January

One

Sawyer

   I stare at the condensation sliding down my glass. I find it more fascinating then what my father has to say. He drags on about how proud of my brother he is, and how lucky he is to have a son follow in his footsteps. He's basically hating on me his entire speech, without even saying my name. "I am so happy to have Bryan work with me in the hospital I started out in." I drag my finger up the side of the glass, stopping a drop from hitting the table. "And congratulations Sawyer for the opening of your bar." My mom adds. I smile at my mom and she winks at me.

My father clears his throat. "Yes, congratulations son." I nod looking down at my plate. He sits back down and my mom leaves to get dessert. "Me and Bryan are having dinner at the fox tort next Saturday." Elain my brothers fiancé says. I look at my brother. "If I'm not too busy at the hospital that is." My brothers cocky tone brings a smile to my eyes. He always has to one up me. Elain looks at him confused, but ignores it and takes a sip of her orange juice.

  "Well me and Bryan should get going. The men have lives to save." My father pushes out his chair and leans down to give my mom a kiss on the head. I clench my fist under the table. My mother  and looks at me regretfully. My brother stands and Elain smiles up at him and he bends down and pecks her lips. She leans in for another one but he backs away. "Have a good shift." She tries to recover from his rejection. "He's with me today so it'll be great." My dad nudges him with his elbow and they leave laughing. My mother and Elain look at each other before looking at me.

   I stand and clear the plates from the table and head into the kitchen. I hear them whispering as I scrap the plates and place them in the sink. A few minutes later Elain walks in and grabs the sponge. She doesn't say anything about what happened at breakfast as she washes and I dry. "How we're opening nights sales?"

  "Good." She nods and shuts the tap off handing me the last plate and leaning against the counter opposite to me. "Just good?" I've known Elain since high school we graduated together, she was actually my prom date. We weren't anything more then friends, but it pisses me off that my brother has her now. I've never liked her more then being her friend but I don't like being second to him. More then I already am. "They were more then I expected." I tell her.

  My mom walks into the kitchen with the drinks and condiments from the table breaking the awkwardness of where the conversation between me and Elain was going. "Well I'm going to get going, thanks for breakfast it was delicious." She kisses my mom on the cheek and gives me a wave goodbye. I cross my arms and wait for my moms talk. She places the items she was holding in the fridge and pulls out her peach cobbler. "I saved this for just the two of us." She winks at me and motions for me to sit at the island. I take my seat as she places it in the oven to heat up.

  "How's the bar. Me and Elain are thinking about going tomorrow night." I give her a blank look and shake my head. "No, none of that. Say what you actually want to say." She rounds the island and sits next to me. "Your father is just excited to get to work with one of his sons that's all." There it is. She is constantly defending him. "Yeah." She frowns and me and places a hand on her arm. "I'm proud of you Sawyer." I smile at her and stand to get the cobbler that is smelling too good to ignore. "Thanks mama." I dish is each out a plate and we eat in silence, because she knows she's got what she's getting out of me for today.

  .......

  I walk into the bar an hour after opening. Alice my main bartender busy herself making drinks while Ryker runs food to tables. "Need help." I shout over the music. She shakes her head and goes back to serving the guest that are around the key. Since they seem to have everything handle here I head into my office to check over schedules and numbers. I glance over at the cameras every once in a while to make sure that don't get too overwhelmed. When everything seems okay I pull up our social media pages to add a couple posts about up coming deal and out open mic night at the end of summer.

  I'm just hitting post when commotion on the cameras catch my attention. A group of men in matching shirts crowd around in a circle. Ryker tries breaking something up, but a wave of long blonde hair lunges over his shoulder. I stand and rush out there. People are shouting and the group my guys laugh as the small female tries climbing over Ryker to get to the guy wearing a shirt that says groom. I stand between them just as the girl slips behind Ryker and lunges towards the groom to be.

  But instead of hitting her intended target she lands in my arms knocking us both the the ground. I let out a grunt and she shouts "ouch!" As our foreheads knock together. "Fuck." She pulls back and looks down at me. "Your head is hard." She rubs her forehead and slides down in between my legs. "So is yours." Her white blonde hair covers most of her face as she collects herself. "I'm sorry, that was meant for the douche who grabbed my butt." She throws her hair out of her face and I'm met with piercing blue eyes. Anything she just said didn't have time to register because I'm lost in those eyes. She doesn't look real. Her pale skin and white hair, matched with those eyes make her look like a fairy straight out of a fantasy novel.

  She makes Emilia Clarke look like a knock off Daenerys Targaryen. She gives me a goofy smile and stands. Then she notices the guy again and a glare sets on her face. I jump to my feet before Snow White has the chance to do anything else. A crowd is still formed in the middle of the bar. "Everyone except you two, mind their business." They all scatter and I pin both of my guest with a glare. Mine has nothing on the one she's giving him though. "Know what the hell happened." She opens her mouth to speak, but douche bag number one cuts her off. "She is over dramatic that's what." He points at her then shouts his posse a smirk. I ignore him and turn to her.

  "He grabbed my butt." I narrow my eyes on him and he holds his hands up. "It was just a dare bro." I grab him by the shirt and drag him to the door. I toss him on the ground and he lands flat on his ass, good. "I will not tolerate sexual harassment in my bar. You and your friends aren't welcome here again. I turn and slam the door in his face just as he's telling me "to go fuck myself." I glare at the rest of them and they have the brains to drop their drinks and leave. I look over at Alice. "Get her anything she wants for the rest of the night on me." She nods and the girl smiles up at me.

  "Are you serious?" She looks over to Alice for confirmation. "Dead." I say before heading back to the office, if I stay out there I might go back into the street and pummel that guy for putting his hands on a woman.