Chapter 4
C hapter F our
Arden was having the time of his life. For the moment, he was back behind his parents’ bar and the trauma of the last couple of months hadn’t happened.
“Four more Cosmos,” Lilly said with a smile, and he went into his routine, getting out the shaker, spinning the vodka bottle before tossing it nearly to the ceiling and then catching it, and letting the liquor pour right into the shaker. He added the other ingredients with a flourish before shaking the drink and pouring from high above the bar. He was able to make two at a time, so he put on his little show once more, changing it up before putting all four drinks on Lilly’s tray. Then he filled beer orders and set up a line of a dozen shots on the bar, doing a bottle flip between each fill.
“What’s all this?” Ronny asked just as he finished.
“Don’t be a spoil sport,” Lilly said as Arden added the drinks to the tab, and the college guys at the bar each took a shot, downing them with grins before heading off for an impromptu pool tournament.
“What’s going on?” Ronny pressed closer.
“A bunch of the girls ordered Cosmos, so I made them and had a little fun doing it,” Arden explained. “Now I’ve sold dozens of them.” He was pleased. “Did I do something wrong?”
Ronny smiled. “God, no. But keep in mind that they are going to expect the show every time you work.”
Arden shrugged. “Only on Friday and Saturday. That way we keep it special. And we can change the drink we feature. Today, it’s Cosmos,” he said, and as more orders came in, Arden returned to the bar and went through his routine.
Ronny returned to the front bar, shaking his head as he got back on task.
The bar was hopping well past midnight. Ronny was thrilled that business was doing so well. He had worked hard to get The Gingerbread feeling younger and attracting new customers. His father had let the business grow kind of stodgy, with the patronage getting older. There had been some grumbling when he changed the menu and freshened up the interior, but this kind of business proved that he was on the right track.
“Ronny!” someone called, and he patted Lilly on the shoulder as she passed.
“Man the bar,” he told her as he raced toward the back. “What the hell!” he snapped as he turned the corner to the back bar to see Charlie had Arden by the collar, trying to pull him over the bar.
“You little shit. You think you can lock me out of my own property?” he bellowed. Arden tried to pull back, his shirt ripping loudly enough to still the room. Arden’s uncle ended up flat on his ass, holding a piece of the shirt as Arden scrambled back behind the bar.
“You okay?” Ronny asked, barely stopping.
“Yeah,” Arden said as Ronny stalked to the man on the floor. He was already starting to get up.
“Stay right there,” Ronny told him as he pulled out his phone. He dialed 911 and explained that he needed a police officer at the bar as soon as possible. “A patron assaulted one of my bartenders, and I intend to press charges. So get someone over here right away.” He ended the call.
“You can’t do that,” Arden’s uncle told him, his speech slurring.
“I can, and I did. I will be pressing charges. See, Arden may be your nephew, but he is also my bartender, and I will not let anyone assault them, period. So, you stay where you are, on the floor with the rest of the filth. If you move, I will put you right back down there, and I won’t be fucking gentle about it.” He managed to signal Larry, one of the other men who worked there. “Do whatever you have to in order to see to it that he stays put.” Larry was as nice a man as he had ever met—and he was huge as hell. “I need to get back behind the bar. Call me if the police come in this entrance.” He hurried up front and to his office, where he found an extra shirt from an old promotion. He took it back to Arden, who half huddled behind the bar. Ronny couldn’t help watching as Arden slipped the shirt on over his sleek chest, before relieving Lilly from behind the main bar.
The police arrived five minutes later, coming through the main door. Ronny took them to the back. “He attacked the bartender and was trying to pull him over the bar,” he told Officer Davis.
“He’s my nephew,” Charlie snapped, as though he had some right to act this way.
“Which makes this a case of domestic abuse as well as assault. We have plenty of witnesses,” Ronny looked around, and folks held up their hands. “And I will press charges.” He gave the officers Arden’s torn shirt. “This ripped as he was trying to get away. So you can see how violent the incident was.”
“All right,” Officer Davis said. “We’re going to take him in.” He cuffed Arden’s uncle and led him out of the bar. Then his partner, Red, returned. Ronny had known him for years. He was a great officer and a nice guy, even if he looked intimidating as hell because of an accident years ago that left him scarred.
Red sat in one of the back booths, taking statements from patrons who lined up to talk to him.
“Wow…,” Arden breathed. “I would have thought most people wouldn’t want to bother.”
“We have good people here,” Ronny said, glancing at Arden, who practically swam in the shirt, which had to be two sizes too big.
“I need to get back to work,” Arden told him before hurrying behind the bar. He got busy and even did his little show when someone ordered a Cosmo, but Ronny could see that much of the joy he’d had earlier was gone. Still, Ronny left him to it and went back up front, putting it into high gear to get himself caught up.
“Please tell Arden to close down the back bar,” he told Yeardley when she came to pick up a bar order.
