2. Chapter Two

What was Josh’s deal? My first thought was yeah, great, here he comes again. Armed with lame ass sexual advances for me to dodge. Why the hell hadn’t I banned him yet? Though today, the sadness in his eyes stopped me cold.

He’d been coming here for a few years now. I checked with the other bartenders, and they said he was only here on the days I worked. What was his story? How many times could the guy be turned down before he finally gave up? Though I must admit, today was the first time he made zero advances toward me and that coupled with his short visit wasn’t the norm.

No clue what his last name was or what he did for a living. He always paid in cash. No credit cards, nothing. So why did this sudden change in the acts I associated with him bother me?

The rest of the evening was uneventful, thankfully, since my mind was elsewhere. Thursdays weren’t usually jampacked to begin with, but tonight it was downright dead. I had to talk to the boss about getting bands and events in here again. I got it, we weren’t in the best area but at the rate sales had dropped, we’d be closed in six months.

“Reagan speaking.” It surprised me when the phone behind the bar rang. We didn’t get many calls. Most were funneled through and handled by the front desk.

“Hey, Reagan, it’s Jason from Chaotic Abyss, formerly known as Playing With Fire, but we’re changing it up. Is Harvey in by any chance?” Jason and his band had played an acoustic set here a couple of times and brought in a hell of a crowd when they did. Some were a little rowdier than we liked, but overall, we broke sales records each time.

“Nah, man, he’s off tonight. You guys looking to book a gig?” Bingo! rang through my head, this was just the boost we needed.

“Yeah, we got a new guitarist today. Dude’s a total badass with a giant chip on his shoulder the size of Mars, but he’s learning our songs so an acoustic set would be a great way to break him in. You guys got any open slots?” Do we ever, I wanted to scream but being cool was a better way to go. Desperate would make Jason second guess playing here again.

“I think we can work something out. Let me give Harvey a shout and I’ll call you back.” Knowing Harvey, he was still up working in his home office. I don’t think the guy ever slept. He owned a chain of franchised units of hotels from Seattle to Portland. Busy as hell, and still hands on.

“Right on, thanks, man. Talk soon.” Jason hung up and I immediately dialed Harvey.

“Reagan, how’s it going?” he answered in his usual way. I could hear the keys on his keyboard clicking away.

“Dead as hell, man. Ironically, I just got a call that could change that.” Harvey promoted me to manager a couple of years ago with good reason. I always had a finger on the pulse and ideas to make things better. They weren’t always implemented but in Harvey’s words, he liked my initiative. The irony in this call was I had just thought of adding entertainment when Jason called.

“Oh yeah? Whatcha got?”

“Jason just called. They have a new guitarist and are looking for an acoustic gig to baptize him with. Wants to know if we’ve got room on the schedule.” Gods, please say yes. I loved their music and was more than over these dead ass nights. Sure, I got the bar stocked and deep cleaned during the downtime, but I’d much rather schlepp drinks and fill the till.

“Well, I was gonna talk to you about this tomorrow, but I need to get a few things off my plate. Working on a new investment. As my manager, and one with a wasted degree in finance, I’d like to talk to you about taking over all aspects of the bar. The books, the schedules.” He sighed. “Long story short, I’d like to sell you the bar. You in?”

Like he thought for a second I’d say no. “You know it.”

“I’ll be in tomorrow. Meet you around two, have Daniel come in early so you and I can meet in private.” That was an easy request to make. It was so dead tonight I had to send Daniel home early and I knew he’d be happy to make up the hours.

“You got it. See you then.” I immediately called Jason back and we set up a show for a week from today. That gave us both time to blast it across all social media outlets and for their new guitarist to get their songs down. I was super stoked as I grabbed the laptop from the office and got to work, tagging Jason and the band on the various platforms as I updated each.

The rest of the night flew by after that. I’d altered our usual flier, jazzed it up a bit and shot it over to Jason to use. I’d meet with Devon, the hotel manager, and give him a heads up tomorrow. They’d sold out a couple of times when the guys played before. It was a win-win on event nights, and I’d definitely reach out to more local bands and let them know we were open for shows.

