Chapter 2: Plans so far

Alex slipped behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey off the shelf, pouring it into two glasses and sliding one my way. "Have a drink, let's catch up. Are you hungry? Our chef just got in, but I'm sure we have some stuff left over from last night. Did Adam come with you?"

"Oh no. I'm not hungry, thank you though." I shook my head, draping my jacket over the barstool and sitting down across from him. "Adam didn't come, he's in school right now, and it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment trip."

"It's hard to believe he's old enough to be in college now. He and Eli both. How is he doing?" He shot back the full glass of whiskey.

"He's good." I tried to hide the exasperation in my voice. "He's studying business at the University of Denver. He loves it. How's Eli?"

Alex let out a sharp laugh. "Just as crazy as ever. About to graduate, if he can make it through the next few weeks. You just missed him he was in town this morning, but had to head back." He said refilling his glass.

"Oh, I would've loved to have seen him." My smile was sad. It was like being back in this bar flooded me with the good memories of my time here and the Avenettis themselves. I couldn't help but think about how different my life would be right now if my parents were still here.

"Well, if you stick around long enough, I'm sure you will." He grinned hopefully.

"We'll see." I shifted my weight, taking a sip from my glass. It had stung at first, but was going down smoother now. "It looks like you've done pretty well for yourself." I gestured to the bar. "This place looks great."

"Thanks, Sadie." He smiled proudly, with his hands resting on his hips. "It's been a little pet project of mine, but things are really coming together. I'm here whenever I can, but that can be tough sometimes ever since Brandon took over."

"Brandon... is the don?" My throat cracked, barely able to get the words out. It wasn't like this was any surprise. I'd known this day would come my entire life, but that didn't make it any easier to hear.

Alex nodded. "It won't be official until Dad retires, but he's already moved into position when Dad was gone."

"Wow." I sat staring into my drink, completely speechless. I knew I should be happy for him- this was his dream after all-but for some reason, it felt like someone had sucked the air right out of my lungs. It only made my job that much harder, putting a much more personal face to it. "That's... that's great."

Alex picked up on my discomfort with the conversation and gave me a sympathetic smile, changing the subject. "What brings you back anyway?"

"I can't come home to visit?" I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly, swirling the glass of amber liquid in my hand.

Alex's smirk was accusatory. "Home? This hasn't been your home in years. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to see you. I know Brandon will be, too. It's just the last time anyone saw you, you swore you'd never be back."

And I thought I never would. "If I had any other choice, I wouldn't be." I it my np. "I just... I'm here because I need a job. Adam and I have been surviving, but now with his school loans, we're really stretching. I thought I could come back and get one of the shop owners in town to hire me for a few months, but it turns out they are all under Avenetti rule now and won't hire me without consent." I rolled my eyes playfully. Queens was a tumultuous area of New York and many of the shops paid the Avenettis for protection. I knew my story was plausible, no one would want to jeopardize their partnership.

"Sadie," Alex let out a heavy sigh. "If you and Adam need money, you know Dad would give it to you. Hell, I'll give it to you. You're family. You don't have to come crawling back here begging for a job in my bar. All you have to do is ask."

"I don't want dirty money, Alex. I want to make a living the honest way." I hissed, throwing back what was left of my whiskey.

"Okay, okay." Alex held his hands up, immediately backing off and realizing he had struck a nerve. "But this job is nothing fancy, I just need a bartender."

"I can do that; I even have experience." I nodded enthusiastically. I had moonlighted as a bartender when Adam and I first moved out to Colorado and I was trying to graduate nursing school.

Alex arched his eyebrow curiously. "And you don't know how long you're going to be here?"

"A few months? Through the summer? I don't know, I didn't have time to put much thought into it."

"Well, the job is yours if you want it. I just think there might be easier ways to..."

I glared at him, cutting him off before he could get the rest of his thought out. Not only was I completely against the idea of taking money from his father, but I really just needed to place myself in the inner workings of the group. They may not run product out of here, but I had a hunch they ran meetings and organizational things through the bar. It was my best shot at finding out the information as quickly as possible.

Alex stared back at me, weighing my offer. So far, it seemed like he believed me, or was at least willing to entertain the thought. "Well, I'm desperate as hell for the help, and I love the thought of having you around. Why don't you come back tonight and give it a trial? Are you staying close by?"

I nodded. "I've got an apartment a few blocks away."

I could tell Alex was running through all the details of my story right now, I just had to pray he wouldn't question them. He wanted to press me for more, but he knew I wasn't going to volunteer anything else right now.

"Great. It really picks up around eight. Does that work for you?"

"That's perfect, I'll be here." I smiled, relieved that things were going as planned so far.