Pete's Pub

Pete could see her struggling, and every once in a while, he'd smile at her and mouth the word "Relax." She'd smile when he did it, but it wasn't really helping. She knew going into this time with Nora that she may be facing an impossible task, but if she didn't at least try to show Nora that she was a nice person and not somebody out to capitalize on her father's loneliness, they might have a chance to be friends.

At about 12:45, Nora came through the front door. Some of the regulars greeted her, and she stopped to chat with them before officially starting her shift. Sarah watched as Nora worked the crowd and marveled at how she could immerse herself in their conversations as effortlessly as Pete. Either it was an inherited skill, or she learned it from him as she watched him work the pub these last few years.

As Sarah continued watching, she realized that just like her father, Nora's affection for the customers wasn't fake. It was genuine caring – happy when they were happy, and listening and understanding when they were struggling. It was the perfect combination for the workers of a pub such as Pete's. It was the reason why the pub was so successful – you could get the alcohol and pub food anywhere. But this was the only place you could get Pete, and it was clear Nora was following in her father's footsteps.

Pete saw that Nora had arrived and walked over to give her a hug. Apparently their heated discussion last week wasn't an issue anymore because Nora returned the hug and kissed him on the cheek. Sarah watched as Pete talked to her, and she figured out right away they were talking about her when Nora looked over with a less-than-welcoming glare. She saw Pete continue, and when Nora nodded her head yes, Pete gave her another hug.

He then came over to where Sarah was standing next to the end stool at the bar. "She's agreed – I hope you two can work this out. Give her a chance to warm up to you, Sarah – if you're half as charming to her as you are to me, she won't stand a chance."

He hugged Sarah, and then headed up the stairs to the apartment. Sarah had no doubt Pete would be looking down on them from the window from time to time, seeing how the two girls were getting along. She wanted to make sure there were no problems for him to see, but she knew a lot of that was up to Nora.

Sarah sat down on her usual end stool and watched Nora as she put on her apron and got things squared away at the bar. The customer load was still fairly light for a Sunday afternoon, and Sarah figured that since Nora had already made one round on the floor as she arrived, she might be able to start her conversation with her sooner than later. Before the thought left her mind, she was proved right, as Nora made her way down to the end of the bar.

"Good afternoon, Sarah. Dad tells me you've been helping out some in the last few days."

Sarah smiled. "Yes, he's let me wash glasses and clear off tables. It doesn't sound like fun, but I've really enjoyed being down here interacting with customers."

Nora nodded – still no smile yet. "What if we teach you some more responsibilities while we work together this afternoon? If he has let you work some to this point, I don't think he'd mind, and maybe between the two of us, we could get him out of this place a little more often."

Sarah smiled as she replied, "that would be great! Thanks, Nora – I'm ready to learn!"

Nora finally smiled at Sarah's excitement. "Great – go get an apron on and let's get to work."

Sarah did as Nora instructed. As she was tying the strings in back, she looked up and noticed that Brian was walking into the pub. He came straight up to his usual stool. Nora saw him and gave him a warm greeting, and then Brian looked at Sarah and just winked. Immediately she wondered if perhaps Pete had called him and asked him to come in and referee between her and Nora.

Nora looked over at Brian and asked, "How about a beer?" When he nodded yes, she continued, "You're in luck – you're about to get the first beer ever tapped by Sarah." She gave Sarah an empty beer glass and said, "Here you go, Sarah – fill 'er up."

Sarah held the glass under the tap. She had never even seen a beer glass filled before, let alone try to fill one. She pulled the tap handle forward and the beer flowed directly into the bottom of the glass, but before she could stop it, it foamed up and rolled out over the top. Sarah shrieked as she stepped back and watched the foam running down the sides of the glass and into the drain on the tap ledge below.

When it stopped overflowing, Sarah sat it on the bar in front of Brian, and it was about 2/3 suds and 1/3 beer. Brian smiled and Nora giggled, which didn't make Sarah feel any better. Nora saw she was struggling, so she put her hand on Sarah's shoulder and said, "Relax – pretty much everybody makes the same mistake if they've never seen a beer glass filled before. Let me show you how it's done."