My mind whirled with updates the bar needed and a million other things I’d wanted to do and could now implement, so sleep didn’t happen. Some of the refreshing the bar needed I could do myself which was even better. What most people didn’t know was in these franchise hotels each element was independently run, such as the bars and kitchens. Sure, there was a certain standard we had to adhere to, but past that it was all on us to keep up with general maintenance and keeping the place fresh.

“Afternoon, Reagan,” Harvey greeted me as I stepped inside. Daniel was here along with a handful of regulars, though Josh wasn’t among them.

“Hey, you’re early.”

“So are you.”

“Ha, I always am. Let me check in with Daniel and I’ll meet you in the office.” As Harvey headed toward the back where the office was, I popped behind the bar. “How’s it going?”

“Not much happening yet. Anything I need to worry about with Harvey here?” Harvey rarely came in, so I understood Daniel’s uncertainty. But he’d done a great job for me and had nothing to worry about.

“Quite the opposite, my friend. I’ll fill you in after our meeting.” I smiled and patted his shoulder then met up with Harvey in the cramped space we used for an office. I thought it was part of our inventory storage room that was converted, but it was better than nothing.

“Ready to get down to business?” Straight to the point, one of the many things I appreciated about Harvey.

“You sound like a man with a plan.” File folder and laptop set up, he was on a mission.

“I do and I’ve got the legal paperwork for you to sign.” I blinked a couple of times while that sank in.

“Legal papers?”

“Yes. You mentioned in passing some time ago you’d like to one day own a bar and after our conversation last night, well, I printed the paperwork I’d had drawn up some time ago. I mentioned it yesterday, did you miss that? You still on board?”

Blinking, not fully computing. I knew he mentioned my buying it, but my mind hadn’t hit the details portion that would entail. “Um, I think I need to read the documents first.”

“I’d have insisted you did so before signing. You’re like a son to me, Reagan, and I’m a bit protective. Take your time,” he handed me a file folder. “Read them and if you know a lawyer have them look it over. In the interim, let’s start transitioning managerial duties.” Over the next couple of hours we went over the budget, timesheets, payroll, deposits, all of which I was thankful I’d had a bit of insight into already, though my head still spun from information overload.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Daniel immediately asked as soon as Harvey left.

“Well, you’re looking at the new owner.”

“Wait, what? No way. Dude?” His nervous chatter had me fighting back laughter.

“Harvey sold the bar to me.” Excited. Anxious. Nearly shitting my pants. All emotions that swirled through the foggy mist of my brain. Was this the right choice for me? Who knew, but Harvey was correct when he stated it was the easiest way to get my feet wet in the path to owning my own bar. Sure, it wasn’t free standing nor in a prominent area. But it was what I was most familiar with. No upfront buy in, payments made over time. Yeah, I was gonna fucking do it.

“Congrats, man. I’m excited for you.”

“For us. I’m gonna need an assistant. You want the job?”

“You know it.” After a quick bro hug, we got to work. I filled Daniel in on the bands I wanted to invite back. He had an eye on the Seattle music scene, and I told him to feel free to give my number out to any performers he thought might be a good fit. We were limited in what we could allow but if they really wanted a shot, they’d figure it out. Pay was low but it was a chance to pimp new songs they’d been working on or in the case of Jason’s band, acclimate new members. Hell, I’d even allow them to set up a merch table if they desired.

By the time the weekend rolled around, my social media efforts had paid off and the bar had picked up these last couple days since I took over. News got around fast in our industry. The phone rang nonstop with up-and-coming bands begging for a slot. In no time at all our open mic nights were booked solid for the next three months and I was ecstatic. Marketing may not have been what my degree was in, but the classes I had taken had more than paid off.

We’d closed the kitchen a few years back but with the influx of patrons I created a simple bar food menu to test and see how that went. If we stayed busy, I’d consider hiring a cook and add more than finger foods. At least with the menu kept small the current staff and I could handle the cooking part without adding more to the payroll just yet.

I got lost in a sea of hours, working far too many, but how could I not when the place was mine? Mine. Still hard to believe, though, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face each time I thought it. I didn’t regret it in the least and as I watched my vision, my dreams, come to life, the lack of sleep became secondary. Hotel guests complained for ages that we closed too early, which was currently at ten p.m., Immediately, I extended the hours to midnight. When they further complained others were open until two a.m. I reminded them we weren’t a free-standing bar and had to be respectful of the hotel guests. They grumbled but in the end, they shut up.