“I think he already is, but I’ll relay the message.”
“Thanks, and pass the word to come up here to have all orders filled,” Ronny added, and she nodded and took her order.
Despite the ruckus earlier, things had gone well otherwise. Business had continued booming, and he hadn’t had two seconds to breathe for the rest of the night. Ronny checked the clock. It was nearly one, and the front of the bar was still going strong. He watched the clock, and Arden joined him just before last call.
“Everything is cleaned up and restocked in the back,” he said before going about the task of doing the same up front.
Ronny continued filling orders until he declared the bar closed a little before two.
“Hey,” Ronny said once Arden had the beer coolers refilled. “You okay?”
Arden shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?” He hurried away and returned with more supplies, putting them away as customers settled tabs and stepped out into the night. By the time the last one left and he locked the doors, Ronny was exhausted. He knew that feeling. He’d experienced it countless times at the end of the work day. But Arden looked completely drained, with dark circles under his eyes.
“Give me fifteen minutes, and we’ll get out of here,” Ronny said, leaving Arden to finish up. He needed a few seconds away from him or else he wasn’t going to do anything but stare. Just the thought of Arden’s uncle getting his hands on him set his pulse racing, and not in a good way. That man was dangerous; Ronny knew it. Who came onto a public place to try to pull someone over the bar? What the hell was going on in his mind?
He sat down behind his desk with the night’s proceeds and began counting. But he kept losing his place, and after the third time, he shook his head and forced himself to concentrate. He finally managed to get the deposit put together, then locked it in the safe to take to the bank in the morning.
“Is everything all set?” he asked when he returned out front.
“Yes,” Arden told him. “The bar is ready, and the dining room is all set up. I hope it’s okay, but I let the others out a few minutes ago.” He yawned. “Would it be dumb to say that I’m worn out and yet….” He turned toward the door. “I just wish I knew what I was going home to.”
“What your uncle did isn’t like a parking ticket. He has to go before a judge before they will let him out on bail, so I suspect he’s warming a cell somewhere.”
“And what about my aunt?” Arden asked, his eyes filled with concern. “I’m sure my uncle is going to call her, and God knows what kind of trouble he’s going to try to cause.”
“Then we should get you home so you can check on her.” Ronny grabbed his things and waited for Arden to exit before locking the door. Then he led the way to the car and drove Arden the few blocks home. The yard was lit up, and Ronny followed Arden into it.
His aunt hurried out of the house. “What happened? I got a call from your uncle. He said that he’s in jail and that it’s your fault. You got him in trouble, and now he’s going to pay for it.” Her eyes burned, and Arden took a step back.
“That’s not true. He attacked Arden while he was working. The entire bar saw it. Your husband was very drunk. And believe me, if he is in jail, it’s his fault alone, not Arden’s.” There was no way he was going to let Arden take the blame for this. “And I’m the one pressing charges. He assaulted one of my staff, and I can’t have that.”
“Oh…,” she said, the fight draining right out of her. “But… what about bail?”
“That will be up to a judge,” Arden said. “But it’s up to you whether you want to pay it or not.”
She paled, and Arden took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go inside and have some tea.” He led her to his door. “I’ll be right back.” He headed around the house.
“Where is he going?” she asked.
“To get inside,” Ronny answered as they waited. “He’s been coming and going up and down the trellis because your husband has been coming in, and Arden has the door blocked from the inside. He was waiting for him the other day, and I have to say, that’s kind of creepy.”
She seemed confused. “Why would he do that?”
“That’s what Arden and I have been trying to figure out.” He didn’t want to express what he thought was going on. It seemed to him that Arden’s uncle, despite his protestations, had a long-hidden secret attraction for boys, and Arden living on the property had cracked that door open. “But it isn’t right.”
Arden opened the door, and they went inside. He busied himself in the kitchen and returned with a pot and three cups. He poured tea for each of them and then sat down in his living area.
“You all must be tired,” his aunt said.
“We are, but we need to talk,” Arden said. “Uncle Charlie has been behaving weirdly. I don’t know what he wants, but he’s come in here more than once, unwanted, and he’s been peering through the windows.” He shivered. “But I’m more concerned about you.”
“Me?”
Arden nodded, and Ronny sipped the drink, letting Arden do the talking. He wondered if he should leave them alone, but Arden seemed to shift closer, and Ronny wanted to be there to support him. “How does Uncle Charlie treat you?”
She sipped her tea, and Ronny knew she was very self-conscious. “Let’s me use the restroom,” he said, excusing himself to give them a chance to speak without him in the room. He knew if she were being mistreated, she wasn’t going to want to make a public announcement, and she wasn’t going to want to talk in front of a stranger. He found the facilities easily in the small space and washed his hands before returning to the others.
“No one is going to tell anyone what you said, but you need to get yourself some help. He isn’t going to stop, you know.”
She set her cup on the table. “I know. I just keep wondering what I did to deserve this.”
