Chapter 15
THIRTY DAYS
“All right, freshman, I need a favor,” Hannah said a few days later.
“Step into my office,” I said breezily from my spot at a high-top table.
“Not you, the other freshman.”
Aubrey looked up across from me. She had started dropping into the bar during the day, usually accompanied by a puzzle or Sudoku book that she used to pass the time while I worked.
Today she had brought an old game of Guess Who?
, and we were locked in a fierce battle while I took my thirty-minute break.
It was a long, languid afternoon, the kind that only happened in the dead heat of summertime.
Hannah was zooming about the bar, chattering up a storm and busying herself with unnecessary tasks, which likely meant Baker had packed her an extra-large cold brew that morning.
Our only patrons at the moment were Maria Paula and Brooke, clacking away on their laptops as they ordered one espresso martini after the other, apparently devising a new online business that they swore would make them filthy rich.
“And what is this business?” Hannah asked suspiciously, bringing them fresh waters in a not-so-subtle attempt to sober them up. She held up a finger to Aubrey and me, indicating she would be right over to make good on that favor.
“Proprietary goods, specializing in alternative health, kind of like an online pharmacy but with a distinct human touch that will deliver straight to the consumer—” Maria Paula rattled off.
“Weed,” Brooke cut in. “It’s weed.”
“Sign me up,” Midas singsonged from the bar top.
“Will you ship to Pennsylvania?” Aubrey asked.
“Oh, sweet little moon child, weed is already legal in Pennsylvania,” Maria Paula said, her eyes never leaving her laptop screen. “But sure, we’ll ship to you.” She finally looked up. “Also, who are you?”
Aubrey laughed the bright, relaxed laugh that meant she felt safe and happy. I was starting to see it more and more, especially after kissing her the other night. She didn’t bother answering Maria Paula, just gave me a secretive, flirtatious look across the top of the game board.
“All right, so,” Hannah said, appearing next to us. “I hear you have a dog.”
Aubrey raised an eyebrow. “Yes…?”
Hannah scooted my game board aside, leaning her elbows on the table and completely invading my space. “Baker is taking me to Atlanta in a couple of weeks, for my birthday, and we need a dog-sitter. Are you game? We’ll pay you, obviously, and you’re welcome to stay at our house.”
“Stay at your house? Like, the whole time?”
“Yeah, if you want to. That might be better so you can get the mail and everything.”
Without meaning to, I looked at Aubrey. The spark in her eyes told me she was thinking the same thing I was.
“Oh no, not so fast,” Hannah said. “You are house-sitting alone. I don’t need a couple of horny teenagers taking up residence in—”
“Hannah!” I interrupted, blushing to the roots of my hair. “Oh my god, shut up, we get it.”
“Just sayin’.” Hannah shrugged like she hadn’t just embarrassed the hell out of us. “I remember that summer after graduation—looking for stolen moments, empty beds—”
“Stop talking,” I hissed.
“I’m gonna use the restroom,” Aubrey said, scooting out of her chair. Patches of burgundy had settled high on her cheeks.
The moment she turned the corner, I smacked Hannah on the arm.
“Ow!”
“I will kill you,” I said darkly.
“Oh, come on,” she replied easily, but before she could say anything else, the front door swung open and two men strode across the threshold and into our sacred space.
My grandfather, and behind him—
Coach Calhoun.
My blood went cold. Immediately, I reached for my phone to text Aubrey a warning, but she had left her phone on the table.
“Well, ain’t this a fun little gathering on the island of misfit toys,” Grandpa said. His eyes narrowed on Hannah’s LIVE LAUGH LESBIAN T-shirt.
Hatch appeared out of nowhere, almost like he had sensed the invasion. “Nice to see you, Amos,” he said in a tone that was the exact opposite of nice. “I hope you’re here to finally look at that breaker box?”
“Easy now, Marion.”
“We’ve been calling you for weeks, Amos.”
“I’ve got a long list of clients, Marion, and we have to prioritize.”
I read between the lines of what he was saying: that it was important to prioritize non-LGBTQ businesses.
“What is this about?” I said loudly, my neck prickling.
Just then, Aubrey returned from the bathroom. She took one look at her father standing there in the bar, and her face went white as a sheet.
“Aubrey Lynn?” Coach Calhoun said weakly. He was momentarily back-footed, and it would have been delicious to see if I hadn’t known Aubrey would become collateral damage. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Aubrey swallowed. “I—uh—”
I scoured my brain for something, anything, that might explain Aubrey’s presence here, but Hannah beat me to it.
“Oh, you two know each other?” she asked in a fake-bright voice. “What a small world! Coach, are you an animal lover, too?”
Coach Calhoun cocked his head at her. “Excuse me?”
“I read about Aubrey’s pet-sitting services online,” Hannah went on blithely, like we were just a group of gals at a mimosa brunch. “I asked her to stop in and interview before I hired her. Is that how you two know each other? Do you have a dog? Would you recommend her as a pet-sitter?”
Coach Calhoun looked from Hannah to Aubrey, clearly trying to get a handle on the situation. “Aubrey, is that right? You’ve started a pet-sitting business?”
“Yes, sir,” Aubrey said, rolling seamlessly with the cover story. “A few weeks ago. I, um, didn’t tell you because—because I didn’t want you to feel obligated to help with finding clients. You’re busy enough as it is.”
