AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bec sighed. “I’m sorry, bro. It was a good job. Back in the day, I liked the place. Good thing you’ve already got another job lined up.”
“I liked it, too.” He sprawled back in his chair. “I know I was already poised to leave, but it still hurts. I hate to see somebody take a great bar and run it into the ground. And I’m beginning to realize how much I’m going to miss Antero.” It wasn’t just Antero he’d miss. But mentioning Ruth still seemed a little risky. They hadn’t made any commitments, after all.
“You could stay around and work here. I mean, we talked about hiring somebody full time. That somebody could be you.” She gave him a hopeful look.
Liam tried to look hopeful back, but it was a stretch. The work he did at the brewery wasn’t all that exciting, and the salary they could afford to pay him was minimal. He was ready for something where his presence actually made a difference.
Bec seemed to read his mind. “We could up your share of the profits, at least for a while. Until we’re really making money again.”
“Really making money” had always been a goal, but not one they’d managed to reach yet. He had a feeling they wouldn’t make it now either if he started pulling money out, particularly when they could hire part-time labor for a lot less.
“I’ll work here until I have to leave for Utah, but the brewery job can’t be a substitute. We need to keep putting the money back into the business and we can’t do that if we’re subsidizing my food and rent. Like it or not, Park City is my best shot.”
Bec nodded. “Okay. I’ll check with Wyatt when he comes up this weekend. Maybe he’ll have some ideas. Or maybe some contacts here in town—he’s met just about every restaurant and bar owner in Antero. Maybe he could come up with something in Antero that’s as good as the Park City job.”
Wyatt probably did have better contacts than Liam did, particularly since Liam hadn’t cultivated any other bar owners since he’d gone to work for Stanton. Still, he doubted Wyatt would find anything around here.
“What do you think will happen to the tavern building?” Bec asked.
“It’ll probably get rented out. Commercial property doesn’t stand empty for long around here.”
Bec sighed. “It’s got that great carved oak bar, too.”
He nodded. “From a hotel bar in Leadville or a brothel in Ouray. I never got that part straight.”
Bec looked like she was trying to find something positive to say, but he’d already tried that. He could tell her there wasn’t much. “Ready to make some beer?”
“Yep.” She turned toward the brew kettle. “To the suds.”
Liam managed to get a couple of hours of sleep after they finished with the red ale. He bunked down on a cot at the brewery, not the most comfortable bed, but he was so tired it didn’t matter much.
At six, his phone alarm went off and he rolled out of bed. He sneaked into Bec’s apartment, trying not to wake her as he took his shower. No clean clothes, but the ones he’d worn the day before weren’t too bad. And he hoped his unshaven morning look was trendy rather than suspicious.
He headed out into the early morning twilight. The sun was inching its way above the mountains to the east, casting dim light along the streets while it turned the sky rosy. The lights were on at the Salty Goat, and as he arrived, he saw one of the early morning customers coming through the front door. He caught it before it could swing closed and stepped inside, into the enveloping scent of cinnamon and sugar. His mouth started watering before he even got the door closed behind him.
“Hey there,” Peaches called. “Want some breakfast? I’ve got fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee.”
“God, you want a body part? I’d give just about anything for one of your cinnamon rolls and a cup of coffee.” He managed a smile as she passed him a plate.
“These have raisins. They’re an experiment. Tell me what you think, and I really want to know, so don’t pull your punches.” She handed him a cup of coffee to go with his roll.
What he thought was that Peaches’s cinnamon rolls might be able to raise the dead. They were sure as hell getting him going. “Where’s Ruth?”