“Nothing,” Arden told her, and Ronny nodded when she looked at him. “This is his issue. It isn’t your fault. But you need to make a decision about what you want. Uncle Charlie is in jail, and he will be there until Monday. No judge is going to see him until then. That gives you a little time to think.”
She sighed as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “How do I…?”
“Well, he’ll need money or a way to post bail. So, if you want to keep him there, then limit his access to any cash or accounts. There are just a few bondsmen in town. One is just down from the bar. We could talk to them. Maybe we could put word out that you will not consent to a lien on your property. You might be able to stop him from using your home as collateral. If that’s what you want?”
Her hand shook. “What I want is out…,” she whispered.
“Then I’ll help you,” Arden told her. “Do you know an attorney? Someone who can help you navigate all this? I don’t know that many people in town.”
“I have a few friends, but Charlie knows them, too, so they may not want to help me.” She bit her lower lip.
Ronny had been keeping quiet. “I know someone. He isn’t practicing actively because he’s working for the college. But I believe he can take private clients on the side. I’ll call him in the morning. I doubt he can help you with a divorce or separation, but he can advise you on how to handle the initial issues.”
“Thank you,” Arden said softly.
Ronny finished his tea and set the cup on the table. “I think I need to go home. Arden is off, so he can be here with you, and I’ll call once I get in touch with Vinny.” Ronny said good night to both of them and left, going to his car for the drive home.
Once he got back, he sent a text to Vinny to call him when he got up. Then he sat on the back deck, listening to the water flow over the rocks. For most people, it was the middle of the night, but for him, this was his favorite time of the day. It was quiet and peaceful, with no one asking for anything. As he sat with his eyes closed, his mind wandered to Arden because, damn… the man was adorably sexy. Once that shirt ripped off, Ronny had wanted to take in the sight, but he’d had other things that were more important. Now, in the quiet, he could let his imagination take flight.
Ronny groaned softly, because his imagination was the closest he was ever going to get. He had already gotten more involved with Arden and his family drama than he’d ever intended. What he should do was back away and let Arden and his aunt handle their own issues. But hell, he knew that wasn’t likely. He was invested in making sure Arden was safe, and that meant keeping his uncle away from both of them.
“Why is it that I always let myself get drawn in?” It had happened before, and he was letting the same thing happen once again. Would he never learn?
Yawning, Ronny went inside and locked the door behind him. He needed to rest and be ready for the morning.
The damned phone woke him earlier than was necessary. Ronny snatched it off the bedside table. “Yeah….” He blinked himself awake and looked at the display. “Hey, Vinny.”
“I got your message, and I had a few minutes. Oh crap, you worked late last night.” Vinny was a busy man, so Ronny didn’t get upset, though a few hours’ additional sleep would be great. “What’s up?”
“It’s a situation with one of the guys who works for me. I wouldn’t bother, but there’s family abuse involved, and it’s escalating. Arden works for me as a bartender. His uncle is abusive. The guy attacked Arden in the bar last night. I had him arrested, and he’s in jail at the moment. His wife is scared as hell of him. I think he hits her, too, but I don’t know that for sure. Is there a way that we can make sure he can’t use any of their joint assets for bail? She wants to leave him, and the longer he’s in jail and out of the picture, the easier it’s going to be for her to get things in order.”
“Whoa, that’s one heck of a lot. Now, as far as bail is concerned, she would need to bail him out, and if she doesn’t want to do that, then she doesn’t have to. He can arrange bail on his own but will need collateral.”
“And as far as I know, the assets are joint ones.”
“So he uses the home for bail, skips out, and she’s left holding the bag,” Vinny mused. “I’ll need to do a little research, but there are only a few bail bondsmen in town, so that access could be pretty easy to shut down.”
“Can you help them? I know you don’t do divorces and things like that.”
“No, I don’t. I know people who do, and I can refer her to someone. But I might be able to help in the short term. Give them my number and have them call me right away.”
“Thank you. My bartender is Arden, and his aunt is Louise. The uncle is a real piece of work and needs to be kept away from both of them if at all possible. If he gets out, they could be in danger. The guy has a real temper, from what I’ve seen, and it’s likely he’s going to blame Arden for being in jail. And if Louise stands up to him on the bail….” God, he had no idea how Arden’s uncle would react, but it wasn’t going to be good. He had to give both of them a lot of credit for standing up to the bully, but him returning to their lives was not going to be pretty.
“I’ll see what I can do if they contact me.”
“Thanks,” Ronny said. “You and Heather stop by the bar soon, and we can have a drink. I appreciate you doing this. I’m lost, and they’re even more so.”
“It’s no problem,” Vinny said and ended the call.
Ronny texted Arden with Vinny’s information and told him and his aunt to make contact right away. Then he pulled the covers back up and tried to go back to sleep, but other things kept racing through his mind, like a certain bartender and if he was going to be all right.