揑 was feeling like I didn抰 belong anywhere, but I抦 grateful that Haley has taken us in, that Jessica is giving me a job, and that I抳e got good friends,?Risa answered, 揳nd that y抋ll are all here to support me and the girls. It seems like maybe things might work out after all.?
揂nytime,?Haley said. 揋oing back to the bar conversation. What time should we be there in the morning??
揙scar and I usually start at eight, knock off an hour for lunch, and quit about four,?Wade answered, 揵ut that抯 not set in stone.?
揌ow about the girls and I get there a little earlier than that, have breakfast ready for y抋ll at eight, a light lunch at noon, and then we all have supper together at five??Risa asked.
揌ome cooking??Oscar抯 blue eyes lit right up. 揑抎 work for free for that kind of schedule.?
揥e all have to eat, and that抯 what I抣l be doing when the bar opens, so I can get acquainted with the kitchen this way,?Risa said.
Jessica pulled a credit card from her purse and handed it to Risa. 揟his is going to be our account card. Buy whatever you need at the grocery store with it and bring the receipts to Mary Nell. She抯 going to be in charge of the office, payroll accounts, and all that stuff. Seems strange to call the place a bar after it being a church for so long.?
揗ight as well get used to it.?Wade grinned, and this time it did reach his eyes. 揟hat抯 what it抯 about to become.?
揥hat are y抋ll naming it??Haley asked.
揟hat should be a joint effort,?Jessica answered.
揌ow about the Preacher抯 Bar and Grill since it抯 located on Preacher Road??Lily asked.
揙r My Church since that抯 what抯 left on the sign right now? Seems like an omen to me,?Risa suggested.
揅an抰 you just see a young trainee from the base saying that he抯 going 憈o church??Wade air quoted the last two words. 揌is training officer would probably think the kid had gotten religion.?
揘ame it whatever you want. Folks are going to call it the Old Church,?Oscar said. 揜emember when those folks rented Sparky抯 little store and had services there until they could build something better? The little paper sign taped to the window with the times for services called it the Cowboy Church, but everyone called it Sparky抯 church. You probably would have a legal name for the business when you apply for your liquor license, though.?
揝peaking of that,?Jessica said, 搚ou all need to go with me to the lawyer抯 office on Wednesday. Each of you have to apply for a license to sell liquor and beer.?
揑抣l be in the kitchen, not behind the bar,?Risa argued.
揂nd I抣l just be doing waitress work, but only in the summer,?Haley added.
揃etter just get it done for all of you at once, just in case one of you have to do fill-in work,?Oscar told them. 揃ut don抰 get me one. My license to make and sell liquor and wine will hold up. I guess this means that tomorrow we抣l only work until noon, right??
揚robably so,?Wade answered. 揥e can measure and figure out the dimensions for the actual bar, and get it sort of designed.?
Jessica glanced over at Wade. 揌ey, this is a joint project. Everyone here gets a vote about each step along the way.?
All the talk about names, licenses, and legalese wasn抰 what was in her thoughts at all. Now that she抎 seen that Risa wasn抰 too upset, her thoughts went back to worrying about whether she and Wade would make good partners in this impulsive decision. Neither of them had had a permanent home in twenty years. What if one or even both got the itch to travel or to do something else?
Live for the here and now, not tomorrow or yesterday, the voice in her head whispered ever so softly.
Wade looked up and flashed a smile at her. 揟hen the next step in this is to make a decision about the name of our new bar.?
揥e抳e all been gone for years,?Jessica said, 揳nd fate has brought us back home at pretty much the same time. What about Back Home??
揑 tell you,?Oscar chuckled, 搃t wouldn抰 matter what you put on the sign, folks are going to call it the Old Church.?
揚robably so, but naming it that is a little too much for me since I抦 still mad at God right now,?Wade said.
揃ack Home Bar and Grill,?Daisy said. 揑t has a nice ring.?
揑t sounds generic.?Lily frowned.
揥hat if we leave the Bar and Grill off and just call it Back Home? Everyone in the southern part of the state is going to hear about it, and know that we serve food as well as liquor and provide a dance floor,?Risa suggested.
揑 like it, but I agree with Lily. It抯 a little generic,?Haley said.
揂nyone got another suggestion??Mary Nell asked.
揥ell, the boys from the base could say they抮e going back home for the night,?Oscar said with a wide grin that deepened the wrinkles around his blue eyes. 揃ut I抳e got another name to throw in the pot. How about Danny抯 Place??