Pete's Pub

Brian turned completely towards Sarah and said, "Normally, there'd be nothing wrong, and in your instance, there shouldn't be anything wrong with that either. But I think you need to know about Pete's relationship with his kids – it's not always been good.

"When they got old enough to realize Pete was buying the nice things to placate the fact that he was basically an absentee father, they started feeling resentment. How many evenings and weekends do you think Gina and Nora and Daniel were home by themselves while Pete was slaving away at the law office? More often than not, he was working when he should have been a husband and father.

"Both kids will say that Gina's affair was wrong, but in the end, they could see that their father's neglect of their mother – and of them as well – caused the family unit to crumble and divide. With that division, the kids went with the familiar – they went with their mom, to the point that they basically refused to talk to Pete, because when they did, they always ended up in a yelling match about how bad a father he was.

"It went that way for a couple of years, until gradually Nora started coming around a little. She liked the pub and saw that her father had put a lot into making it successful. When he asked her if she'd like to work a couple of shifts throughout the week, she was happy. Those two shifts actually helped their relationship, and things were going great until what we saw tonight.

"With Brian, it's a different story. Nora had her mother to be with and to learn from, but Brian didn't really have a father as he grew up, and his resentment became much stronger than Nora's. Before long, they couldn't be in the same room with each other before the yelling and shouting started. Even now, Pete considers it the most painful part of the family split. Gina's cheating was tough, but knowing Brian doesn't like him really grinds on Pete."

Sarah took advantage of a little pause in Brian's story to ask, "So what were Nora and Pete arguing about?"

"Well, I can't say for certain," Peter replied. "But I'd say they were arguing about you."

"Me? Why would I be part of an argument between the two?"

Brian chuckled. "I imagine for several reasons, but the most important being that Nora also sees the relationship part of you and her father, and she doesn't like it. Perhaps she sees you as a threat to their thawing relationship. Or perhaps it is because you are practically the same age as her and Brian. They may view this as their father finding a way to be with someone when he couldn't seem to be with them as they were growing up."

Sarah sighed. The thoughts were swirling around in her head like a spring tornado. In the first place, she didn't really consider her friendship with Pete to be anything but that – just a friendship, although she had to admit she had never really been in a relationship before, so maybe she didn't know to realize she was now in one. She certainly liked Pete, but she felt that was mostly because he has shown her so much support and caring, to the point where he had opened up his apartment to her.

She thought about the last several days with Pete – how comfortable he had made her feel, how wonderful it was that he knew about her life to the point where he would offer his extra room in his apartment to her so she could do better at the law firm, especially while working on this big project. She thought about their walk this afternoon, and how natural it had seemed to link her arm into his as they walked back to the pub.

The thought never occurred to her that their age difference would be a factor, because she didn't think they were in a relationship in the first place. Then she tried to look at the situation from Nora's point of view, but that didn't help much, since Sarah didn't have a father at home at all, let alone one who wasn't there for his daughter.

She looked back at Brian again, and he could see she was either troubled or confused. So he put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Listen, first of all, don't let Nora's attitude bother you. It's more than likely she is upset with her father. Second – you and Pete need to sit down together and discuss this. I think both of you are surprised something is growing out of this friendship – something neither of you were looking for nor expected."

He got up to go back to his own barstool, but before he walked away, he added one more thought: "Listen, Sarah – Pete is a great guy – my best friend, and you are having an effect on him. I know there's an age difference, but you could look all your life and not find a nicer man. Keep that in mind as the next few days and weeks play out."

He turned and walked back to his stool. His last comment to Sarah just piled on top of the other thoughts she was already considering. Brian's talk of a relationship scared her the most. She hadn't been looking for a relationship – quite the contrary, she had spent her life avoid them at all costs so nothing could slow her down.

As she tried to analyze it, Sarah could see how easily Pete could fill a couple of different "man" figures in her life – figures she didn't have. He could be a father figure to her – something he admittedly didn't do well before, but seemed to be capable of since he knew the mistakes he made along the way. She could also see him in a "significant other" role – someone whom she enjoyed being around, and who readily offered her a place to stay while she worked on the project at the office.

Sarah glanced over at Pete. Had he seen Brian talking to her? Her guess was no, he would have been too busy with customers to pay attention to Brian as he moved over to talk to her. The argument with Nora was long enough ago that he appeared to have moved on, and seemed to be his usual jovial self as he visited with patrons.

She decided tonight wasn't the night to talk about Nora and Daniel, and it wasn't the night to talk about the things Brian was saying. She had her last big push on the project this week as the Friday deadline approached, and she knew that without enough rest, she wouldn't be able to finish the agreement with the same usual standards she applied to everything she did.

She walked over to Pete and gave him a playful punch on his arm. "Pete, I'm going upstairs to get a good night's sleep. Since this is the last week to finish the agreement, I'm not sure how much you'll see of me around here. I'll probably just pop in to change clothes once in a while. After the project wraps, let's sit down together and talk about some things."

Pete looked surprised at her last sentence. "What things, Sarah? Is everything okay?"