Nora demonstrated, getting a full glass by pouring the beer on the side of the glass as long as possible before it spilled out. When she sat it down in front of Brian, only a little bit of suds spilled over the top. Brian said, "I think I'll take that one," causing Nora to giggle again. She then got another glass for Sarah and said, "Try it again, just like I did." Sarah did, and the result – while still not perfect – was much closer to Nora's demonstrator.

Nora smiled and patted Sarah on the back. "Nice job for your second try. I have a feeling you'll have it perfected before the afternoon is over. Now take that glass you just filled and go make someone's day with a free beer." Sarah did as she was told, finding a willing volunteer at the very first table she tried.

They worked together for an hour or so, sharing light conversation as Nora instructed Sarah on other aspects about the pub business. The conversation relaxed Sarah a little, yet she was still wary because she knew that eventually they would get down to talking about her relationship with Pete. She tried to be as cheery and helpful as she could, and Nora must have noticed, as several times she sent Sarah out to the customers to take orders and deliver drinks and food.

About 90 minutes into Nora's shift, she and Sarah were both working behind the bar. Nora turned to Sarah and said, "So I guess we're supposed to talk about this thing going on with you and my dad."

Sarah tensed, which in turn upset her a little, because she had promised herself she would stay calm and relaxed when the time came to talk. Yet given the wariness with which she had carried on with Nora to this point, she realized she wasn't as prepared as she would like to have been. She tried to talk herself out of it – after all, she had faced much more serious challenges in her education and career to this point, so she should be able to handle the daughter of the man who was her first boyfriend. So far, that thinking was nowhere to be found.

So when she turned to Nora to answer, she did something she had never done before – she stuttered the start of her reply. "Y...yes, your father asked me to stay so the two of us could visit by ourselves." She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs – why all of a sudden was she acting like this around Nora, when she had conquered every other "challenge" in her life?

"Relax, Sarah – I'm not here to throw you out or tell you you're not good enough for my father. I am here to try and figure out just exactly what you are looking for in this relationship, because I can be overly protective of my dad if need be.

"I've waited this long this afternoon to talk about this with you on purpose, because I wanted to watch you work and interact with people. My dad has told me a lot about you – your law career, a little on the hardships you overcame growing up, and how you have been rising towards the top over at BH&H. Those things sound good to someone who is an overachiever, who puts everything else on hold while he or she immerses themselves in that demanding lifestyle.

"But my brother and I know someone who was just like that, and it cost him his marriage and nearly his kids. So when dad tells me about you and the result is that he's basically describing a female version of himself, red flags rise immediately. While it was good to hear dad was making a new friend, it wasn't good that his new friend was so career driven that she might not have the time for him, just like he didn't have time for us. The fact that you're so young did help either.

"But I've seen a softer side of you working here with you today. It's the same soft side that I now see in dad, and wish I would have seen growing up as a kid. If the softer side of Pete Cole had been present then, I think my parents would still be married and things would have turned out differently.

"It's taken dad and me a long time to get to the point where we are today. I was a little afraid that you might come in and hinder our relationship. But after being with you today, I don't think that's going to be a problem. It's still unusual knowing my dad's new friend is only four years older than me, but I'm a modern girl, and I'll learn to handle that."

Sarah smiled, as relief flooded her mind. This wasn't what she expected Nora to say – well, truthfully, she didn't have any idea what Nora was going to say, but she was afraid it wouldn't be this pleasant. But to hear the possibility of acceptance coming this quickly and easily was quite a surprise – in fact, it was a huge surprise!

Nora wasn't quite finished talking to Sarah, however. "I do have a couple of questions for you. How do you see this relationship with my dad progressing?"

