tell me his tricks,” I say. “I have no clue how he managed it.”
“Hey, didn’t one of the guitar players in Long Road Ahead go to high school over in Westbrook?” Mason asks.
“Did he?” I ask. I look at Colton. “Did you go to high school with one of them? I had no idea they were from around here.”
“Like I said, I’m not giving up any of my secrets,” he says, smiling.
“You’re not supposed to keep secrets from your girlfriend,” I say, wrapping my arms around him.
He plants a kiss on my cheek.
Working at the bar with him has been amazing. At first, I was afraid things might be awkward or complicated, but it’s actually been as easy as breathing. Obviously we don’t want to constantly be kissing and touching behind the bar, but every once in a while sure is nice. Besides, it’s still early in the night and other than Penny and Mason, we only have a handful of regulars in the whole place.
“You guys are too cute,” Penny says.
“Young love,” Mason says. He puts his arm around his wife. “Not like us old married folk.”
“Shut up and kiss me,” Penny says.
I laugh. I love it when they come by the bar. I never in a million years thought I would have a friend in Penny Wright. She’s always been the richest girl in school. Hell, the richest girl in Georgia. She always had this air of betterness around her, like she just didn’t see things the way they really were.
But ever since she disappeared about a year ago to run away with Mason, she’s been a different person. She never mentions how expensive her clothes are or how she just bought the newest Prada purse, anymore. She and Mason live in a modest house not too far from the bar, and she’s been really working her ass off to get her own business started. Not to mention all the work she does for charity in Fairhope to help kids in need.
“Where is your little one tonight?” I ask.
“Believe it or not, Preston and Jenna took her for the night,” she says. “I love her more than life, but it’s so nice to have a break every once in a while. You cannot imagine how tough it is to have a baby and be working full time. Especially now that she’s walking.”
I shift uncomfortably and get to work washing a few dirty glasses in the sink. I can imagine it more than she knows.
“Well, we really are grateful for how much you’ve done to help us get the bar back on its feet,” I say. “Saturdays have been packed for two months, but this weekend is going to be the biggest we’ve seen yet. I’ve been putting flyers up all over town.”
“It’s too bad you don’t have a bigger space for the crowd,” Penny says. “I heard you guys have been turning people away.”
“More and more every weekend,” I say.
“See, Penny sees the potential,” Colton says. “You guys really ought to think about expanding.”
“I’m not saying it’s outside the realm of possibility, but it seems complicated,” I say. “Permits and contractors and inspections. It would take forever to put that together, and I can’t imagine how we’d get the money for the new construction.”
“I told you I could help you with the paperwork,” Penny says. “It wouldn’t be too hard. You could take out a small business loan to get things going. You’ve got plenty of equity built up in the bar now, so you could put the property up as collateral.”
I sigh. It sounds wonderful, but it’s still so scary. With everything up in the air now with my dad and this new relationship with Colton, I feel like I’ve got enough life-altering things to deal with than I can handle as it is.
“Maybe it’s something we can revisit in a few years, but for now, I don’t think we should mess with a good thing, you know?”
“If you ask me, it’s the best time to expand,” Penny says. “Business is good and adding a new restaurant with your recipes would bring people from all over the state, I’d be willing to bet.”
“Which is exactly what I keep telling her,” Colton chimes in.
“If you decide you want to seriously consider it, let me know,” she says. “I’ll come by one afternoon and we can talk about all the details. I’d love to help you out.”
“Thanks,” I say, and I mean it. I’m just not ready for something