It’s New Year’s Day. I’ve been here for two months, and Gramps is still not thawed from his anger toward me. Something has got to give. Taking the stairs to his room, I hear him coughing from just outside the door. “Morning,” I say, pushing open the door.
The night nurse and the day nurse are both there. “He had kind of a rough night. He had a breathing treatment at three this morning and should have another now, before breakfast,” I hear them talking.
“What happened?” I ask them.
“Sometimes this happens. It’s that time of year, and he’s weak.”
“But he was doing so much better,” I say. He was. He was happy and barely coughing just last week.
“That’s emphysema,” she explains.
“What can I do?” I ask them.
“Nothing you can do. We’ll be here around the clock to keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you.”
“Mr. Baxter, I’m going to go get the machine ready for your breathing treatment. I’ll be right back,” she tells him.
I wait until they are both out of the room before taking a seat in the chair beside his bed. “Hey, Gramps.”
“I need you to go to Vegas,” he wheezes.
“What?”
“Vegas,” he says, taking a deep breath. “I signed the distillery up for a convention. It’s a big casino, a big customer of ours. They’re having a sampling, and I signed us up. I can’t go like this,” he says. I can tell just that little speech exhausted him.
“Can we cancel?” Not that I’m against going to Vegas, but staying here, especially with him not feeling well, seems like the better option.
“No. I gave my word. That means something, Rhett Alexander Baxter,” he says. I assume since he busted out the whole name it was meant to be scolding, but his wheezing took the heat out of it.
“Okay. So I need the details,” I tell him.
“Dorothy took care of it. She can help you.” He takes a deep breath. “You need to find a bartender to go with you. I was going to ask Jake and didn’t get around to it.”
“Why do I need a bartender?” I’m starting to wonder if he’s delirious from the medications. Is he running a fever?
“It’s a sampling. You need someone experienced to serve. You’ll be busy talking about the company, schmoozing potential clients who will be there. You won’t have time to do it all.”
“Right.” I agree that wouldn’t be ideal. “Okay, I’ll call Jake today. Anything else?”
“No, I’m tired,” he says, closing his eyes, dismissing me.
“When?” I ask him, even though his eyes are closed.
“This weekend,” he replies, never opening his eyes.
I sit with him anyway until the day shift nurse comes in to give him his breathing treatment.
Downstairs, I pull out my phone to text Jake.
Me: Hey, you at the bar?
Jake: Yep.
Me: Be there in fifteen.
Grabbing my keys and coat, I head to the Corner Pocket. I’m hoping that my old buddy Jake is up for a trip to Vegas.
Me: I’m here.
I’m standing outside the main entrance waiting for Jake to unlock the doors.
“Wipe your feet, man. I just mopped.” He points to my snow-covered shoes.
After thoroughly wiping my feet, I take a stool behind the bar and sit to stay out of his way. “So what’s up?”
“I need a favor.”
“Shoot,” he says, looking up at me from where he’s writing something on a clipboard.
“Gramps just told me this morning that I need to be in Vegas this weekend for a sampling show he signed the distillery up for. I also need a bartender,” I tell him. “You free?”
He laughs. “I wish. A trip to Vegas sounds like fun. I’ve got a guy coming in to install a new grill. Ours is on its last leg.”
“Not to sound like a dick, but can Molly handle it?” I ask him.
“Nope. We’ve also got an appointment with a wedding planner.” He grins. “Apparently, she has a waiting list, but had a last-minute cancellation and agreed to take us on. Mol’s excited. No way am I taking that from her.” He writes something else on his clipboard before looking up at me again. “Take Saylor.” He says it like it’s common sense.
I thought about her first, but figured she would never go for it. “You think she’d do it?”
He shrugs. “I don’t see why not. We’ve got plenty of coverage, especially with me being here. Our meeting with the wedding planner is before we open, so I don’t see an issue on my end.”
A weekend in Vegas with Saylor? Hell fucking yes. “You got her number?” I ask, already pulling my phone out of my jeans pocket.
“You don’t?” he asks, surprised.
“Nope.”
“You two seem awful cozy lately to not have exchanged numbers.”
“Are you going to give me her number or not?”
“Testy.” He laughs. “Why don’t you just go see her. She was home when I left.”
“Fine. I’ll see you later.” I hop off the stool and turn to leave.
“Rhett,” he calls out for me.
“Yeah.” I stop and turn.
“Don’t hurt her. She’s had enough disappointment.”
“Trust me, I’ll not do what that jackass did, and if it were up to me, she’d stay a part of my family.” The words fall from my lips before I can stop them. “I’m not going to hurt her,” I say, trying to soften the reality of what it is I just said. I’ve felt protective of her since she told me her story, protective and wanting. I want to be around her all the damn time. Hence my ever-frequent visits to the Corner Pocket. Then there was last night and the kiss. I never through it would be possible, but I can still feel her lips against mine.
