28. Lennon
Chapter 28
Lennon
New Barback
I hauled the bags out of my Jeep. I may have gone a little overboard at the pet store.
The door opened, Griffin stepped out on the porch and the cutest pit bull peeked around his legs. His ears were pinned back and his gorgeous whisky eyes were wary.
I dropped the bags at my feet and crouched down. “Hi.” I kept my voice soft. “I’m so glad to meet you Elmer.”
He crept out from behind Griffin, then a big pink tongue rolled out.
Griffin headed down the stairs and the dog quickly followed. His tank of a body didn’t bend very easily but he hopped his way down the stairs to the gravel. “Elmer, this is Lenny.”
Elmer looked to Griffin then me, then back to Griffin and gave a soft whine.
“Aww, buddy.”
Griffin grinned at me. “He’s kinda my shadow. Actually make that glued to me.”
I huffed out a laugh. “I see.” I waited patiently and he slowly came my way.
“He takes a minute then he’s your best friend.”
I dropped onto my butt, crossing my legs under me. He sniffed my knee, which was poking through my ripped jeans. I held out my hand and he sniffed, then shoved his big head right into my palm. “Aww, there we go.” I rubbed his ear and he groaned a little and plopped right into my lap.
Griffin came over and dropped to his knees. “There you go, buddy.”
Elmer rolled onto his back and his tongue dripped out the side of his mouth.
I hugged him and glanced at Griffin. “I cannot.”
“I know. He’s pretty damn cute. I found him all muddy and pathetic under some brush at Kain’s.”
“And he doesn’t belong to anyone?”
“I’ll have to bring him to the vet and get him checked out, but he doesn’t seem to have anyone looking for him.”
“Someone abandoned you?” I pressed my face into his thick neck. “How could they?”
“I don’t know. He’s such a sweet dude.” Griffin patted his belly. “Not sure Laverne will be excited about it, but I’m keeping him.”
“She loves dogs and she’ll love you, won’t she?” Elmer licked my face and I laughed, pushing him away. “I have all the toys and collars and bowls and treats for you.”
Griffin pushed off the ground and took the bags. “C’mon, bud. Let’s see your loot.”
Elmer wiggled out of my lap, his bony knee giving me a good jab on the way out. “Oof.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t realize he’s not a lap dog.”He transferred both bags to one hand and hauled me to my feet with the other.
“Thanks.”
Elmer trotted after us, panting the whole way.
“He’s a big dude.”
“He is.” He pushed the door open and let us both in.
“Oh, I have a bed in the back of my Jeep.”
“I’ll get it.” He handed me the bags and went back out.
Elmer whined when he closed the door. He plopped his butt right down and stared at the door.
“C’mon over here.”
He looked over his shoulder but turned back to the door resolutely.
“Guess that name is on target.” I started unpacking and even squeezed one of the squeaker toys. His little tail wiggled, but he didn’t leave the door.
Griffin pushed the door open, bed under his arm. “Hey, pal.” He looked over at me. “He didn’t move?”
“Not an inch.”
“That’s probably not going to be good.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about him running away from you.”
“Guess not.”
He set the bed next to the couch. “Wow. Guess I better be careful letting you free with my credit card.”
“Funny guy.” I didn’t need any man’s credit card. I squeezed one of the toys and Elmer came running, his bobbed tail wagging. I tossed it and he raced after it, pouncing before attacking it.
“This day took a turn.”
He sat next to me on the couch. “On a number of levels.”
I hooked my leg over his. “Now you have a dog.”
“And a girl.”
I grinned. “And a woman.”
“My bad.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder as we both watched the dog happily destroy the toy. Things weren’t going to be boring that was for sure.
We played with Elmer for the rest of the evening, even took him for a walk in the trees just as the sun was setting. Once back inside, we made some popcorn and decided to watch Miami Vice after all.
