The young man’s eyes grew big and he stood up a little straighter when he realized who it was who had called to him with such familiarity. Surprise became confusion, then worry.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on in the boy’s mind; clearly he was mentally backpedaling, trying to recall what (if anything) he might have done to garner the attention of the CEO.
Unfortunately, it was a common occurrence.
It saddened Aidan. Yes, he was the boss, but he wasn’t a tyrant. He knew the names of everyone who worked for him, whether world-renown chef or chambermaid, and he made it a point to treat them all with respect.
“Anything, Mr. Harrison. Want me to bring your car around?”
Aidan thought about the idea suddenly taking root in his mind and shook his head. It was impulsive and foolish on so many levels, really.
It was also exactly what he needed. “What do you drive?”
Jared blinked. “Sir?”
Aidan smiled patiently. “What kind of car do you drive? You do have a car, don’t you?”
“Um, yeah, sure. It’s a 2002 Honda.”
Aidan grinned. Perfect. “How about a trade? Your Honda for my Benz?”
“Sir?” Jared glanced around as if looking for hidden cameras. When he looked back at Aidan, he was more confused than ever. Either that, or he was convinced that Aidan had completely lost his marbles.
“I’m not crazy, Jared, and it’s not a permanent trade,” Aidan assured him. He realized he was going to have to be more forthcoming if he wanted to move this along. “Let’s just say I just want to stay under the radar for a night or two, and my Benz will draw too much unwanted attention.”
Aidan loved his GL63 AMG SUV, but men who wanted to appear like “regular guys” didn’t typically drive around in vehicles with a six-figured MSRP.
“You’re not going to do anything illegal, are you, sir?” Jared asked, licking his lips nervously, but with a mischievous glint in his eye that told Aidan the kid might think more of him if he did.
“Not in the plans, but who knows?” Aidan responded smoothly with a conspiratorial wink. “What do you say, Jared? Help me out?”
It took a few moments for the clearly stunned valet to make up his mind (Aidan couldn’t help but wonder just what the kid was pondering), but then he grinned widely and reached into his pocket. The keys he withdrew had a well-worn leather tag etched with a bizarre symbol that looked vaguely familiar. Aidan recognized it as one Taryn Callaghan sported on a T-shirt occasionally.
“You like DarkWing?”
Jared’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Hell, yeah! You know them?”
“Who doesn’t?” Aidan asked, though he would be hard-pressed to distinguish one of Taryn’s head-banging heavy metal bands from another.
“That is so sick,” Jared beamed. Aidan realized he’d just achieved almost god-like status in the kid’s eyes. “My car’s in the employee lot, towards the back. Dark blue Accord.”
“Thanks,” Aidan said, already walking away with the keys in his hand. “Enjoy the Benz.”
“Uh, sir?”
Aidan turned to look back at him and found the kid blushing six shades of red and looking nervous. “Since I’m working tonight, I’m taking my girl out tomorrow to celebrate, and ...”
Aidan grinned, realizing the kid wanted to impress his girl by showing up in a hundred thousand dollar plus car. “Keep it till Sunday, yeah?”
“Yes, sir! Thanks!” the young man beamed. “I’ll take good care of it!”
If only his own funk could be lifted so easily, Aidan chuckled as he walked away.
*
Mary O’Rourke ordered her usual – a hot chocolate with Bailey’s and whipped cream – and sat back in the comfortable corner booth with her paperback. It was nice of Tommy to let her come here and take up space on a Friday night – and New Year’s Eve, no less - knowing he could make more money if she didn’t. The prime booth could easily seat four people who’d come out to drink and party and ring in the New Year, earning Tommy a bigger profit than Mary’s spiked hot chocolate and fried mozzarella sticks.
She did this every year. It was a tradition she’d continued even after her husband’s untimely death. Cam had liked it here. He used to bartend on the weekends, something he continued to do as long as he could even after he’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer only weeks after their wedding.
Sitting here, amidst the warmth and revelry but staying removed from it, she could remember a time when life held the hint of hope; when the New Year promised new beginnings. It seemed like so long ago. If she stared at the bar and let her eyes relax long enough, she could almost see Cam’s grin as he joked with the regulars sitting there, guys he’d known his whole life.
But it was getting harder and harder to see him. Harder to remember as the details faded away with the passage of time. She wasn’t so young anymore – already past the thirty mark by more than a year, and it had been a long time since she’d felt even a hint of anticipation for what the New Year might bring.