"Retirement looks good on you, old man."
He flexes his muscle as he sets the eggs on the bar. Looks like it's breakfast for dinner, my favorite. "Who are you calling old?"
I laugh and turn back toward the table. There are times I wonder what went through my mom's head when she left us. Dad is funny, sweet, and most things women want in a man. I stop my thoughts in their tracks. Going down the road ofwhat ifswon't do me any good.
I set the schedule down and open up one of the word games on my phone. This is how I'll spend the time until dinner is ready. Hopefully Isaac will be home by then, and we won't have to reheat anything. Right now, though...I'll take the blissful quiet.
"You look exhausted. Why don't you take a break, and I'll cover your area of the bar for a bit."
Carlos is well-intentioned, but damn. He didn't have to call me out like that. He's not wrong. Multiple games during the week are taking its toll on me.
"I'm good." A customer approaches the bar asking for a beer on tap, and I rush to get his drink for him. "Do you want to start a tab?"
"Sure," he smiles up at me and slides his card across the counter, "I'll be back."
"You got it." I head to the computer and put in his information.
"Watch out for that guy." I know who it is before I turn around.
"Who?"
"The order you just took." Eric points to the man carrying his beer around the corner where a local band is setting up to play, "he's hit on all the bartenders."
"Including you?" I smirk, knowing it will get a rise out of him.
"No," he scoffs, "but now I'm offended he hasn't." He puts a hand over his chest as if he's heartbroken by the thought.
"Maybe you aren't his type."
He shrugs, "maybe. I'm just looking out for you."
"Jealousy doesn't look good on you," I sing song as I walk away. I may be exhausted, but I know what he's trying to do. He's made no secret of trying to get a date with him. He's even gone as far as to get Lisa to vouch for him.
"I'm not jealous." He clears his throat and walks off to another area of the bar.
As if I can't see through his words. I'm pretty sure I'm over a decade older than him, and I've seen this before when I was his age. Not with me personally, but with other people.
"Joan, your phone is vibrating all over the shelf in the office," Lisa says as she rounds the back of the bar. "You may want to see what it's about."
She's right. Even though my dad is watching the kids, something could have happened and I'm almost an hour away from them. "Can you cover my area?"
"I got you," she grins and heads to a space between both our areas. She's already taking an order before I've made it to the hallway.
There's a line forming in the hall for the restrooms, and I maneuver between people to get to the office door. I knock before trying the handle. I heard Eric walked in on Lisa making out with her boyfriend one time and I don't want to be that person.
"Come in." The door and loud music muffle Carlos's voice.
I turn the knob and ease my way into the spacious room. "Sorry. Lisa said my phone is ringing nonstop."
"No worries," he points to the phone which is ringing...again. "Looks like you're taking that break anyway," he laughs and stands up from behind the desk, "I'll give you some privacy."
"Thanks." I wave at him as he vacates the room.
My phone has stopped ringing and I check the call log. Ten missed calls from Abby. Whatever it is, it can't be good if she's blowing up my phone like this.
I press her number and wait for it to ring. She answers after the first one. "Finally. I've been trying to call you."
"I'm at work. I don't keep my phone on me." I don't feel the need to have it on me twenty-four seven like these kids today. Maybe it's from growing up without one, I don't know. But I don't typically carry it in my pocket. "Is everything okay?"