Griffin didn’t have a television, but he did have a handy projector thing we used on the ceiling. The three of us were piled into his king sized bed and it was a pretty great way to end the night.
Sleeping, however, was a little more challenging. Elmer was stuck to Griffin’s chest, leaving no room for me. In the end, we ended up in a reverse spoon that actually gave me one of the best night’s sleep that I could remember.
I left the boys to their new morning routine, a little bit in love with both of them. I found myself whistling my way into work a few hours later. Annette was behind my bar refilling glasses from the washer.
“There she is. Where the heck have you been?”
“I’m not allowed time off?” I hopped up on a stool and dumped my bag in front of me. “You made the schedule, babe.”
Annette laughed. “Yeah, yeah. But even when I give you days off you never really take them.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You have a glow.”
“I do not.”
“You do. Did you go somewhere with Griffin?” She slid a glass into the rack then turned around, stacking her arms on the bar. “Tell me everything.”
“I had stupendous sex. Almost bought a bar, but changed my mind, and I might be in love with Griffin.”
She blinked at me mutely.
“Did your programming go offline?” I waved a hand in front of her.
Her dark eyes filled. “You were going to leave?”
“That’s what you pulled out of there?”
“Well, duh I knew you were already banging Griffin like a drum. I would if given half the chance.”
“Nice.” I worried the strap on my bag. “I’ve had an idea for a bar for a long time. I thought I had the perfect idea to do it in Miami or maybe New York City.”
“What?” Annette hurried around the bar and climbed onto the stool beside me. “What?”
“You think I’ve been busting my ass all these years just for the money?”
“Kinda, yeah.”
I laughed. “I’d have way better purses if that were the case.” I pushed the hobo bag away and turned my stool to face her.
“It’s not like you tell anyone anything. How would I know anyway?”
I reached over and covered her hand then squeezed. “I didn’t want to jinx it.”
“Liar.”
How did this woman know me so well?
Annette flipped her hand under mine and gripped it back. “Tell me.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“C’mon, don’t lie to my face.”
I pressed my lips together, then blew out raspberries. “So, my mom was a bartender. How I learned all of this.”
She nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.”
“Her name was Daphne. She was a helluva bartender. Nothing fancy, just super no-nonsense and efficient.”
“Like you.”
My chest ached for a minute before it bloomed with warmth. “Yeah. I guess I am. Anyway, she had me pretty young and my dad wasn’t in the picture. I never even met him, so it was always just us against the world. But as we both know, the world can be pretty shitty. She had to work crazy shifts and couldn’t always find a babysitter.”
“So you’ve been in a bar since you were a kid.”
“You got it. I knew how to build a Guinness before I turned twelve.”
“Illegal as hell.”
“Yeah, but she mostly worked at little neighborhood bars in Arizona. Kids were doing a helluva lot worse things.”
“So, you want to open your own neighborhood bar? Kinda like the taproom.”
I shrugged. “I really don’t know anymore. I thought I wanted a club, but that didn’t feel right either. The place was perfect and...” I sighed.
“And it wasn’t.”
“Nope.”
She squeezed my hands. “Is it because you found your place already?”
“Maybe.”
“So tell your mom to get her butt out here. We’ll put her to work.”
My eyes filled. “I wish.”
“Oh, no. Did I put my foot in it?”
I laughed and flicked away the sudden tears. “My mom died when I was eighteen.”
“Jesus.” Annette dragged me into a hug. I was stiff for a minute, then leaned into her.
I’d been alone for so damn long. And I liked it dammit.
This was Griffin’s fault. I was turning into a smushball and it was all his damn fault.
I patted her back then eased away. “It’s okay. It was over ten years ago now.”
“It’s never okay. I might fight with my mom like we’re trying out for a reality show, but she’s my mom.”
“There’s an image.”
She shrugged. “Nancy Stern is a force.”
“So was my mom. She ran a bar with an iron fist.”
“What happened?”
“Car accident. She was working late and a drunk driver hit her. Ironic, huh?”