She smiled and nodded her head. "Things are fine – it would just do us both good to sit down together without this time pressure which I'm facing. I'm not sure when you'll see me again – I'll probably just pop in and out until the agreement is complete."

She kissed Pete on the cheek, and then turned to head to the back staircase. As she walked, she dared not look at Pete, because she wasn't sure what her reaction would be if she turned one more time and looked at him. Instead, she dutifully climbed the stairs and went straight to her bedroom in the apartment. It had been a long day, but certainly an interesting one as well, and she didn't have any problems falling sleep, in spite of her mind being locked fully in a state of confusion.

******

Sarah was up early and at the office by 6 a.m. the next morning. It was the final week of work on the big project, and with a Friday deadline looming, she knew there would be very little time for any interruptions from the outside. That included this whole new "relationship" dynamic with Pete – something she still wasn't sure was a relationship at all. She forced herself to remove thoughts of Pete; her conversation with Brian; and the image of Pete and his daughter Nora arguing, apparently about her.

She assembled her team at 7:30, prior to meeting with Robert Ward at 8:00. They discussed final writing assignments and details that might have otherwise been overlooked. She also let them know that she expected them to devote complete attention and time to do whatever it took to get the project wrapped. She asked each of them to recruit a couple of volunteers to proofread – even grammatical mistakes would not be acceptable. She was driving them to finish with a product of which they could all be proud.

The meeting with Robert Ward was similar to the one she had with her team just prior. He was pleased with the effort of Sarah and the team so far, and encouraged her to finish strong. He told her that his contact with the two companies seemed to indicate that they were looking forward to getting an agreement signed as well. His information gave Sarah the extra lift she was looking for as they headed down to the wire.

The next 24 hours were spent at her desk, pouring over data once more before beginning to write her portion of the agreement. She had outlines already created on how she felt it needed to flow, so her main purpose that day was to plug the data into the outlines as the final product began to take shape. She left her office only to visit with other team members or for personal restroom breaks. She had even arranged to have food delivered to team members so they could work continuously. The only thing that mattered was the completion of this agreement – they could sleep Friday after it was completed and delivered.

At about 8 the next morning, she headed to the apartment at the pub for a couple hours' rest and a change of clothes. Knowing Pete would still be asleep and not ready to confront him, she snuck in quietly and went straight into her room. She laid out the clothes she chose to wear back to the office, and then set an alarm on her phone which would allow her a couple hours of sleep. She was sleeping as soon as her head hit the pillow.

When her alarm sounded, she disciplined herself to get up, even though she was still extremely tired. She knew she should take a shower, but didn't really like she could justify the time. She knew she wouldn't be working around too many people today, so she dressed without one and opened the door to her bedroom. She was surprised to see Pete sitting at the little kitchen table. It looked like he was getting ready to head down and open the pub.

"Good morning, Sarah – I didn't know you were here. How's the project going?"

Sarah smiled at Pete – even though she didn't have time to stay and visit with him, he still had the ability to make her smile with his kindness. "I came in about 8:00 to change and grab a couple of hours of sleep. The project is going great, but as you can imagine, you won't see a lot of me until after we turn it in on Friday."

Pete returned her smile, and said, "I understand, but remember, don't go overboard with all these work hours. If nothing else comes from our time together, the most important thing I can give you is an image of how my work schedule ruined my family life."

"You've told me that many times before, Pete, and I have listened each time. When this project gets done, I'll sit down with you and you can tell it to me again. But right now I have to get back to work. Thanks again for the bed – it's been a lifesaver!"

Sarah bent down and gave Pete a kiss on the cheek. Feeling invigorated even after chatting with him for just a couple of minutes, she headed back to the law office. She knew should have been tired, but for some reason she felt a new energy as she made her way down the concrete sidewalk. It was crazy what Pete could do for her. Relationship or not, she was beginning to think she needed to be a regular part of his life.

******

By the time Thursday afternoon rolled around, the project was done, for the most part. There was still a little final editing going on, but it was ready to be published. The printing firm with which the law office had contracted was waiting for it to be sent, ready to print the initial 100 copies that had been requested.

Sarah was going over her ideas for the publication with a graphics consultant, who was hastily creating how the pages would appear. Once that meeting concluded, Sarah was done – it was in the hands of others now. But she knew that the main body of work was completed in the exact manner in which she had envisioned at the start. The document was written well. The other last minute stuff was just window dressing to the important information contained inside.

Sarah decided to reward her team by taking them down to the pub for a relaxing evening of food, drinks and fun. At the end, the team had grown to nine people total, and they had worked together enough that they started to feel like a family to Sarah. They each had much to celebrate – everyone on the team played an important role in the final product. Sarah beamed as she led her group down the street and into the pub.

Of course, as soon as Pete saw her, he shouted out a rousing welcome which made Sarah blush. As he saw the others follow her in, he knew this was going to be a celebration. He put a couple of the tables together so they could sit as a group. Sarah introduced Pete to her team, and it wasn't long before they were all having a great time laughing and drinking, with Pete right in the middle of the fun.