That one caught Sarah off guard, because it wasn't something she had considered on her own before, let alone someone ask her. "This is all still so new and unexpected – I wasn't planning on finding a special friend when I first walked in here last month. So I really haven't even had time to think about it for myself. When I'm with Pete, I know I'm happy – like all of the other problems in the world disappear. So while there are no progressions plans, I hope to be around for a long time to see where this goes."

Nora nodded and said, "I suppose that wasn't a fair question. But this is a little strange for me, because I've never seen dad get excited about someone else in his life. Always before it was the law firm as we were growing up, and even now it's all about the pub. So to see him excited with someone instead of something is a big change. I guess just like you, we'll all follow this to see where it goes."

Nora got a sly grin on her face as she looked at Sarah once again. "Hypothetically, let's say this relationship goes all the way. Will Daniel and I be getting a new brother or sister?"

At first Sarah was shocked – that question was way too personal. But when she looked up at Nora to answer, she saw the funny smile, and realized right away that the question was lighthearted, designed to elicit the response it did. She realized that Nora was comfortable enough around her to tease her, and another wave of relief swept over her.

But hearing her question did remind Sarah that there was still one big obstacle to conquer. "What can we do about Daniel? Pete doesn't talk about him too much, and I know there's still a lot of tension there. I don't want my presence in Pete's life giving Daniel another reason not to reconcile with his dad."

Nora could tell Sarah's concern for Daniel was genuine. She had hoped Daniel would have warmed up to their dad more closely by now, but it still hadn't happened. She knew it was going to take some effort, and she thought she might be able to pull in some unexpected help.

"You let me work on that," Nora said. "Daniel always was a bit of a momma's boy, so I may go to her and ask her to help with this. Mom and dad actually get along pretty well, despite what happened. In fact, Daniel is the one who's holding on to his hurt feelings more than anyone else. But mom might be able to have some influence on him that neither dad nor I have. Let me see if she'll help me with him. Of course, I don't think she knows about you either, but she gave up her right to lay claim to dad's feelings several years ago."

Nora looked up at the window to the apartment. "Look, it's slow down here and I can handle this crowd by myself if you want to go up and visit with dad. I'm sure he's very curious to know what we've talked about without him down here."

Sarah looked up at the window as well, before looking back at Nora and saying, "Maybe, but if you don't mind, I think I'd like to stay down here and talk with you some more."

Nora laughed. "Sure, I'd love that – I'm a pre-school teacher, so talking to girls closer to my own age is a treat!"

She and Sarah spent the next two hours learning about each other and laughing together as they served the patrons of the pub. Eventually Pete came rambling down the stairs and out into the pub noticing that Nora and Sarah were laughing together as they worked behind the bar. He had looked down on the pub once while he was up there, but hadn't really noticed anything of concern between the two girls, so he was a little surprised to hear this laughter between the two of them.

He looked at them and said, "Sounds like you two are having a good time."

Without breaking even a smile, Nora looked at her dad and said, "Well, dad, we have something to confess. You didn't know this, but I've been a lesbian since high school, and today I found out that Sarah is as well, and we have fallen in love with each other. It looks like I'm stealing your girlfriend from you."

Pete's shocked look was one of at least confusion, if not disbelief. Unfortunately, Sarah did not have what is known as a "poker-face," and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't suppress the giggles that eventually overtook her and turned into downright laughter. Soon Nora had joined in, and it took a few seconds for Pete to realize they had gotten the reaction from him that their little prank had intended.

Pete looked at the two of them with a wry smile and said, "So, the two of you become friends and think you can take on the boss? We'll just have to see about that. It looks like I owe each of you! Well, be prepared, because you may never know when lightning might strike!"

Sarah surprised both Nora and Pete when she replied, "Two on one? What chance do you think you have, Pete? You're messing with a dynamic team here! You'll be begging for mercy shortly after you try and exact your revenge on us!"

With that, Sarah went out onto the floor to check on the customers. Pete looked over at Nora, who looked back at him and smiled as she nodded her head yes. Good news, thought Pete – one kid accepting of Sarah, and yet he knew the tougher of his two children was still not on board with anything about his dad, let alone his new young friend. If he could just reach Daniel, his life would be nearly complete, now that Sarah was with him.

