Chapter 2
Ansley
After a weary day of orientation, I step into Fletcher’s Bar.
It’s a weeknight, so the place isn’t packed. There’s hardly a soul in here except for a few patrons at the counter. Daisy spots me immediately and lets out a squeal. She dashes from behind the bar and nearly tackles me with a hug.
“You made it! Oh my gawd!” she shrieks, then she spins around, holding onto my arm. “Paul! This is Ansley, my best friend in the entire world!”
I’m not sure who Paul is until an older man lifts his head and glances over. “Nice to meet you, miss.” He immediately turns his attention back to the glass in front of him.
“Say hello, Aaron,” Daisy says, dragging me along the counter and poking the only other bar patron in the ribs.
“Hey!” he grumbles, rubbing the spot where she poked him as he glances over his shoulder. He’s older than Paul and has a scraggly beard. “So, you’re the one she keeps talking about, huh? Miss Corporate Big Shot?”
“Yep! Today was her first day at York Financial and she had a meeting with the CEO!” Daisy says proudly. “She’ll be running that place in a matter of months!”
“Nice. Well, remember us little people when you’re at the top,” Aaron chuckles.
“I don’t think I’ll be running anything…” I trail off when I realize Aaron isn’t paying attention to me at all.
Daisy drags me down to the end of the bar and I sit on a stool. She hurries back around the bar and starts making a drink. I can tell from the ingredients she lines up that it’s a Long Island Iced Tea.
“That’s a bit more than I planned to drink tonight,” I say apprehensively.
“You said one drink and I’m buying, so it’s my choice,” Daisy chirps, continuing to make the drink without missing a beat.
I could stand my ground, and Daisy would make me a different drink, but she’s already started. I might as well enjoy it since it’s free, even if I’d prefer a glass of white wine over liquor.
I look around the bar while she works. Fletcher’s rides the line between a dive bar and a neighborhood hangout.
The lights are dim and warm, the wood of the bar worn smooth from years of elbows and spilled drinks.
Old beer signs glow softly on the walls beside framed photos of people I assume are regulars since I recognize Paul in one of them, but he’s much younger than the haggard old man down the bar from me.
The stool I’m sitting on squeaks as I turn back to Daisy.
The floor under my feet is just a tad sticky.
Despite that, the bar has a comfortable, lived-in feel.
I wouldn’t come here if Daisy wasn’t behind the counter, but I can understand why the locals like it.
It doesn’t feel stuffy or uptight like some of the bars downtown.
“Alright, I want to hear about your first day,” Daisy says, putting the drink in front of me. “Don’t leave anything out! Tell me everything!”
“Outside of the meeting with Ms. Frost, it wasn’t very interesting. I have a lot of orientation training stuff to go through,” I say, taking a sip of my drink. I wasn’t expecting it to be so flavorful. “Wow, that’s good!”
“Of course it’s good. I made it,” Daisy says proudly. “I’ve gotten a lot better since I used to mix Sprite and vodka for us on the weekend at college.”
I shudder a little, remembering some nights I’d rather forget. “Yeah, but I think you mean when you used to splash a drop of Sprite in a glass of vodka and call it a drink.”
“It was a drink.” Daisy shrugs. “A strong drink, which is what we needed to get through our freshman year.”
“You did, apparently,” I laugh, taking another drink of my Long Island Iced Tea. “I was just trying to study.”
“And you did. You studied hard. You got your degree. You got your dream job.” Daisy glances at the other two people at the bar to make sure they’re good on their drinks before leaning closer, propping her elbows on the wood. “So, now what?”
“What do you mean?” I ask curiously.
“I mean it’s time to stop being a good girl, Ansley,” Daisy laughs. “There’s more to life than spreadsheets, portfolios, and stock prices. Aren’t you ready to let your hair down? Finally have a little fun?”
“My hair is down,” I laugh, twirling a brunette curl around my finger as proof. “And it’s not like I never have fun. I used to go to parties with you all the time.”
“Years ago, sure. How many did you go to after I dropped out? Exactly… zero?” she questions, rolling her eyes to the ceiling and tapping her chin with one manicured fingernail.
“I was busy,” I argue. “I had to keep my grades up.”
“Yep, yep, heard that all before,” Daisy chimes. “But you’re done with all that now. You’re working at York Financial. Surely, you’re not going to live the rest of your life in an office like the Ice Queen.”