“That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” I sniffed and dabbed at my eyes. “Enough of all that. I’m not going anywhere.” I slid off my stool and grabbed my bag. “I’m just going to put this in my locker.”
“Don’t think I forgot about that Griffin thing,” she called after me.
I hunched my shoulders and took off into the kitchen and down the hallway where the lockers were and swapped my bag for my apron.
“Hey, kid. How’s it going? We missed you around here.” Dawn was slicing tomatoes. “You want some food?”
“I could go for one of those rice bowls.”
“You got it.” I dragged over the little steel stool to the prep table. “What’s the menu tonight.”
Dawn stopped at the rice cooker and dumped sticky rice into an oversized bowl, then stopped at the grill. “We’re doing a hot honey night since it’s supposed to be a warm night. The patio will be jumping.”
“Does that mean you have hot honey chicken for me?”
She dished it up into my bowl with a healthy helping of onions and peppers. “You got it.” Then she threw a big pinch of red pepper flakes on top and a drizzle of the hot honey before sliding it my way.
“What else?”
“Vegetarian is marinated tofu and veg, also doused in hot honey. For those who are whimps we have chicken salad sliders and disco fries.”
“Perfect.” I switched up my own menu in my head. Hot Honey Cider was becoming our drink of the season. I had a feeling summer wouldn’t be any different. I took my bowl and the fork she handed me. “Let me know if you run low on anything. Is Kira here tonight?”
“No. Ella has a fever. Annette is running the show tonight. And you of course.”
“Of course.” I forked up some chicken and sighed. “You’re a goddess.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
I waved with my fork and pushed my way through the doors to the main dining room. Ronnie was rolling silverware, her usual pinup style in full force with her black hair tied back in her signature red bandana.
“Hey, Lennon.”
“How’s it going?”
She nodded. “Good. No call ins tonight.”
“Look at you putting me in a good mood.”
Ronnie grinned. “I try.”
I strode through the dining room making sure everything was set up correctly. Annette was pushing the big doors open to let in the breeze. Kevon and Dean followed her outside to set up the tables.
This place ran like a well oiled machine and definitely didn’t need me, but instead of making me wonder about my place here, it evened out the last of my edges from the trip.
This was my place and would continue to be until it wasn’t.
I threw myself into getting my bar back into shape. There had been a mix of people working the main bar and it showed. Everything was out of order--at least the order I liked.
Since Kain wasn’t here, Dawn had control of the music. It was a mix of country and rock which kept us all moving.
The first part of the evening was heavy on the college students. After the dinner rush, it was a mix of singles looking for reasons to mingle and the after work crowd looking to wind down.
The back doors were open and the outdoor bar was in full use. I was doing my rounds when Griffin walked up around the trail along the back of the taproom with a happy Elmer in tow.
He had Elmer’s leash tucked in his front pocket, but it wasn’t needed. Elmer wouldn’t leave his side. And the two of them caused quite the stir.
Since I couldn’t compete I took my time going down the stairs. Even CJ, who was running the outdoor bar, couldn’t resist checking out Elmer.
I leaned on the bar, waiting my turn.
Elmer didn’t mind the attention. In fact, he was the happiest I’d seen him so far. Eventually, Elmer caught sight of me and came trotting over, his tongue out. He checked over his shoulder for Griffin before plopping down in front of me panting.
“Does someone need some water?”
He licked his chops then started panting all over again.
“I’m going to take that as a yes.” I waved him forward. “Well, come on.”
Instead of following, he rolled onto his side and showed his belly.
“You’re a little turd aren’t you?” I crouched down to give him a rub and he wiggled his back along the patio pavers.
A shadow fell over both of us and I looked up to find Griffin grinning down at us both, his hands on his hips, toothpick tucked in the corner of his mouth. “Shameless.”
“Me or him?”
“Definitely him.” He unhooked a bottle of water from his hip that had a bowl on top. “He probably needs this.” He crouched down with us and squeezed the bottle.
