Chapter 6 Callum
SIX
Callum
Russ leaned against the bar counter, watching me inventory our liquor bottles. “Dude, you’re so fucked.”
I snorted and shook my head. “I don’t need you to remind me.”
Manny had started a group text with Zandra and me last night, listing in minute detail everything he wanted us to do on our first day of the two-month trial period.
Which would be today.
I’d woken bright and early, hitting the gym to clear my head. After my shower, I’d opted for nicer jeans and an athletic polo and skipped the ball cap, trying to dress up more than usual. Then grabbed some breakfast and got here early to finish my inventory, all so I’d be ready when she arrived.
But I wasn’t feeling nearly as down as I had at the hospital yesterday. Last night, while I’d been staring at my ceiling and trying to get to sleep, I’d faced up to some hard truths.
Was Zandra most likely going to win this competition? Yes.
Was I going to give up because of that? Nope.
“But she’s his granddaughter,” Russ said. “Of course he’s going to hire her over you.”
I moved on from the tequila bottles to the whiskey, checking where we were low so I could submit an order later today. “That’s likely. The bigger issue is that she hates me. She’s hated me since high school.”
“Why?”
“Damned if I know.”
Russ suddenly glanced around in a mild panic, eyes wide. “When’s she getting here?”
“Manny’s text said nine.”
I wanted the general manager job. Wanted to run this place for real.
But even if I didn’t get the position, I would still develop new skills through this process.
Maybe I’d take those skills to another restaurant in Silver Ridge or a nearby town.
There were new ones opening all the time, like up at the ski resort my sister’s man Dane owned.
It was time for me to take a step up in my career. Prove to Russ and Winnie and Zandra that I wasn’t an irresponsible kid anymore, and I hadn’t been for a very long time. This dick could and would stay in my pants, thanks very much.
Really, I didn’t have a single thing to lose. I just had to deal with little miss grouchy, Zandra Alvarez, for a couple months.
How hard could that be?
I swiped a towel over the bar while Russ checked his watch. “Wait, nine o’clock? That’s five minutes from now. I don’t want her to see me talking to you as her first impression. She’ll assume I’ve chosen your side.”
“My side?”
“There’s always sides in these grudge-match situations. Sorry, Callum. I have to be Team Zandra. When she’s the boss, I’d like to keep my job.”
I rolled my eyes. Nice to know I had such loyal work friends. “You could, you know, actually get some work done. That might also safeguard your job.”
“Good idea.” With a pat on my shoulder, Russ scurried back to the fermentation tanks in the other wing of the building.
Meanwhile, I dashed off to Manny’s office to finish my bar order before Zandra arrived.
Russ wasn’t the only one thinking about good impressions.
Let the competition begin.
It was only a minute or two past nine when I strolled into the bar again, a tablet tucked under my arm. Zandra was waiting there, facing away from me.
She looked just as gorgeous as yesterday. Same dark jeans, ankle boots. A different blazer, this one khaki, that accentuated the slim set of her shoulders and the flare of her hips.
And her trademark long braid was back. I imagined twirling it in my fingers. Or wrapping it in my fist while we…
Back up. No. I wasn’t supposed to be having any more dirty thoughts about her. Or any women while I was at work. Manny had already brought it up once, and that was enough.
Too bad it would take rewiring my brain to keep my dirty mind fully at bay.
“Morning,” I said. “Have you had coffee yet?”
“You’re late.”
I glanced at my watch. “It’s 9:03.”
“Yes. That’s late. I wasn’t sure if I should start without you.”
“So sorry I kept you waiting. I guess you forgot we’re slightly less uptight here in the mountains.”
“I’m not uptight. But I have some standards. Also, my grandpa keeps texting for updates. He’s—”
“Impossible? Trust me, I know. He’ll get his update later. For now, coffee. I brought danishes too. Unless people with business degrees don’t need caffeine and sugar. Can you just read a few pages of a management book and it charges you up like a battery?”
