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Chapter One
Maverick
Openingabrewery/restaurantina small town after losing my high-end restaurant that I poured my blood, sweat, and tears in was one of the best things I've done in my life. The patrons are more down to earth and I fucking love brewing my own beer. Of course, every now and then I have to deal with the occasional ass hat which is only made worse when I run into them outside the bar, but for the most part my business is booming.
As far as small towns go, Sparrow Falls is definitely one of the best I’ve been to or lived in. The people here seem to genuinely care about one another and seeing the businesses in the town thrive. It’s also a great location, geographically. It’s in the mountains in Pennsylvania and has some of the prettiest views I’ve seen come fall. There are some really awesome national forests that are close and pull in way more tourists than I could’ve imagined. It’s also got some kick ass hiking trails with some pretty breath taking waterfalls, hence the name of the town.
The town also has the benefit of only being a half an hour drive to a much larger metropolitan area that has all the bells and whistles you could want if you’re looking for a night out on the town, or even hitting up a concert or sporting event. It’s perfect for when the small town is starting to feel a little too small and I need to get away for a bit without making it a big ordeal.
Sparrow Falls is also a hell of a lot better place for my baby sister to raise her son, Patrick, with some help from me. My brother-in-law was a navy seal who was killed in action. He was the best guy I could ever hope to be my sister’s husband and my nephews dad. It was fucking awful when we lost him, but my sister has done an amazing job picking up the pieces and being strong for Pat.
I ended up finding a modest three bedroom house that had a carriage house instead of a garage. It was kind of a pain in the ass, but it worked out great for Olive and Patrick. It’s a fraction of the cost of my place in the city, and it’s perfect for when Olive works nights as a nurse at the local hospital’s ER. I have a room in my house for Pat for those nights, but when Olive is working an evening shift, it’s easier to walk across the lawn after hanging out in the carriage house until she gets home so the little stinker can go to sleep in his own bed.
Like the little brat she is, she still tries to pay me rent every month. I used to try sneaking it back into her place, but she always found it and brought it back. Instead of playing that game every month, I decided to open a savings account for Pat. Even though she’s stubborn, she won’t ever fight when it comes to giving him the best future that she can.
Besides, I don’t need her money. I sold my place downtown after my two timing ex and best friend decided to royally fuck me over. The sale of my place in the city let me pay out right for the house here and to also have a good chunk to put towards The Tavern.
The Tavern is my pride and joy. Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love the atmosphere of a high end kitchen and being able to put my culinary degree to the test. But there’s also something about brewing my own beer and catering a menu that will not only enhance my beer, but my menu will kick the ass of the standard run of the mill food you can find at any bar in every town.
Owning The Tavern on my own has been the best move for me. After the tramp and ex best friend swindled me out of my share of our restaurant, I vowed to never go into business with a friend or a partner again. It’s too personal and you never expect your girl to start fucking your best friend. Then turn around, get married and have majority share in the business and buy you out.
Even though the people closest to me stabbed me in the back, I still had my restaurant. Nick was a financial investor and basically a silent partner with the deep pockets. Bianca was my college sweetheart. She was the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the city and brought in the high end customers we needed to get off the ground. We were together for ten years, six of which we ran the restaurant together as the chef and the manager.
I didn’t have many nights off, but on the night my world turned into a dumpster fire, I was watching Pat for Olive. She was able to leave work early which freed up my evening. Bianca was at the restaurant, so I decided to swing by and see her on my way home. One of the waitresses let me know Bianca was in my office. It wasn’t until later that I realized she was shifting her feet and wouldn’t make eye contact with me when she reluctantly told me where I could find Bi.
As I made my way back to my office, I thought it was a little weird that the door was closed. As I got closer, I could hear what obviously sounded like someone getting railed. Imagine my shock when I realized the noise was coming from my office. I slid my key in the door and swung it open to find Bianca bent over my desk and Nick buried balls deep.
The scene after that was a blur and I honestly don’t remember much other than a lot of yelling and throwing shit. I stormed out and went to stay at Olive’s only to come home and find a note that Bianca moved in with Nick.
Work was barely tolerable, but it was made even worse when Nick asked me to come in early one day. When I got there, Nick and Bianca were there along with the lawyer we used when opening the restaurant. I wanted to burn the fucking place down after they told me they had gotten married and now owned the majority shares of the restaurant. The plan was always for Bi and I to buy out Nick so he could recoup his investment and then some one day down the road. Instead, the two flipped the script and took the one thing that meant the most from me.
