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“Nope. The new guys seem ready. They worked hard all day.”
“How new are they?” I glare at him. “Please tell me you didn’t just train them. Grey did just that two weeks ago, trained someone new and I had to fire them on the spot—the guy was drinking on the job and flirting with the customers.”
Dad chuckles, as if what his son did is worthy of praise.
I cross my arms. “Seriously, Dad?”
“We’ll have this place fully staffed by the end of the week. Do you think you can leave by next Monday?”
“Are you firing me?”
“Nope, I just want you to know that we got this. If you decide to go as early as tomorrow, we got it.”
“I have a few months left before I go to…” I trail my voice because so far I haven’t decided where I’ll be going to set up residence.
No matter where I go, I have to find a house and start from scratch. Do I regret moving out of our homes? No. It stopped being ours the moment he completely forgot about me. Finnegan Gil can do whatever he wants with them.
“Give yourself some grace, Pipe,” he says. “It’s okay not to know what you’ll be doing with your life. One stage ended, another began, and the one coming up will take you by surprise. Open your heart to the possibilities though.”
“Have I ever mentioned you’re a wise man?”
“I’m not. I just lived enough to recognize a thing or two and give advice.” He kisses my forehead. “Second chances don’t come along often, and being the one to give them is satisfying and food for your soul.”
“You sound…” I give him a suspicious look. “Is everything okay with Mom and Pa?”
“Yeah, why would you ask?”
“I don’t know, you’re talking about second chances and… it’s weird,” I say.
He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my relationship with them—but the three of us weren’t too smart when we first fell in love with each other.” He squeezes my shoulder slightly. “Be smarter than us, Ladybug.”
Dad turns around and leaves me staring at his back in confusion.
* * *
All my doubtsare gone when I enter the bar, and I spot Derek stocking the bar.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
My parents are softies and he brainwashed them with some stupid story about… what could he possibly have said to convince them to hire him?
“Doing anything we can to get your attention,” I hear Finn’s voice before I see him on the other side of the bar fixing the glasses.
“Just leave,” I say. “Your chance to speak expired yesterday after midnight.”
“Very Cinderella of you,” Finnegan says, walking toward me with determination.
“Does your wife know you’re here?”
“That depends, are we still married?”
“You and I?”
He nods.
“Nope. I’m a widow.”
“Then, the answer is, I’m not married.”