The weekend was a blur with the influx of guests in town for a book convention for which I had zero complaints. Hey, if they wanted to end their book shopping days in my bar, more power to them. And with the signed contracts returned to Harvey, the extra income went directly toward the agreed upon purchase price and a secondary pot for the reno I had planned.

Life was good.

“Mom, I’m home,” I called out as I walked inside, having just returned from getting groceries and the restaurant supply store. I managed to get what we needed for the handful of menu items we now offered. I was glad we still had the equipment, and all was in working order. Had the hotel not been using the equipment for breakfast service we’d have had to call out for repairs from it sitting unused for so long.

My mom worked from home, and I tried to help as much as I could since she wouldn’t let me pay rent. Dating, the few times I tried to, didn’t go well. For some reason it bothered most men when they found out I still lived at home. I loved living with my mother, hell, she was my best friend, and we could talk about anything. So why would I leave?

“Coming.” I’d timed it just right, and even brought home lunch from her favorite sub shop. “Reagan, you spoil me.”

“Nah, just want to make sure my best girl takes a break and eats.”

“I’d ask if you’re working tonight but given your new title,” she winked, “I already know the answer. I’m so proud of you, baby boy.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I kissed her cheek and pulled out her chair. “Tonight’s the first open mic night and I’m ridiculously excited.” Jason came in the other day to drop off CDs for me to hand out and drum up more business with. The marketing budget only afforded me to pay the bands two hundred dollars to play, so we let them put out a tip jar on stage to help. With the groceries put away and both of us fed, I kissed Mom’s cheek and was out the door.

I was in the back taking inventory while there was a lull in business. Not much of one, but with all staff on the clock tonight I had to make sure we wouldn’t run out of supplies, and double and triple checking was how I rolled.

“Knock-knock.” I turned at the sound of Jason’s voice as he rapped his knuckles against the door frame. “Just checking in. Is it cool if we set up?”

“Absolutely. Let Daniel know if you need anything. I’ll be out in a few.”

“Will do, and thanks again.”

With the bottles necessary to restock the front, I returned to find a packed bar. Immediately my head turned toward the capacity sign and sent out a silent prayer to the gods of fire marshals we didn’t get shut down. There was no way the endless sea of bodies didn’t match capacity, if not exceed it. Hurriedly, I stocked the shelves and took one side of the bar while Daniel manned the other and started filling orders.

“I can’t believe they signed Josh Gray,” I overheard one of the customers say. Having no idea who Josh Gray was, I mixed up his rum and Coke and slid it in front of him. “Figured he’d be bagging groceries somewhere after the stunt he pulled.” His friend nearly shot the sip he’d taken out of his nose. “I heard he’s totally broke.”

“Hey, man, everyone deserves a second chance,” another guy said and I hoped like hell this didn’t turn into fists thrown. It would be a bitch to break up a brawl in this mess. Note to self, hire security next time.

“Very true,” the first guy readily agreed and set me at ease.

“Good evening, everyone, and thanks for coming out tonight.” The crowd cheered at Jason’s opening words. “We are Chaotic Abyss. Many of you knew us before as Playing With Fire. But we’re new and improved, and that includes a new band name and a guitarist.” From where I was, I couldn’t see the stage with the throng of bodies blocking it. “I see a lot of familiar faces here tonight and we can’t thank you enough for supporting us. I’m Jason, lead singer. We’ve got Marley on bass,” Marley struck a throng of deep rumbles. “That’s Nigel back there on drums,” he waved his sticks. “And our new addition, Josh…”

Before he could get out the last name an all too familiar voice spoke into the mic. “Just Josh.”

“All right, Just Josh,” Jason teased. “Josh has been cramming for finals, so to speak, learning all our songs, so be gentle tonight and give the guy a break.” The crowd laughed. “Enough of this sweet shit. Let’s play some fucking music!”

With the customers’ attention on the band, I slid my phone out and Googled Josh Gray, and kinda wished I hadn’t.