age when Danny was just a toddler. He never even knew them.”
Mac stared in disbelief back through the webcam, and Lee thought he had a pretty good inkling what was going through her mind. In a lot of ways, Danny had always been like a brother to her too. Plus, given that she’d always been thick as thieves with her own family, it stood to reason that a story like Danny’s would hit her pretty hard.
“So,” Lee said, feeling the need for a shift in conversation. “How’s life up there in Athens as the big boss lady of your own shop?”
She frowned.
“That good, huh?”
“It has its moments,” Mac conceded. “I mean, it’s not like management is anything new to me. Even though Dad hasn’t officially retired from the business, he took a back seat years ago. So it’s not like I had to learn how to run a bar or anything.” Her head fell back as she billowed a sigh. “I dunno. Athens isn’t a bad town. Honestly, if I were 20 years old and looking to get outta town for college, this would probably be a pretty ideal place, what with the local music scene and all. But I’m hell and gone from 20, and I’ve already done the ‘away from home on a dream and a prayer’ thing—not that running a bar was ever my dream…”
Mac paused reflectively for a moment, and Lee didn’t have to wonder why.
“Anyway,” she said after collecting her thoughts. “I’m just ready to come home is all. I miss my family, I miss my friends and at this point in my life, those are kinda what’s most important to me, ya know?” She paused with a light, throaty chuckle. “… Because god knows it’s not a real career!”
“Danny says you just need a GM and you’re outta there,” Lee offered.
“You’d think that’d be fairly easy, right?” she mocked, “but apparently not. I’ve spent the better part of six months looking for a qualified candidate to run this place so I can come home, but I have yet to meet someone I’d trust with my grocery list, much less the bar’s payroll and inventory books.”
“What about Tom?” Lee asked. “He’s been with you guys in Tally for years and he’s always wanted to go management, right?”
“He would’ve been the ideal choice, for sure,” Mac agreed. “He was next in line to run the Tally location before I came back from L.A. and we’d have definitely made it worth his while to move up here to run Athens—relo, salary, benefits, the whole nine—but he’s moving to Pittsburgh at the end of the year.”
“Pittsburgh?” Lee wondered aloud.
“Yeah. He got engaged a while back and his fiancée’s family apparently has some sort of cushy gig waiting for her up there. So he’s sticking around to work one more football season, and then he’s headed for PA.”
“Ouch, major bummer,” Lee muttered, a little saddened at the thought of losing one of his favorite bartenders, not to mention a good friend. “Hey, how’s Joel? He still workin’ security?”
“Joel got redeployed last summer,” Mac answered. “He’s supposed to be back sometime next spring, but who knows if he’ll even come back to Tally after that?”
“Hadn’t heard that. He say where he was headed?”
“Nah,” she shook her head. “But then again, those SEAL boys rarely ever do, so it’s anybody’s guess. All I know is he still owes me a cool 50 from the Bucs/Jets game last season, so he’d better make it back long enough to pay up—the bum!”
Lee flashed a smile and slumped back in his seat. He’d had some good times with those guys, and as much as he loved the Pourhouse, the place would never be the same without them.
“Garrett’s still there though,” Mac noted, drawing an eye roll from Lee.
“Shocker,” Lee grumbled. “That guy’ll be there until the day he dies. He still a big fan of the undergrad girls?”
“You know it!” she laughed. “Tom tells me that a few of the dayshifters have tagged him with a new nickname too… Dom.”
“Dom?” Lee asked, the
Mac stared in disbelief back through the webcam, and Lee thought he had a pretty good inkling what was going through her mind. In a lot of ways, Danny had always been like a brother to her too. Plus, given that she’d always been thick as thieves with her own family, it stood to reason that a story like Danny’s would hit her pretty hard.
“So,” Lee said, feeling the need for a shift in conversation. “How’s life up there in Athens as the big boss lady of your own shop?”
She frowned.
“That good, huh?”
“It has its moments,” Mac conceded. “I mean, it’s not like management is anything new to me. Even though Dad hasn’t officially retired from the business, he took a back seat years ago. So it’s not like I had to learn how to run a bar or anything.” Her head fell back as she billowed a sigh. “I dunno. Athens isn’t a bad town. Honestly, if I were 20 years old and looking to get outta town for college, this would probably be a pretty ideal place, what with the local music scene and all. But I’m hell and gone from 20, and I’ve already done the ‘away from home on a dream and a prayer’ thing—not that running a bar was ever my dream…”
Mac paused reflectively for a moment, and Lee didn’t have to wonder why.
“Anyway,” she said after collecting her thoughts. “I’m just ready to come home is all. I miss my family, I miss my friends and at this point in my life, those are kinda what’s most important to me, ya know?” She paused with a light, throaty chuckle. “… Because god knows it’s not a real career!”
“Danny says you just need a GM and you’re outta there,” Lee offered.
“You’d think that’d be fairly easy, right?” she mocked, “but apparently not. I’ve spent the better part of six months looking for a qualified candidate to run this place so I can come home, but I have yet to meet someone I’d trust with my grocery list, much less the bar’s payroll and inventory books.”
“What about Tom?” Lee asked. “He’s been with you guys in Tally for years and he’s always wanted to go management, right?”
“He would’ve been the ideal choice, for sure,” Mac agreed. “He was next in line to run the Tally location before I came back from L.A. and we’d have definitely made it worth his while to move up here to run Athens—relo, salary, benefits, the whole nine—but he’s moving to Pittsburgh at the end of the year.”
“Pittsburgh?” Lee wondered aloud.
“Yeah. He got engaged a while back and his fiancée’s family apparently has some sort of cushy gig waiting for her up there. So he’s sticking around to work one more football season, and then he’s headed for PA.”
“Ouch, major bummer,” Lee muttered, a little saddened at the thought of losing one of his favorite bartenders, not to mention a good friend. “Hey, how’s Joel? He still workin’ security?”
“Joel got redeployed last summer,” Mac answered. “He’s supposed to be back sometime next spring, but who knows if he’ll even come back to Tally after that?”
“Hadn’t heard that. He say where he was headed?”
“Nah,” she shook her head. “But then again, those SEAL boys rarely ever do, so it’s anybody’s guess. All I know is he still owes me a cool 50 from the Bucs/Jets game last season, so he’d better make it back long enough to pay up—the bum!”
Lee flashed a smile and slumped back in his seat. He’d had some good times with those guys, and as much as he loved the Pourhouse, the place would never be the same without them.
“Garrett’s still there though,” Mac noted, drawing an eye roll from Lee.
“Shocker,” Lee grumbled. “That guy’ll be there until the day he dies. He still a big fan of the undergrad girls?”
“You know it!” she laughed. “Tom tells me that a few of the dayshifters have tagged him with a new nickname too… Dom.”
“Dom?” Lee asked, the
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