******

It was back to work for Sarah the next day, and she was up and away from the apartment by 7:00. There were new reasons to enjoy staying with Pete after the weekend, but one thing she appreciated was not having to ride the train to work. It was true that she used to use the time to prepare for her day, just as she would use the time riding home to mentally prepare for the next day. Now both things could be accomplished in the office after the short walk from the pub. As she thought about the change in her travel schedule, she wondered if there would be other things she could learn to do differently now that serious changes had happened in her life.

Now that the project was done, she went back to some of the usual things that were assigned to her. The work occupied her mind for the most part, but every once in a while her mind would wander, back to something from the weekend, back to Pete's smiling face, or the feeling of Pete's cock lodged firmly between her legs. She would get angry, swearing at herself to keep her mind focused on her work. The anger would be successful for a few minutes, and then something else would appear – pulling her first glass of beer, visiting with Nora, even standing at the sink behind the bar.

When her daydreams didn't stop, Sarah became agitated with herself. She left her desk and walked to the water cooler in the main hallway and filled a cup to take back to her office. On the way she stopped and tried to make out the top of the pub from the 15^th floor, but there were other buildings blocking the view. She went back into her office and sat down again, and this time got more work done before she was stopped by the memory of Pete crawling in bed with her late last night and cuddling up to her, his hand sliding underneath the t-shirt she was wearing to come to rest on her small breast as he nuzzled her neck.

The same thing happened the rest of the day. Sarah would be working diligently at her desk, and would suddenly find her mind wandering to something else – always about activities at the pub. She was silently cursing herself when her phone rang at about 3:45.

"Sarah, this is Robert Ward. Can you round up your other two junior associates on your team and meet me in my office in 15 minutes?"

Sarah sat straight up in her chair. "Of course, Mr. Ward – we'll be right there." She hung up the phone and immediately went to find Stacy Richardson and Gerald Mann. They all looked questioningly at each other as they made their way to Mr. Ward's office a few minutes later. He welcomed them inside and they all sat down around a conference table.

"Thank you for coming. I've just heard from the negotiating team regarding the project on which you worked so hard. It appears there may be a chance it can be implemented after all. There might be a few modifications we have to make, but I needed to let you know because if we are back on and we do need to make changes, I will need the three of you to drop everything else – and I mean everything – and begin working on it at a moment's notice. I need to know that you all understand and will be available to help us get this wrapped up and delivered."

All three of the junior associates agreed at the same time. Mr. Ward continued, "Good – I knew I could count on you. If I were the three of you, I'd go back to my offices and get my copy of the project and re-read the entire thing again, and then one more time in the morning. You need to be so familiar with it that if or when the need to make changes comes along, you'll know exactly where to go in the document and make the desired changes quickly and efficiently. Keep your fingers crossed, team!"

Sarah and the others thanked Mr. Ward as they left his office. She felt a spring in her step again, as the hope of their project being used to bring two international corporations together for cooperative work had been resurrected. She immediately found her copy of the project and sat down to read it. Without realizing it, her focus was totally dedicated to her work, and the daydreams that had plagued her earlier left her alone.

She didn't allow herself to stop until she had read it through twice. At the end of the second reading, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was 8:15. She'd put in 13 hours on her first day following her three-day weekend, so she straightened up her desk and headed to the pub. On the elevator ride down to the first floor, she reflected on her day – simple, mundane work that had been interrupted by uncontrolled memories of Pete and the pub, and then the unexpected news that the project may still have life. It was a day when her two worlds had collided, and it didn't always leave positive results.

She continued thinking on the walk to the pub. As she heard the familiar tapping of her heels on the street below her, questions entered her mind, and first and foremost was this – how was she going to be able to keep her two world separated from each other, so that she could continue to be successful as an up and coming associate with Banks, Howell and Howell, and yet still maintain her blossoming social life with Pete and everyone else at the pub?