Coach chewed on the lie. I couldn’t tell whether he bought it. “So this is your first time in this … business?” He looked around, eyes narrowing on Midas’s trans flag pin and RuPaw’s rainbow tulle dress.
“Yes, isn’t it cute?” Aubrey said in a passable impression of naivete. “It’s so quaint and authentic.”
“Honey, go on home,” Coach said. “We’ll talk later.”
“But I—”
“Aubrey Lynn.”
Aubrey bit her tongue and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
She left the bar without looking at me, and I was very careful not to acknowledge her in front of her dad. I looked at Hannah instead, trying to thank her with my eyes. She gave a subtle nod.
“The young’uns are always susceptible,” Grandpa told Coach. “You were right to send her home.”
Coach shot him a cursory glance but didn’t reply. He stepped farther into the room and switched back to business mode, moving in to shake Hatch’s hand. “Good to see you again, Mr. Hatchet.”
Hatch frowned and clasped his palm only briefly. “Hatch.” He glanced subtly at the rest of us and said the next part more quietly. “And I thought you were coming alone.”
Immediately, my heart started racing. I looked at Hannah and Midas, who met my eyes with bewildered expressions.
“Amos is a big investor in our program,” Coach Calhoun said smoothly.
“Is he now,” Hatch muttered darkly.
“That’s right. He wanted to see the property. So what do you say you show us around, Hatch? This”—Coach Calhoun looked around—“space is nice and all, but as you know, we’re keener on the rest of the land.”
“Why?” I interjected, rising from my seat.
Coach Calhoun blinked in the manner of someone who wasn’t used to pushback. He gave a polite chuckle to save face. “Well, that’s between us men, sweetheart.”
Fury coursed through my veins. I swore I could hear Hannah’s jaw clench.
There was a prolonged pause.
“Right this way,” Hatch said stiffly. He turned and led the way past Hannah, Midas, and me, refusing to meet our eyes. I tried in vain to stop my shoulders from shaking. It wasn’t until the men had exited through the back door that I realized I’d been holding my breath.
“It’s okay,” Hannah said, putting a steady hand on my shoulder. “We’re okay. We’ll be okay.”
“What did you tell them?” I rounded on Hatch when he returned, alone this time. “What did you promise?”
Hatch looked like he was about to teeter over. He dragged himself to the bar top without his usual speed. “Nothing,” he said without looking at me.
“Bullshit.”
“Louisa,” Hannah said.
“He knew Coach Calhoun was coming here today. He definitely knew,” I ranted, pointing an accusatory finger at Hatch.
Hatch settled on his stool. He still looked like someone had hit him with a truck, but he accepted the glass of ice water Midas placed hastily in front of him. He chugged it without seeming to notice he was doing so.
“Well?” I prompted.
“I’m just keeping my options open, Louisa,” Hatch answered.
“They said RU had nearly reached a deal—”
“Louisa, we’re on the same team as you,” Hannah interjected. “Please stop shouting.”
“I am aware of what they said,” Hatch huffed, finally meeting my eyes. His voice had gotten stronger and the color was returning to his face. “That doesn’t mean it’s true. Of course they’re putting that narrative out there.”
I closed my mouth. Only then did I realize how fast my chest was rising and falling. Midas placed a barstool beneath me, the expectation clear: Sit down and chill. He slid a glass of ice water in front of me, which I held against my face until the heat receded.
“I have not spoken with the university,” Hatch repeated. He was speaking calmly, but there was a note of finality in his tone.
I exhaled. In my bones, I believed him. But I was still too wound up to respond, so I busied myself with sipping my water.
“So they’re stunting,” Midas supplied.
“It’s July,” Hannah said before I could respond. “I’m pretty sure they—the university—run on a July first to June thirtieth fiscal year. I don’t think it’s coincidental that they’re coming out swinging early on in the month.”
“Stupid greedy businessmen,” I spit, “with their stupid politics and their—”
“It’s business, Louisa,” Hatch interrupted.
“Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not patronizing you. I’m trying to manage your expectations.”
“Oh, now you want to act like a mentor?”
“That’s enough!” Hatch yelled, slamming his hand upon the table. The sound was loud as a cannon and sent RuPaw’s fur standing on edge. We all froze. “Don’t speak to me like that. This is my business and I’m doing my best to accommodate you.”
The three of us withered in the silence. I wanted to fire back, but Hannah shook her head subtly in my direction.
“Now, listen,” Hatch said, struggling to regain his composure. He took a deep belly breath and exhaled. “We’re having a good summer. Let’s hold it together a little while longer and see what happens.”
See what happens. Those three words held the entire fate of the Frisky Cricket, but I realized with a jolt that they weren’t necessarily negative. Was Hatch saying there was a chance he would keep the bar?
“I’m sorry,” I managed to say.
Hatch cleared his throat. He glowered at a spot on the wall and said, “I apologize for losing my temper.”
There was a pressing silence as we figured out what to say next.
“What I’m hearing…,” Midas began, “is that maybe we should throw another party?”
Hannah laughed in spite of herself. She smacked Midas and said, “I hate you, you little monster.”
I ignored them. I was watching Hatch. His eyes had cleared and his expression was tinged with something close to regret. Wordlessly, he stood up from the two-top and retreated to his office.