Of course, they both tried to convince me to stay and be the head chef, but I told them that they were out of their fucking minds if they thought I would stay and help them after all the bull shit they pulled. I stayed until everyone came in for the start of day, and then told my kitchen what was up. Nick and Bianca grossly underestimated my staff's loyalty when they pulled their stunt. I wasn’t the only one who ended up walking that day.
It took me a month of wallowing in self pity before Olive told me to pull my head out of my ass and to figure out my next move. She was barely getting by with the higher cost of living in the city, even with the extra money I threw her way. Now that I was out of the job and my place cost an arm and a leg, I brought up about moving to the suburbs. Ultimately, we decided it would be the best move for all of us and started scoping out smaller towns that were still within a good distance to the city.
I knew if we moved, chances were that I wouldn’t be able to have a high end restaurant and still be profitable. Olive was the one to push for a brewery and tavern. She loved my microbrews that I made at home and encouraged me to take the leap. It was ultimately the best decision I made in many years.
I was able to buy an old warehouse at the end of the main road that ran through downtown. I needed a space big enough to house all the equipment needed to make my home brews on a larger scale. The extra space from the warehouse also left an option open to eventually bottle my brews in house instead of outsourcing it one day.
As for the bar portion, I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The building is brick and still had a very strong foundation. I left the majority of the brick exposed. I also left the ceiling open so you can see the beams and all of the electrical and duct work, so it has a very industrial feel. I added huge retractable windows to the front on both sides of the entrance that slide open in the warmer weather. The laughter of the patrons and the smells from the kitchen waft out and pull people in when the windows are wide open.
When you walk into the bar, there is seating on both sides and the bar is straight ahead. It’s in a u-shape and is made of gorgeous oak slabs with a bark edge. It flows right with the industrial theme with its imperfections. There’s also an area where you can play pool or darts, and there’s a small stage in the back corner for open mic nights and small shows. The other side is a glass wall where you can look in and see all of the brewing equipment. It was amazing being able to build it from the ground up and make it exactly as I wanted it.
The menu was also something from my dreams. Brewing my own beer, I’m able to perfectly pair the beer to what food goes best with it. Most of my menu is the typical bar food, but it’s all got a little bit of a flare to it. I also use my beers in my food recipes as best as I can.
Naming my bar was a constant struggle. I’d throw out an idea, but Olive would shoot me down, sometimes before I barely got an idea out. She and Pat also suggested quite a few, but nothing seemed right. We all just got in the habit of calling it “The Tavern”. It wasn’t until our parents came to visit us all and check up on the progress that my dad commented that it seemed like it already had a name. When I questioned him about it, he reminded me and Olive that we had called it “The Tavern” no less than five times since he and my mom got into town that morning. From that day forward, The Tavern was born.
I loved the atmosphere of the bar because it wasn’t just a bar, but a place where you could bring your family. Just because you are a parent, doesn’t mean you should have to miss out on eating high quality food for a chance to take your children with you to a kid friendly restaurant. There’s something for everyone on the menu, and the chalk wall has been a great hit with the kids.
Olive suggested instead of hanging a chalkboard to keep score for darts to paint a section of the wall with chalk paint. The adults could use it to keep score for darts, and the kids could use it to keep busy while they waited for the food. Pat absolutely loved the idea, so it was a no brainer.
Most nights, I loved being at the bar whether I was in the kitchen, or I was behind the bar slinging drinks. The customers were pretty fucking awesome most of the time, so it made it a great place to be. You can feel that the town is very community oriented and loves supporting local businesses.
That being said, I still have to deal with the occasional douche canoe every now and then. Sometimes it's the asshole who hits on the bartenders or waitresses and doesn’t take no for an answer. I make a point to never leave the ladies on staff without having one male coworker here with her. And they get escorted out every night right to their car. Olive likes to tease me about being overprotective, but dealing with drunks who don’t always listen to the word no, it makes me feel better knowing the girls have someone watching their backs when they leave.
Other times it’s watching a guy who I’m almost positive is being a cheating asshole. Those are the ones that I have a hard time biting my tongue with. Ever since the stunt that Nick and Bianca pulled, I have zero patience for cheaters. I know I can’t kick them out for being scum, but you better believe I think of all the ways I could throw them out on their asses.
Most of the time, I can get them to leave on their own with a few well-placed glares and grunts of acknowledgement when I serve them. I’m not a huge dude, but I’m just shy of six feet with tattoos down to my fingertips and full beard that makes it hard to see my smile unless I openly show it. Add the muscles that I’ve built up from spending time in the gym to blow off all the steam from the dick head exes and the stress from starting a business from the ground up, so I can look like one intimidating mother fucker.