She made a sound that was part scoff, part laugh. “I’ll take the first option. I’m mostly still human.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“So, where do you want me?”
Anywhere and everywhere, my brain shot back. Because my brain was very badly behaved. Bad dog.
She sighed. “You’re reading something dirty into what I just said, aren’t you?”
“I swear, I’m trying to be on good behavior.”
“You could try harder.”
I tilted my head noncommittally. “I could.”
Gesturing for her to follow me, I led the way into the kitchen. The coffee was already brewing, and a few kitchen staff members were here to prep for lunch.
I introduced Zandra, then poured us each a mug. “Cream?” I asked.
“Just sugar. Unless there’s any oat or almond milk around.”
I shook my head. “We don’t usually carry those.” People didn’t request them too often, and there was Silver Linings just down the street with every possible coffee drink known to the galaxy. “But I could grab some for you next time. Danish? I brought cream cheese and raspberry.”
“No, thanks.”
“They’re good. Not poisoned either. I promise.” Holding up the cream cheese danish, I wiggled it at her, making it dance.
“I don’t want one,” she said tightly. “Stop peer pressuring me.”
“Your loss.” I shoved half the danish into my mouth, washing it down with coffee.
Zandra stirred hers, then took a tentative sip. “So you’re really on board with this plan? This two-month competition thing my grandpa dreamed up?”
I glanced at the kitchen staff, but they seemed to be busy and not listening to us. “Sure. I’m going to give it my best shot. May the best candidate win and all that. What about you?”
“Guess I have to be.”
Her lack of enthusiasm irked me. Did she not think this job was worth the effort? “A brewpub probably seems small compared to whatever you were doing before now. Rocking the Chicago business world.”
“You heard what my grandpa said. Things weren’t going so well for me in Chicago. Any rocking was just me hitting rock bottom.”
“Ouch. What happened?”
She glared. The silence stretched.
“Never mind,” I said. “So, where are you staying? Your parents’ place?”
“We don’t have to do this, Callum.”
“Do what?”
“The small talk.”
“I’m not even allowed to know where you’re staying? Is it a secret? Just wondered if you had far to drive.”
“The drive is fine.” Her pretty lips twisted. “I’m staying at the Pine Cone Motor Lodge.”
“That place? Sketchy truckers stay there. If there’s a motel serial killers would give five stars, it would be that one.”
“Well, that’s what I can afford right now,” she snapped.
“Couldn’t stay at Mommy and Daddy’s mansion?”
Her expression froze. Then she pivoted and started back toward the doorway to the dining room.
Shit. “Wait.” I grabbed her wrist. “I have a big mouth sometimes.”
“You always have.”
“If you’re not staying with your parents, I’m sure you have reasons.”
“Which aren’t your business.” She shook off my grip. “Can we just get started, please? Or do you have more comments to make about my personal life?”
“I’m done with the small talk segment. For now.”
She gritted her teeth. “You’re so obnoxious.”
I grinned. Because, guilty as charged.
We were already in the kitchen, so I gave Zandra an overview.
“Alice is our head chef. She’ll be in later.
She changes the menu every season, and when she does, we all taste the new dishes at our weekly team meeting.
Same with any seasonal brews, which are Russ’s domain.
Not sure if you’re familiar with our menu, but—”
“I took a look. It’s actually not that different from when my nana was running the kitchen. I grew up hanging around here, and used to hostess in high school.”
“Right.” My friends and I hadn’t been regulars at Hearthstone as teenagers. The food had been too expensive, and the only time we’d indulged in Hearthstone beer had been if somebody’s older sibling bought it for us.
Yet another advantage she’d had over me. Not that I was counting.
Zandra played with the end of her braid as her gaze moved over the kitchen, and I wondered if she was picturing how it looked years ago.
I felt like I should say something. “Was it fun? Working here in high school?”
“I didn’t always feel it at the time, but it was.”
