“Ollie.” Lars said casually. Ollie looked between Lars and Tanner pointedly. The other three men gave him a calculated look, then turned their backs to him and leaned on the bar. It wasn’t their direct business and they seemed to be under the impression that there was no need to get involved until he made it their business. That wasn’t going to stop them from listening to every word that was spoken, though.

“That’s Officer Sherwin to you.” Ollie corrected him. Lars shrugged. Not showing him the respect he demanded rather than earned was no skin off his back. Sure, it would make dealing with him even more of a pain in the ass, but he hadn’t done anything illegal.

The door sounded behind Ollie and then a reedy, thin voice, but one that still commanded authority sounded behind him. “Oh Ollie, I’ve known you since you would come over with your Mama after church on Sunday and sit at my kitchen table and eat crayons. When are you going to learn to play nice?” Shirley asked him.

Shirley began unwrapping herself from various scarves, hat, mittens and shawls as Ollie looked at her in surprise and then mumbled something at his shoes that sounded like, “Good evening Mrs. Mason.”

Shirley brushed past him without another word and beamed at Lars and Tanner. Her curly white hair sprang up when she removed her hat, and then listed sideways like a limp mop on top of her head. Her wrinkled face lifted as she smiled lovingly at them and made her way, stooped over to the bar. Thomaston jumped up from his seat, indicating she should sit and with hardly a word, she sat next to her grandson, Tanner, even though Thomaston looked slightly bashful. He grabbed a nearby stool at one of the tall tables and sat on her other side, blocking the doorway to get behind the bar, not that Lars minded.

Ollie walked to the far side of the bar, where George was sitting.

“Drinking already Tanner?” He asked reproachfully.

“I’m not on duty until tomorrow.” Tanner replied, not looking at him. Instead, he caught Lars’ gaze and held it, and he could have sworn he saw a note of pleading in his eye as if to beg him to be his life buoy and not look away. Lars obliged and held his gaze as Shirley piped up,

“Isn’t that Captain Mason to you Ollie? By rights he ranks higher, now doesn’t he?” She had certainly hit a nerve with this comment because Ollie’s sour face went white with anger. She wasn’t wrong, and he had long ago learned not to question her as she had chased him off with a broom once when they were kids. He and his two friends, Joe and Carl had been taunting Tanner and Lars when they had been outside hanging out on the front lawn with a potato launcher that they had built and were testing. Shirley, as old as she was, had raised Tanner and was sharp as a tack and had been quick to put Ollie in his place when she had found out about the bullying.

When Ollie’s Dad had tried to go to the school board and say it was Tanner and Lars, she had marched into the school and put him in his place as well, despite being the town sheriff. It didn’t stop the bullying, but everyone knew that the Mason family was pretty well off financially and could date back to the founding members of the town. There name was on the placard in town hall and Shirley held some sway as she was a member of the town council.

Lars poured Shirley a gin and tonic. She was one of the few who drank from the top shelf. He had tried to argue with her one night, that at her age, she should be drinking club soda at best and she’d pointed an arthritic and gnarled finger at him and said, “Lookie here son, I could drink you and the boys under the harbor and my liver would still be singing a sweet melody, drowning your sorry asses. Now pour me that drink!” He never argued with her again. Tanner glanced briefly at the drink but said nothing.

“Well now, Mrs. Mason, I was just commenting on how it must be nice for Tanner and Lars to see each other again. You know, get caught up. I just don’t want anyone getting carried away is all. Seeing’s how we have a storm coming.”

“Ollie Sherwin the only one getting carried away is you and your meddling. If this storm is going to be such a doozie, don’t you have something better to do down at the station to batten down the hatches?”

Ollie’s face went from white to crimson as Shirley calmly sipped her gin and tonic. He looked like he was itching to handcuff her and throw her in jail, but she raised a white eyebrow at him.

Lars ducked his head to keep from grinning, but he could see Hank, Thomaston and George smiling behind their glasses. Tanner remained passive, but he could see the tension in his body. If anyone would start anything over his Gram, it would be him. He’d been raised by her and had a strong sense of loyalty and protectiveness, despite her being as spunky and outspoken as any within the town.

“You’re right Mrs. Mason, I have some things to do. You have a good night, Ma’am.” He rose, not having had a drink, which suited Lars just fine. Shirley downed the rest of her gin and tonic and rubbed her chest. Tanner looked alarmed, but she waved him off as they waited for Ollie to leave. Everyone knew he was there just to harass them.

Just like the old flame returning, so did the old grudges. Lars thought to himself. He didn’t want to think of Tanner as an old flame, but there was no denying he had done nothing but wish everyone away since Tanner had walked into the pub. It was going to be a long night if everyone remained here to chit chat, and that wasn’t considering that Tanner might not want to stay late and catch up with him.

