taking another bite of my food. That way, I could make sure he didn’t spend the money on anything else that was going to dig this hole he had gotten himself into any deeper.
Felix’s easy-going attitude changed and he began to look desperate, surprising me. “Come on, man,” he said, his voice on edge. “Just give me the money, Cooper.”
“I can’t do that, Felix,” I said softly, my senses on high alert. Something was wrong with him, and I knew he wasn’t going to tell me what trouble he was getting into. “You’re acting very suspicious. This doesn’t seem like you. I’ll be more than willing to go with you and get whatever you need, but I can’t just give you that kind of cash.”
“Cooper,” he started, looking a bit panicked now. “Come on, dude, don’t do this.” He pushed out of the booth angrily. “If you had just given me the money, everything would have been just fine. I can’t believe you are doing this to me, Cooper. I was trying to help out, get your name out of this, but now, well, I can’t be responsible for this, man. If you had just played along.” He stalked away, his hands shoved in his pockets. I stared after him, the veiled threat making me a little nervous. Not Felix, too. Surely not.
“See, you can’t even trust your own friends anymore,” Harold said softly, drawing my attention back to him. “You gotta be careful, son. Don’t turn your back for one second. Someone is going to take advantage of you. Someone is going to want to corrupt what you know is right and moral. Stick to your guns and you just might survive this.”
He then leaned over and winked at me. “If all else fails, go buy yourself a damn island and get the hell away from here. That way, they can’t bother you at all. It’s what I would do.”
* * * * *
Three days later, I shut off the water to the sink and threw the bar towel into it, thinking I would just grab them all up and wash them at home tomorrow. Tonight had been a good night, just like the last two at the bar. I was really enjoying being the owner of the place. Word had gotten out, of course, but after a few awkward selfies and some even worse questions, people had largely ignored me and enjoyed themselves, which was all that mattered. I didn’t care if they treated me as an oddity, as long as they continued to frequent the place. The employees seemed to be good with the change as well, and after just a few questions, they had gone to work with no problems.
With a yawn, I stepped from behind the bar and grabbed a wet rag, heading toward the tables to wipe them down and set them up for tomorrow. My bartender, Jane, had been awesome tonight, handling the crowd like a pro. I had really just hung back and watched her work her magic. Then I’d given her an extra tip before she left. It was important that I tried to retain the employees right now and try to get the bar to run like it normally would. Then, once I felt comfortable in my situation, I would see about some changes. Not big changes, just little things, like an online calendar for schedules. I unplugged the TV and wiped down the first table, smirking as I thought about Harold balking at the fact that I was going to get rid of his calendar. Maybe I’d mail it to him as a keepsake.
The door chimed, and I turned to tell whoever it was that we were closed. Three men stepped inside and shut the door, the masks on their faces making me a bit nervous. They were all wearing the same colors as Felix had been, and I wondered if any of them were my supposed friend or if this had anything to do with his veiled threat at lunch the other day. I had been waiting for something to happen as a result of my refusal to give him the money and apparently the time was up on that. “Hey, guys,” I started, giving them all a hard smile, ignoring the masks as best I could. “We’re closed for the night.”
“I say you’re open,” one of them said, his voice muffled. “Ain’t that right?” He
Felix’s easy-going attitude changed and he began to look desperate, surprising me. “Come on, man,” he said, his voice on edge. “Just give me the money, Cooper.”
“I can’t do that, Felix,” I said softly, my senses on high alert. Something was wrong with him, and I knew he wasn’t going to tell me what trouble he was getting into. “You’re acting very suspicious. This doesn’t seem like you. I’ll be more than willing to go with you and get whatever you need, but I can’t just give you that kind of cash.”
“Cooper,” he started, looking a bit panicked now. “Come on, dude, don’t do this.” He pushed out of the booth angrily. “If you had just given me the money, everything would have been just fine. I can’t believe you are doing this to me, Cooper. I was trying to help out, get your name out of this, but now, well, I can’t be responsible for this, man. If you had just played along.” He stalked away, his hands shoved in his pockets. I stared after him, the veiled threat making me a little nervous. Not Felix, too. Surely not.
“See, you can’t even trust your own friends anymore,” Harold said softly, drawing my attention back to him. “You gotta be careful, son. Don’t turn your back for one second. Someone is going to take advantage of you. Someone is going to want to corrupt what you know is right and moral. Stick to your guns and you just might survive this.”
He then leaned over and winked at me. “If all else fails, go buy yourself a damn island and get the hell away from here. That way, they can’t bother you at all. It’s what I would do.”
* * * * *
Three days later, I shut off the water to the sink and threw the bar towel into it, thinking I would just grab them all up and wash them at home tomorrow. Tonight had been a good night, just like the last two at the bar. I was really enjoying being the owner of the place. Word had gotten out, of course, but after a few awkward selfies and some even worse questions, people had largely ignored me and enjoyed themselves, which was all that mattered. I didn’t care if they treated me as an oddity, as long as they continued to frequent the place. The employees seemed to be good with the change as well, and after just a few questions, they had gone to work with no problems.
With a yawn, I stepped from behind the bar and grabbed a wet rag, heading toward the tables to wipe them down and set them up for tomorrow. My bartender, Jane, had been awesome tonight, handling the crowd like a pro. I had really just hung back and watched her work her magic. Then I’d given her an extra tip before she left. It was important that I tried to retain the employees right now and try to get the bar to run like it normally would. Then, once I felt comfortable in my situation, I would see about some changes. Not big changes, just little things, like an online calendar for schedules. I unplugged the TV and wiped down the first table, smirking as I thought about Harold balking at the fact that I was going to get rid of his calendar. Maybe I’d mail it to him as a keepsake.
The door chimed, and I turned to tell whoever it was that we were closed. Three men stepped inside and shut the door, the masks on their faces making me a bit nervous. They were all wearing the same colors as Felix had been, and I wondered if any of them were my supposed friend or if this had anything to do with his veiled threat at lunch the other day. I had been waiting for something to happen as a result of my refusal to give him the money and apparently the time was up on that. “Hey, guys,” I started, giving them all a hard smile, ignoring the masks as best I could. “We’re closed for the night.”
“I say you’re open,” one of them said, his voice muffled. “Ain’t that right?” He
Similar Books