“The computer system’s a bit more updated now. A lot of other things are probably the same.”
“I assume this old building still has its quirks.”
“Like the sticky lock in the back storage room. Gets stuck when you slam the door.”
“That I remember.” Her lips started to curve before she glanced at me, and she remembered herself.
After we finished in the kitchen, I took her to meet Russ. He shook her hand, his mouth open in a big shit-eating grin. “Great to see you, Zandra. It’s been forever. We both went to—”
“Silver Ridge High,” she finished for him. “There’s a lot of us around here.”
“I was a year below you and Callum.”
For a moment, Zandra had looked amused. But now a crease appeared between her brows. “Same year as Leo Mackenzie, right?”
“Yeah. Terrible what happened to his family. I remember when that’s all anybody talked about.” Then Russ stammered, “Fuck. I forgot you and Jessa were such good friends before she died. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Zandra wrapped her arms around her middle, and I felt the urge to reach out and steady her. Make sure she was okay. Because she looked so fragile right now, and that just called to my protective side.
But the hint of vulnerability disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced. “Can you show me around the brewery side of things, Russ?” she asked. “We should probably keep this tour moving.”
“Yeah,” Russ said on an exhale, clearly relieved at the change of subject. “You got it.”
While Russ talked Z through the basics of Hearthstone’s brewing operation, I stepped away to deal with some other tasks. About an hour later, Zandra found me in the bar again. The brewpub had opened for the day, but only a few diners had turned up so far. Things were quiet.
“Finished with Russ?” I asked.
“Yep. What’s next?”
“I can give you a quick walkthrough around the bar. My domain.” I opened my arms like I was showing off the narrow space we were in.
“Fits that you’re the bar guy. You’re one of the most extroverted people I’ve ever met. Everyone always liked you.”
“Did you just pay me a compliment?”
“I was stating a fact.” But coming from Zandra, it had sounded almost friendly.
I leaned my hip against the counter. After making sure nobody else was in earshot, I said, “Hey, I hope Russ didn’t upset you earlier. When he mentioned Jessa Mackenzie.”
She dropped her gaze to the tile floor. “Why would that make me upset?”
“Obvious reasons.” I knew how formative memories, especially traumatic ones, could take hold and refuse to let go. “You seemed upset when Russ mentioned it.”
“Well I wasn’t.”
“Jessa was your best friend. I just thought—”
“Don’t,” Zandra spit out. “Don’t you dare talk about her.”
Geez. She’d wielded that sentence like a knife, and I hadn’t even known we were back to fighting.
“Okay. Forget I said anything.” Time to get back to safer subjects, like work. “So, I made up a schedule for the next couple weeks. You can take turns shadowing me, then Russ, and then our back- and front-of-house managers.” I pulled up my notes on my tablet. “For this afternoon, I was thinking—”
“I’m going to tackle Manny’s computer files. I’ll be in his office the rest of the day.”
“But he said he wants us to work together,” I said firmly. “Look, I’ll be totally up front here. There’s a lot I can learn from you.”
“No kidding.”
“But the opposite is also true. I understand you didn’t like me in high school, and maybe I deserved that by generally being a cocky shit. A typical teenage football player. But that was forever ago, Zandra. I need to know you aren’t going to punish me for it.”
“Punish you? You think I’m going to sabotage your chances at getting the job?”
“That crossed my mind.”
Zandra stepped closer, her lips plush and eyes furious. “You’re such a hypocrite,” she hissed. “I’m not cruel. I would never use my position of power to hurt someone else. Unlike you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Because I was lost. “Is this… Are you talking about the bonfire party senior year?”
Her stare got even more murderous. “No, Callum. What I mean is, you need to stay away from me. You steer clear of me, and I’ll steer clear of you.” Zandra stalked away from me.
A minute later, I heard the door to Manny’s office slam hard enough to rattle the frame.
“Great first day,” I muttered to myself. “Two more months to go.”