Fucking phenomenal.
Jake nods. “Good to know, my man. One of these days, not today because I have shit to do, you’re going to explain that.” He gives me a pointed look.
I laugh. “Let me work it out in my head first, then you’re on.” Without another word, I head outside to my truck. Time to go visit a beautiful bartender about a spur-of-the-moment trip to Vegas.
I pull up outside her apartment, which is also Jake and Molly’s detached garage, and park my truck. I don’t bother with my phone. I don’t want any distractions when I try to convince her to go to Vegas with me in four days. I shake my head as I take the steps two at a time. Gramps sure knows how to throw some fucking curveballs my way. I reach the door and knock three times before taking a step back.
“Rhett?” she says cautiously as she brings her hand to her lips. I know exactly what she’s thinking. That kiss. “What are you doing here?”
“Gramps threw something at me just a little while ago, and I wanted to ask for your help.”
“Sure, come on in. Is he okay?”
I can hear the concern in her voice, and I know it’s real. Saylor is that kind of person. She cares with all of her, even after everything she’s been through. “Yeah, he informed me that he signed up for a taste sampling for the distillery at the end of the week. I need to take his place.”
“Okay, do you want me to check in on him?”
I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out for her. She’s too fucking sweet, her taste, her personality, her. “Actually, I’m in need of an experienced bartender. I’ll be busy with selling the company, so to speak, so I need a professional server to offer the samples.” I leave out the location on purpose. I’m taking this one step at a time.
“Did you ask Jake?”
“Yeah, he’s got the new grill install and the wedding planner.”
“That’s right,” she muses. “Are you sure I can do it?”
I take a step toward her. “I know you can, Say.”
“O-okay. I’ll need to make sure it doesn’t interfere with my work schedule.”
“It will, a little, but Jake already said it was fine.”
“You asked him before me? What if I said no?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I asked him, and he told me all the reasons he can’t go. Then he suggested you. You were my first pick, honestly. I just wasn’t sure I could convince you to do it.”
“Oh,” she mumbles. “So when and where?”
“We would leave here on Thursday, the sampling is Friday, and we would be home on Saturday.”
“So it’s out of town?”
“Yeah, Gramps said that Dorothy has already made the travel arrangements.”
“Where are you taking me, Whiskey?”
I can’t help but grin at her. Now that I know why she calls me that, I don’t hate it. “Vegas.”
“Vegas?” she repeats it as a question.
“Yeah, it’s at a casino. They’re long-time customers, and they called Gramps and invited him specifically. He says we can’t cancel; I already asked.”
“How is he?”
“Had a bad night. Wheezing and coughing more today. The nurse assures me that it’s just symptoms of the emphysema, but at this rate, I’m not sure how he’s going to ever be well enough to go back to work.”
“He would hate that,” she says softly.
“Yeah, he would.”
“So what does that mean for the company?”
“I don’t know for sure. That would be up to Gramps.”
“Would you stay? I mean, would you take over for him?” She bites her bottom lip.
“At this stage in the game, it’s hard to tell what he’ll do. He’s still angry with me for not visiting more than just a day or two at the holidays over the last several years. I used to spend every summer with him and just stopped once I graduated from high school. He’s hurt, and he reminds me every day with his aloofness toward me.”
“I noticed there seemed to be some distance. I’m sorry.”
“It’s on me, and I’m going to fix it. I don’t know how, but I’m going to fix it,” I say with a heavy sigh. “Anyway, back to business. Will you do it? Will you fly to Vegas with me and help me schmooze the casino owners and all the others that are sure to be there?”
“I’ve never traveled,” she says hesitantly. “Elaine and I, we lived off of her retirement, so the money wasn’t really there. I’ve been to two states,” she adds.
Damn if her confession doesn’t have me wanting to show her the whole fucking world. “I’ll be right there with you.”
“I’ve never flown in a plane, obviously.” She laughs nervously.
I step closer to her. “You afraid of heights?”
“I don’t know, really. I’ve never been in a position to find out.”
She’s been so sheltered, missing out on all that life has to offer. Anger boils in my veins that her jackass ex didn’t help her experience more. Instead, he was too busy fucking his employees. “It’s safe. Safer than driving, so they say. Vegas is great. Although it will be a quick trip, we’ll find some time to walk around. Maybe catch a show. It’s the city that never sleeps after all.” Still chewing on her bottom lip, she was driving me and my cock crazy. “It’s all expenses paid. I’ll pay you two grand for the weekend in addition to expenses. Flight, hotel, food, everything is covered by the business.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“You’re downplaying your self-worth. I need you, Saylor. I need someone who is professional and knows their way behind a bar. It’s short notice as well, and you should be compensated for that.”