“I don’t know. It was my first day!” I shrug and take another sip of my drink.
“You’ve done everything on that list you made,” Daisy says, referencing our dumb teenage bucket list. “I haven’t, but mine is full of things like going to Italy to see all the cool artwork, witnessing the Seven Wonders, and…
riding a tiger, but I’m never doing that,” she laughs, shaking her head.
“Yours stopped at, what was it, getting a good job?”
“Corner office,” I laugh, feeling the first hint of the alcohol. “I’m not quite there yet.”
“A corner office to die in?” she questions. “You’ve got a lot of life left, and not much on your list. Maybe it’s time for a new list? Dating? Boyfriend? …maybe a husband one day? You said you wanted to have kids.”
“I mean, I do,” I admit, twisting the glass on the coaster. “I went on a couple of dates in college.”
“Yes, I remember,” she says, rolling her eyes. “The first one was a double date I dragged you to, and you spent the entire time talking about how much you needed to study. The second was the charity auction, and he did not get his money’s worth.”
“What was he supposed to get for fifty-seven dollars?” I scoff.
Daisy leans back, turns and taps the bar. “Paul, what can you get on the south side for fifty-seven dollars?” she asks with a playful grin.
“At least a blowjob,” Paul grunts. “Not from a girl that still has all her teeth, but sometimes that’s for the best.”
“See, at least a blowjob,” Daisy, spinning back to face me, mile-wide grin on her pretty face.
“Oh my god!” I yell, then down a gulp of my Long Island Iced Tea. “Daisy! I wasn’t going to… you’re crazy! It was just a charity auction for rescue animals, not a brothel.”
“But if you’d had I’m-gonna-fuck-you eyes, you’d have gotten more bids,” Daisy laughs, clearly taking advantage of the fact she hasn’t gotten to tease me in weeks.
“The guy I went on a date with paid almost two hundred. You let those puppies down, Ansley. Just think about how many you could have helped…”
“Bitch,” I mutter, a silly grin of my own spreading across my face.
“Bitch,” she replies back, batting her eyelashes.
“I’m not but you are,” we say in unison, just like we did when we were kids, then we start laughing.
“Can I get another drink before you two start making out?” Paul asks, tapping his glass on the counter.
“She’s my best friend! I don’t even like girls like that… usually!” Daisy says, throwing a rag at Paul before snatching his glass. “Aaron, you want another?”
“Not unless you are going to start making out,” he chuckles. “Otherwise, I’m going to go pass out before it gets dark. I have to be at work at three in the morning again.”
“See you tomorrow!” Daisy waves, then starts pouring some cheap whiskey for Paul.
I lean back and stretch before taking another sip of my drink. Sitting in a chair all day is something I’ve gotten used to, but the chairs in our cubicles are barely ergonomic. I’m going to be dying for a promotion just for better seating.
Daisy fills Paul’s glass, then puts it on the bar in front of him and retrieves her rag before sauntering back over to me.
I look up with the smile still lingering on my face, starting to feel the alcohol a little more.
This isn’t vodka with a splash of Sprite, but she still put a few heavy pours into it.
“Seriously, Ansley. I’m not putting any pressure on you, but you’re so pretty.
I know you want the house, picket fence, and all that.
Don’t let one stern talk from your grandfather make you a slave to a desk for the rest of your life,” Daisy sighs.
“Lord knows I got more than one stern talk when I was that age and barely remember what half of them were about.”
“No, you’re right. I’ve literally done everything on my list except get a corner office,” I admit. “I do want more. I don’t want to be alone forever. I don’t think anybody does.”
“I’m managing,” she says. “But I go on dates. I have fun. I could help, you know. This place is a great for meeting guys.”
I glance over at Paul, then back at Daisy. “Um, he’s older than my grandfather.”
“Not tonight, silly girl,” Daisy laughs, smacking me with her rag.
“Friday or Saturday night, it’s a different story.
Come by Friday. I’m working. I’ll point out my single best friend to every hot guy without a wedding band who orders a drink.
It’ll be like speed dating. If you don’t like them, give me a sign, and I’ll send another one over. ”
Maybe it’s alcohol, or maybe it’s the conversation, but after another sip of my drink, I seal my fate.
Daisy is sure it will be an epic night. I’m not so sure.