Shirley looked at her grandson and then said, “So, I’ve cleaned out the boxes from your old bedroom and made up the bed nice with clean sheets.”

“Gram you didn’t have to do that, I would have done it.” He muttered into his glass. Lars and the boys made themselves busy with their glasses while Shirley shushed Tanner and continued.

“And then after my nap today I baked brownies. You know those kinds you always liked with the chocolate chips in them. Maybe you could have Lars stop by and have a bite while you boys catch up!”

Lars looked down as Tanner stared fixedly on the bottom of his glass. It was obvious Shirley was meddling, kick starting the whole awkward reunion, whether either of them was ready for it or not. She looked between them.

“Tomorrow sound good? Oh perfect, I’ll make lunch for you boys too!” With that, she got up and started wrapping herself back up against the cold. Lars couldn’t really argue with her, as she hadn’t given him the option to, and Tanner was keeping his mouth shut as well. They had long ago learned Shirley was the kind of woman to love fiercely and brook no arguments when she decided a situation as dire enough with her loved ones to warrant getting involved in it. If Lars didn’t show up, she was more than likely to show up at the pub and break down the door in search of him.

Thomaston, Hank and George also seemed to take this as their cue to leave. They each got off of their stools and laid some cash down on the bar for him which he put in the cash register. They waved off the change, making unlikely excuses like having to check on their woodstove, or getting home before dark and all of that. Lars was grateful they were giving them some space, and it didn’t seem like Tanner was getting up any time soon. Lars was torn between wanting to close up and go home and stay and press Tanner for details of the last ten years. He decided on the latter because he still had a few wayward patrons sitting in corner booths sipping drinks that he needed to attend to.

Lars made his rounds and then figured there was no way he could avoid the inevitable any longer. He stood across the bar from Tanner and blurted out the only thing he could think of.

“So, you’re back.”

Tanner nodded his head and looked at him. “That I am.”

“And, you’re, umm…staying? This time. I mean, here to stay indefinitely?” He asked. He looked around feeling suffocated by his presence. He tugged at the collar of his wool fisherman’s sweater and swallowed. He poured himself a shot of Scotch and downed the glass. It burned on the way down because it was the cheap stuff, but it seemed to smooth over his senses and calm his nerves.

“Yeah, I’m back. Indefinitely. Someone has to look after Gram.” Tanner said. It was a lame excuse and they both knew it.

“What happened?” He asked the question before he could stop himself. He wasn’t expecting Tanner to give him a reply. They barely knew each other anymore. To say they were friends was tentative at best. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I just…it was your dream and you seem…”

“It was not what I expected it to be.” Was Tanner’s reply. His eyes widened as if he was remembering something. Something very bad had happened, of that Lars was certain. If not to him, then to someone he had grown close to. Lars wondered briefly if he had fallen for someone else, and the thought hit him hard in the heart and stung. He had tried, he couldn’t blame Tanner if he had found someone, but he had never found someone who had been his equal in all things. Lars hoped that it wasn’t someone else, and he decided he had to go with the belief that Tanner had just seen too much shit. It was easier to cope with the look in his eyes that way because whatever it was, he found it did pain him to see his friend so tormented by his memories.

“Whatever it was, you can tell me, you know.” He said softly. Tanner’s eyes came back into focus and looked into his blue ones.

“Can I?”

“Yeah, I mean, I know it has been a while…and stuff went wrong before…well you know. But I would like to think, we were best friends once. We could still have that back, if you wanted.” He stammered. He wanted it all, but he was afraid that wasn’t what Tanner wanted and he didn’t have the courage to ask him, so he figured he could settle for just friendship. He looked out the window at the darkening bay, almost wishing he could take back his words and drown in them.

“I would like that very much actually.”

It was Lars turn to look at him. Why did this have to be so awkward. It was Tanner for Pete’s sake. Apparently, a decade was a long time to go without talking so there was bound to be some kinks to work out in their friendship. He had to get to know him all over, if he would let him.

“Good, that’s really good. I’m glad.” Man, he felt like such an ass. Why couldn’t he string together coherent intelligent sentences? Tanner stood and dropped a twenty on the counter, but he waved it back at him. “This doesn’t belong here, drinks are on the house for you.” He told him.

“I insist.” Tanner said. “This is your business and by the looks of it, not many locals are coming out due to the storm.” He turned and started walking toward the door, and Lars hung his head. If this is how they were going to start back up with their friendship, he hated the amount of formality that was a barrier between them. Just as Tanner got to the door he turned back and Lars stood behind the bar, open-mouthed when he said, “Lars, I’m glad you still want to be friends. I missed you.”