“Sounds like you’ve thought of everything.”
“I have. Jeans or those legging things you have will work fine with a Baxter’s T-shirt. No special wardrobe; I just need you there with me. Please, Saylor you’d be saving my ass.”
“Can I think about it? Just for a little while. I can give you an answer later today. I just… Can I have a little time?”
I step closer, this time not stopping until I’m standing toe to toe with her. She looks up at me, and I have to fight to not get lost in her ocean blue eyes. Reaching out, I slide my hand behind her neck, under her hair. “I’ll call you later,” I say, leaning down and kissing her forehead. I want to kiss those sweet, plump lips, but I have a feeling her answer would be no if I did that. I can’t push her. I’ll take time with Saylor any way I can get it. Without another word, I step back from her, turn on my heel, and walk out the door. One more second and I would have been all over her. I need to get my shit together when it comes to Saylor. I know what I told Jake, and I meant it. I won’t hurt her.
The drive back to the house is quick. I drive on autopilot as I think about Saylor and spending a few days away with her. We’ll have Thursday night to sightsee. I’ll be able to show her a little of Vegas. Then Friday after the tasting, I can maybe take her to a show. I can see it now, her blue eyes wide and shining with excitement under the Vegas lights. I really hope she says yes.
Inside, I make my way upstairs to check on Gramps. He’s lying on his side in bed, watching television. “Hey, how you feeling?”
“Fine,” he mumbles.
“So, Jake can’t go to Vegas, but he suggested that I ask Saylor. I just came from her place. She’s going to give it some thought and get back with me today. I don’t know what to do if she says no.”
“Convince her,” he says, as if it’s an easy task.
“I’m working on it.”
“Good.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Dorothy will have everything you need.”
“Want to watch a movie or something?”
“I’m tired, just want to take a nap,” he says, closing his eyes.
I sit there and watch him. He’s frail and looking every bit of his 77 years. I’ve missed too much time with him being wrapped up in my own life. He was my best friend growing up. Odd, but true. There was nothing that could have kept me from spending all summer with him. I refused to play summer sports because this is where I wanted to be. This house is just as much home to me as my parents’ place back in Tennessee. The memories I have here are endless. I worry that I’m not going to have much time with him. The thought alone takes my breath. I can’t leave here until he’s over his anger. I won’t leave knowing he’s still upset with me.
Slipping out of his room, I quietly make my way downstairs before calling my dad.
“Hey, son,” he greets me.
“Hey, Dad.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t leave here until he’s no longer angry at me.”
“I’ve been there, Rhett. That could be a long damn time.” He sighs.
“I know that, but I’ve missed so much. He’s aged, and he’s angry, as he should be. I can’t leave knowing that something could happen when I’m not here and he was still angry.”
Dad’s quiet on the other end of the phone. “I get it, I do. I’ve been there. He’s always been stubborn as hell. We’ve got things covered here.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Rhett?” he asks cautiously.
“Yeah?”
“I know you love it there. When you were younger, you always said you wanted to take his place one day.” He pauses. “Your mother and I, we just want you to be happy. If you choose to stay, to take over permanently, we support you.”
Damn. I’ve thought about that very thing more than not since I’ve been here. I’ve just never said it out loud. “Thanks, Dad,” I say, choking up a bit. I clear my throat. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I needed to hear that.”
“We love you, son.”
“Love you too, Dad. Please tell Mom I said hi and I love her too.”
“Will do.”
With that, I end the call. My phone rings immediately. I don’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“Rhett?”
Saylor. Her sweet voice washes over me. “Hey, Short Stack.”
She laughs softly. “I’ll do it. I’ll go with you. However, I don’t want you to pay me for it. Paying for the trip is enough. It’s an opportunity I don’t know if I will ever have again.”
I want to tell her that I will take her anywhere and everywhere she wants to go. “I have to pay you, Saylor.”
“No, please, this is my decision. You’re paying for everything. I’m only missing Friday night, I was scheduled off Thursday and Saturday this week, so I’m not missing out on much.”
I know if I balk at this, she’s going to change her mind. I’ll just lavish her with all things Vegas—shows, souvenirs, and anything else that I can think of when we get there. “Deal,” I tell her.
She releases a heavy breath. “So what time do I need to be ready and where?”
“Dorothy, she’s Gramps’s assistant, she handled all of the reservations. I’ll get with her first thing in the morning and let you know.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Thank you, Short Stack.”
“You’re welcome.”
The line goes dead. I’m standing in the living room in front of the mantle. I see my reflection in the mirror, and I’m wearing a big goofy grin. I’m excited to spend a few days away with my Short Stack in Vegas.