The celebration had been going on for about an hour when Sarah glanced at her phone and noticed she had missed a call. She unlocked the screen and saw that Robert Ward had called her and left a message. She got up from the table and headed back to the ladies' restroom to call her voice mail and play back his message – "Sarah, this is Robert Ward. It's urgent that you call me as soon as you get this message."

She didn't like the sound of his tone, so immediately she dialed his number. After a couple of rings, she heard his voice.

"Robert Ward."

"Hello, Mr. Ward – this is Sarah Sullivan. You asked me to return your call."

"Yes, Sarah. I'm afraid I have some bad news. It seems that our two companies have had a change of heart, and it appears they may be canceling the possibility of working together. I just found out about this a couple of hours ago. Now this doesn't mean that they may change their minds back and work together at some point – it might even be sooner than later. I've sent a couple of our top negotiators to the headquarters of each company to try and at least continue the dialogue. Until we hear they have changed their minds, I'm afraid it means they won't be needing the agreement your team prepared."

Sarah's heart dropped. She tried listening to Mr. Ward, but her own emotions got in the way. All she could think about was how this was her chance to show the firm – and the world, for that matter – that she was capable of performing at the highest levels possible. Now the work she and her team had completed was useless – something that showed they could handle the job, but an exercise in futility, as far as she was concerned.

Mr. Ward had continued on talking, so she tried to focus on his conversation again. "Is your team still there with you, Sarah?"

"Yes, Mr. Ward – we're still celebrating our accomplishment."

"Sarah, listen carefully to me. You still have reason to celebrate. I gave you a tough job to do, and you and your team performed exceptionally well! Even if this doesn't ever get used, two things have come from this – first of all, it will be a great blueprint for future agreements like this. And second, you have proven your worth to the firm in the fact that we can trust you'll be successful when given important assignments such as this one in the future.

"I know this is probably upsetting to you, but don't take it personally. Sometimes these things happen, and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Hopefully our team will be able to get these two companies back together. But for right now, you and your team needed to know, since you've worked so hard on this.

"Tell them to take tomorrow off – they deserve a three-day weekend. You do the same, Sarah – if I see you here tomorrow, I'm going to have security escort you out. Do you understand?"

Sarah sighed. "Yes, Mr. Ward – I understand. It may be best if I don't come in anyway. Right now I'm not sure how much work I would be able to do after hearing this news."

"Sarah, this was not your fault! Please don't let this keep you down. I'll see you bright and early on Monday morning. Please make sure you let your team know as well."

He disconnected the call, and Sarah walked dejectedly back to the table where her team was still celebrating. As she approached, her team could tell something was wrong. One of them asked her if she was okay.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. It seems that before we could give them the agreement, the two companies decided they weren't going to work together after all. All of our hard work the past two weeks has gone for nothing. Our firm has sent representatives to talk to both companies to see if something can be worked out, but I'm afraid it doesn't look good."

The celebratory tone of the party was gone for good. Sarah looked around and saw her team needed the same support Robert Ward tried to give her on the phone.

"Listen, it's not all bad news. We'll keep the copy of what we created, and perhaps it will used by us or others on a similar project in the future. And who knows, maybe the two companies will get back together and try to work something out. But one thing that has come out of this – our team was incredible! You worked so hard, and we should be proud of what we have done. I can't thank you enough for your hard work and your dedication to me and to this project."

She looked at Pete and said, "I'd like to propose a toast for our team. Do you think maybe we could do it with a little champagne?"

Pete flashed his warm smile and said, "Say no more – it will be here shortly!" He hurried off to the bar, where he and the day bartender brought them all champagne glasses and a bottle of bubbly. They opened the bottle and poured it into the glasses. Sarah insisted that Pete and the day tender poured glasses for themselves, and after all had a glass in their hand, Sarah offered her toast.

"Here's to the value of hard work, and the thrill of having a dedicated team of professionals – and friends – to help you accomplish your goals. Good job, team!"

The clinked glasses together and then drank. After, they put their glasses down and began to applaud each other. Sarah had brought at least some of the happy mood back to the party.

"One more thing – Mr. Ward instructed me to tell you that your hard work is being rewarded with a day off tomorrow, and if you show up for work, he will have security escort you out. So stay home and get reacquainted with your friends and loved ones. Stay here as long as you want – it's on my tab today." They cheered again, and Sarah walked over to Pete, who gave her a big hug. She looked up into his eyes and mouthed "Thank you." He just smiled back – a smile which warmed her heart.

They stayed for a little while before finally leaving for their homes and other places. Pete walked over to the table to begin cleaning up, and Sarah joined him, but he tried to shoo her away.

"Sarah, what are you doing? I've got this – you go sit down and relax!"

She grabbed his hands and got his attention, then looked at him and said, "Please – I want to help." He saw that she was serious, so he nodded yes, and they cleaned up the tables together. When that was finished, she sat down at her usual end stool at the bar, but realized how tired she was, so she motioned Pete over.

"Is it okay with you if I go upstairs and just relax for a little while? I guess I'm more tired than I thought I was. I think I'll be more comfortable up there."