Elmer popped right up and slobbered his way through two refills.
“He’s not exactly...”
“Polite?” He finished.
“No.” I covered his ears. “How dare you.” I kissed the top of his head. “Don’t let him talk to you like that.”
Elmer leaned on me and for once I got the adoring eyes.
“Look at that, he’s replaced me already.”
I laughed. “Well, he is prettier.”
“Hey!”
I curled my arms around the dog and squeezed him. “I only speak truth.”
Elmer’s massive tongue rolled out and I had a nice puddle of drool on my arm. I kissed the top of his head and let go to stand up.
Griffin looked around. “It’s busy tonight.”
“Not sure there’s been a night we haven’t been busy lately.” I nodded over to the side of the patio where Landon, our new bouncer, stood with his arms crossed over his muscular chest. “That was a nice find. He’s been pretty amazing from what I’ve heard.”
“He’s got a fist like a cement block.”
“Thankfully people seem to get that without him needing to show it off much, but I feel better with him around. There’s been a lot of new people showing up lately. It used to be mostly regulars, but now I never know what I’m going to get from one night to another.”
He moved into my space and Elmer trotted over to wedge himself between us. Griffin grinned down at the dog, then back to me. “I might not be Landon huge, but I can fill in when he can’t be here.”
I patted his chest. “I suppose I could make use out of you.”
He lowered his face to mine, just a breath away from my lips. “I like when you make use of me.”
My gaze lowered to his lips, then rose to meet his gaze. “I’m working.”
“So?”
I pushed him away. “Later, ace.” From the corner of my eye I noticed the line at the outdoor bar. “Gotta go.”
“Did you get a break tonight?”
I glanced back at him. “You want to pull taps tonight?”
“I can.”
I arched a brow. “Is that right?”
“I bartended when I was younger.”
“Well, then.” I grabbed his arm. “Then I have use of you after all.”
“Nice, Lenny.”
I snickered and pushed him behind the outdoor bar. Since we didn’t do mixed drinks there, he couldn’t screw it up.
“CJ, you have a new barback.”
Her bright blue eyes widened. “I can use the help.”
“So, I’m just a barback? Rude.”
CJ giggled. “We’ll see how you do, Griffin.”
I left them to it and did the rounds as I’d intended. I made sure there wasn’t any people getting busy in the more private spaces. The memory of me and Griffin on one of those Adirondack chairs made me blush, and speed along the checkpoints.
With an armful of empties, I strode back to the main patio and did a quick scan of people. My brain was whirling with details and ideas about ideas I wanted to bring up to Kira for additional seating in the patio. The Adirondack chairs were great, but they took up a lot of space.
Maybe a half wall along the perimeter of the patio would be great for extra seating.
A blond came into focus from behind a big group of guys.
I frowned. Why did I recognize her?
Her long, almost white hair fluttered in the breeze. The dark-lined eyes made my stomach drop. No way.
I set the empties down on a table and threaded my way through the crowd.
A tall guy in a Ford baseball cap tapped my arm. “Hey, can we get another round?”
“Sure,” I said absently. “I’ll send someone over.” I slipped by him and the blond was gone.
It couldn’t be the same woman from the club in Florida.
I did a full 360o turn, but no blond.
Man, maybe I did need that break after all.
The memory of the odd conversation in the bathroom made me uneasy. She’d spoken to me as if she knew Griffin.
Which, I suppose she could have.
God, I was dumb. It was easy to forget Griffin was a famous rockstar some days. Here, he was just Griffin. Helpful, friendly, and more dedicated to the orchard than most actual employees.
And mine.
I tucked a lock of hair around my ear.
I truly couldn’t forget about that part.
But he did have a past. Maybe that woman knew him then. Or maybe it was a smart ass comment from a fan.
Or maybe she’d just been an asshole.
But there was definitely no reason for her to be in New York.