Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
The issue is that no one stays single around here forever, and the three years Claire has managed it is nothing short of a miracle. Lindell is a small town with very small-town values for the most part. The people who are born here and stay here tend to get married young and stay that way forever. They have their children and raise them the same way they were.
I guess, with that understanding, it’s insane that I’m thirty-two and have never even imagined myself watching as a woman in white walks down the aisle in my direction. I’m not opposed to love. In fact, I’m very pro-relationship. I just can’t let myself get caught up in the idea of getting tangled up with the likes of Claire Kennedy.
“Was she here for a job?”
I turn my attention to Maggie, who is speaking to me while simultaneously popping the caps off several beers before handing them over to Megan so she can deliver them to people sitting at the pub tables sprinkled around the bar.
"She isn't going to work here," I tell her, nodding at Mac when he points to his nearly empty beer bottle.
"If she's looking for a job, then you need to hire her," Maggie argues.
The woman has been working here for the last three years. I hate to think about next fall when she'll have completed her degree at Lindell University and will move on to bigger and better things. Don't get me wrong. I want the woman to succeed in life, and I hope she does well with her degree in English, but at the same time, I'll be hard-pressed to find someone that is capable of doing half of what she does.
"Walker," Maggie snaps when I don't respond.
I wave my hand in the air at her as I walk toward the other end of the bar.
I don't have to look back over my shoulder to know that she's drilling me in the back of the head with her famous angry eyes. I swear the woman is going to be a fabulous teacher because she has this look that makes you doubt every step you've ever taken and want to apologize for sins you haven't even committed yet.
"It's busy in here," Mac complains when I pull his empty bottle and replace it with a fresh one.
He doesn't complain about the number of college students in the bar.
As a community, we know that a lot of what we love about our town is kept that way because of the University, and biting the hand that feeds you isn't a trait many of us possess. The college gives a ton back to Lindell and, as a business owner, I couldn’t keep my doors open if it was only the local folks coming in every once in a while for a drink.
“It’s a good problem to have,” I tell him.
He nods but the smile that’s normally on his face is absent.
“Something on your mind?” I ask the question because there are a lot of people in town who see us the same way as they would a therapist. I don't exactly have a lot of time to spend listening to all of his woes, but I would never ignore a friend in need either.
"That job I told you about last month," he begins, and I nod, knowing exactly what he's referring to. "There's an out-of-town company putting in a bid."
I frown. It's been difficult for Lindell to stay the way it is, and it seems like a constant battle against bigger companies wanting to move in and take the jobs, land, and resources that would normally be given top consideration to those who have been here all of our lives.
"I don't know how I'm going to win. I have to make money, but the other company is big enough that they can lowball the bid just to get me out of the way." He peels the corner of his label before speaking again. "I know they want to use me, but at the same time, they need to save money the same way I need to make money."
"That's a tough position to be in," I tell him, feeling lucky, not for the first time, that I own the only bar in town.
In fact, my luck and the luck of many other business owners extends even further. The city council votes on what companies can operate in town, and they don't let businesses double up. We have one café, one vet's office, one hair salon, etc.
The difference with Mac's construction business is that a company can operate within the city limits and not have to set down roots. They don't have to have a brick-and-mortar location to do business in Lindell. The folks that live here can make it harder. The bed-and-breakfast can refuse to let workers stay there, but the big hotel out on the highway means even that doesn't make much of a difference any more.