down on a table in front of the couch.

  The cookies struck me as odd. They were a prop, like taking a glimpse into the past. This was a woman who was taught from the time she was young that when guests came visiting, you offered refreshments. She brought the cookies out not because she anticipated us sitting around and having a nice visit. They were a social contract. One at that went untouched as she perched at the edge of the chair.

  I picked up one of the glasses and took a sip. The tension in the air was palpable as both of us waited for the other to start the conversation. Finally, I set the glass down and looked squarely into her face.

  “Look, I know we don’t have the best past. A lot went on between us, but that’s not what this is about. I know you really need this job so you can help your parents. And I can understand that, because I really need this bar to succeed so I can take care of mine. We really need somebody in that bartender position, and you’re perfect for it,” I said.

  “No, I’m not,” she said. “I didn’t go to college and spend years building my reputation to come back here and sling drinks.”

  I let out a gasp of exasperation. “Seriously, Ava, do you have to be so damn difficult? Nobody dragged you here and said you needed to apply for the job. But the point is, we’re not asking you just to be a bartender. We really need someone on board that can help us run the place, too. We know what we’re doing for the most part, but we need some help. We want to increase business and start offering something fresh to get more crowds in. Starting out as a bartender is just about handling the need we have immediately,” I said.

  I knew that wasn’t the way I should talk to her, but she could be so frustrating. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. I stood up and started to the door. Halfway there, I paused and turned back around to look at her.

  “And just so you know, there’s nothing wrong with being a bartender. It might just be slinging drinks to you, but it’s an honest day’s work for my brothers and me. I know your daddy well enough to know that’s what he’s taught you all along,” I said, shaking my head. “I never should have bothered coming out here.”

  “Wait,” Ava said as my hand hit the handle of the door. I turned around to look at her. “You’re right. I wasn’t trying to insult your family. It’s a job, and that’s what I need right now. There’s no need for anything in the past to affect us right now. I’ll give it a chance.”

  “Good,” I said. “Thank you.”

  “Do you want me to call Tyler and tell him?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I’ll let him know. Take a couple days and do whatever you need to do to get settled, then come in for your first day this weekend.”

  Ava nodded her agreement, and I left without furthering the conversation. We’d found some form of level ground. I wasn’t going to tempt it. As I made my way back to the bar, my phone rang. I assumed it was Tyler checking in on my mission. Instead, I saw Tom’s name across the screen.

  “Hey, big brother,” I answered. “How’s the glamorous life in California?”

  I hadn’t meant it to come out quite as bitter as it did, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

  “Things are fine with me. How about you? How is everybody?” he asked.

  Tom was very careful about asking about our parents. He danced around it, never actually asking about them by name.

  But I knew what he was really asking. That was his way. Mentioning them would mean he was worried about them. And being worried about them would mean there was something to worry about. If he just asked about everybody in general, he wasn’t technically acknowledging how serious things were. It made him feel better, but I also felt like it gave him an out. Because he wasn’t acknowledging how serious things were here, he didn’t realize the impact his absence made on all of us.

  “We ended up hiring somebody for the bar,” I said. “We’re in a really weird position right now. The crowds aren’t big, but it’s too busy for just us to handle everything. So, we needed to hire somebody so that we can work on building up the business without totally exhausting ourselves.”

  “I know you guys are working really hard,” he said. “As soon as I can get away for a little bit, I’ll come visit and help out some, too. Luckily, Jordan will be out soon, and he’ll be able to hop in and work.”

  “And until then, Ava will help us hold down the fort,” I said.

  I couldn’t think of a better transition, and that seemed to take a few seconds to settle in.

  “Ava?” Tom finally asked. “Like, Ava?”

  “That would be the one,” I said. “She applied for the job, and we decided to give it to her.”

  “I thought she moved to Michigan or something,” Tom said.

  “She did. But her father was in an accident recently, and she came back to town to help. That’s how she ended up applying for the job. She didn’t even know we owned the bar.”

  “And I’m guessing it was a blind hiring process and you didn’t know it was her until the very end, huh?” Tom asked.

  “She was the only one even close to being qualified,” I said. “Trust me, it would not be my choice. But it’s not just about the bartending position. She’ll be able to help us run the bar and find ways to increase business too.”

  “Just keep it in your pants. She sounds like she could be good for the place, and we need that. We need a win for The Hollow so I’m not losing money on it and it can actually keep the family going,” Tom said.

  “I know,” I agreed. “I promise not to do anything to compromise that.”

  I didn’t say it, but what I was really promising was not to make her take off again.

  7

  Ava

  “Good morning!” Stephanie called out as she walked into the apartment. “Happy first day of work.”

  I laughed and shook my head at myself in the mirror. “It’s a bartending job at the bar my ex-boyfriend owns.”

  “So? It’s still a new start. It’s something exciting,” she said, coming to the bathroom door and leaning around to look in the mirror with me. Her expression crunched, and her head tilted to the side. “What are you doing?”

  “Grappling for my soul against liquid eyeliner,” I told her. Gesturing to the pile of makeup remover–soaked tissues sitting on the counter, I let out a sigh. “I think it’s winning.”

  “You wear makeup all the time,” she said. “Why are you having trouble with it now?”

  “I have no idea. It’s like my hands are new, too. Or they’re protesting. It’s like if I can’t get my eyeliner right, then I’m not going to go to work.” My eyes met her reflection. “I can’t actually do that, right? That’s not an excuse that will work?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m certain eyeliner is still considered optional in most situations. But, for a bartender, it might be a little more important.”

  “No, I have to do this. It’s awkward as hell, and I have just abo
ut no clue what I’m doing. But it is what it is, and I’m going to kick ass at it. And if that doesn’t work out for me, then I’m going to do a perfectly reasonable and acceptable job at it.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Stephanie said. “Come on. Get it together, get your face on, and come on out. We’ll have lunch before you go, and I have a surprise for you.”

  The pep talk helped, and I managed to get my makeup on and get dressed. It was an odd sensation getting ready for work so late in the day. Being used to going to the office by eight thirty every morning made showing up for work at four seem like the day was already over. But I was going to have to get used to my schedule essentially going in reverse. My hours at the bar would see me working late into the night and getting out of bed when I usually would have already had breakfast and lunch for the day.

  When I got out to the front of the apartment, I found Stephanie at the dining table. She’d brought food from my favorite diner in town. The smell of their famous potato salad was enough to make my stomach rumble. Stephanie looked over at me and grinned as she distributed towering sandwiches onto plates.

  “That looks amazing,” I said. “Thanks for my first day of work lunch.”

  “Absolutely,” she said. “And there’s a bit of a theme going here.”

  “A theme?” I asked. “To the food?”

  “No,” she said. “Remember, I told you I have a surprise for you.”

  “And there’s a theme that has to do with potato salad and sandwiches?” I asked.

  Stephanie smiled and scurried into the living room. She came back with something held behind her. After a few seconds to build up anticipation, she whipped it around in front of her. “Taa-daaa.”

  “A lunchbox?” I asked.

  The pink plastic Barbie lunchbox in her hands was the exact replica of the one I had when we were in the second grade.

  “Complete with thermos for all your hot or cold beverage and liquid food needs,” she announced.

  I was catching on to the idea that the theme was lunch.