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“He’s actually positioned to take over my parent’s real estate business.”
“None of you guys want to take it over?” she asked.
“Neither of us have a passion for it. Everett just got his real estate license, but that’s to help us expand the business we’ve already built. Not take over my parent’s business.”
“How do they feel about that?”
“Without going into too much detail, they enjoy it. They practically adopted Drew, so he’s like a son to them. He’ll do well with that business. He’s a hell of a salesman.”
“Then it sounds like a good deal,” she said, smiling. “So, tell me more about these hiccups. What’s going on?”
“Things that are hard to see from the outside, or even from a walk-through. Parts of the foundation are a little crooked, so we’ve had to shell out money to fill it and fix it. Parts of the floors are rotted out with water damage, which means replacing those as well as the leaking pipes. Things like that.”
“It sounds like a nightmare. I don’t know how you guys find that kind of thing fun.”
“It’s worth it when the finished product come around. But some houses are more temperamental than others.”
“At least there’s nothing wrong with the hot tub,” she said, grinning.
The veins in my groin pulsed with her words.
“Exactly. At least there’s nothing wrong with that. So, what about your work? How’s the tavern?”
“Eh, it is what it is.”
“Not really a job you’re passionate about?”
“I mean, it’s a job, right? And in this climate, a lot of people can’t be too picky.”
“How long have you worked there?”
“Just shy of ten years.”
I narrowed my eyes and bit my tongue to keep from asking the question Mom always taught me never to ask a woman. But the second Jessica threw her head back in laughter, I knew she knew what I was thinking.
“Go ahead, you can ask.”
“How old are you?” I asked.
“Twenty-eight.”
“And you’ve worked at a place that serves alcohol for almost ten years.”
“Yes.”
“You know that’s not legal, right?”
“It isn’t, but I needed the job. My parents floated right in that sweet spot where I wasn’t eligible for government grants for school but they were dirt broke so they couldn't afford it. It doesn’t reflect well on the tavern now, but they’ve really cleaned up their act since I’ve been there.”
“So, did you go to school at all?” I asked
.
“I took classes at the local community college in between my shifts at work. I eventually got an associate degree to become a dental hygienist, but I never took the time to get the other necessary certifications in order to begin applying for jobs.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Life got busy and the tavern came under new ownership. New advertising tactics meant new business, and better products meant more business. I started making a decent wage and my best friend started working there. I guess I just never got around to it.”
