Caleb sat in his office, poring through countless ledgers and sifting through so many papers that they all slowly began to turn his brain into mush. When he closed his eyes, Caleb heard the familiar sounds of folks talking and laughing, but all of that seemed to be too far away for him to consider. It was something like looking up at the stars and knowing better than to try and reach up to touch one of them.
Rather than stare at the same spot on his desk or gaze longingly at the door, Caleb shifted in his seat to get a look at a section of wall he hadn’t recently committed to memory. What he found there wasn’t anything new, but the simple wooden frame had been there for so long that it might as well have melted into the shoddy wood paneling.
Caleb didn’t have to stretch too far to reach out and brush off a few layers of dust that had settled upon the frame, which hung from a rusty nail. The first thing his fingers uncovered was a slightly faded image of his own smiling face. When he saw that, Caleb couldn’t help but smile once again.
Getting up, he started looking for a cloth of any sort that he could use to clean off the rest of the picture. Since he couldn’t find anything suited to that purpose, he took the picture off the wall and pulled the bottom of his shirt out from behind his belt to swipe away the thick layers of dust and cobwebs.
When he was finished, Caleb looked down proudly at the photograph that had been taken what felt like a lifetime ago. The picture was of Caleb, Hank, and Sarah standing in front of the Busted Flush. Strung across the front of the saloon was a colorful banner that read, Grand Opening.
Hank had been a modest investor as well as the first bartender to work at the Flush. Serving drinks at the new saloon had been Sarah’s first job. All three of them were smiling proudly, but Caleb’s grin eclipsed them all. Looking at that picture now, Caleb shook his head at how young and eager he looked with that dopey smile plastered across the front of his head.
Normally, Caleb didn’t care to sit for photographers. But on the day that picture had been taken, Caleb would have stood for hours if it meant preserving that proud moment forever.
Hank still worked the bar and was working the kinks out of his brewing skills. Sarah was the best server Caleb could have asked for as well as a decent cook. Ever since she left to work at the Alhambra, things just weren’t the same.
Even after he hung the framed photograph back upon its nail, Caleb found himself staring at those faces and smiling right back at them. That smile faded more than a little the moment he shifted his eyes from the past to take in the cluttered office and stack of paperwork that represented his present.
Hank’s steps weren’t loud, but the bartender’s feet sent a familiar series of creaks through the floor, which told Caleb to expect the door to open in about a second or two. A second and a half later, there was a quick knock before the door was pushed open.
“You still in here?” Hank asked.
Caleb dropped back down into his chair and said, “Looks like it.”
“Well, I thought I’d let you know that one of them Deagles came and went just now.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t recall their names.”
“The fat one, the old one, or the humpback?”
Chuckling a bit, Hank replied, “I guess it was the third, but I can’t say as I spotted a hump. He was here with Sheriff Hopper.”
“What?”
“Sheriff Hopper was with him.”
Caleb felt his heart jump a little toward the back of his throat. “What did the sheriff want?”
Hank shrugged and looked around at the clutter which practically filled the office. “Hell if I know. By the looks of it, he sure as hell didn’t want to be with that Deagle kid.”
Thinking it over for a moment, Caleb let out the breath he’d been holding and asked, “They’re not still here, are they?”
“Nope. The sheriff paid his respects and took off.”
“Good.”
“The Deagle kid left a little bit later.”
“Even better.”
“Why don’t you come join the rest of us, Caleb? There’s plenty that needs done out front, and it’d be good for you to get out of this closet for a while.”
Caleb got to his feet but didn’t make a move toward the door. Instead, he found himself drawn back to where the picture was hanging. Standing in that same spot again, he crossed his arms and stared at the photograph. “You remember when this was taken?”
Grudgingly, Hank stepped farther into the office. Not only did he take exception to the mess in there, but his wide shoulders and barrel chest made it difficult for the barkeep to maneuver without knocking into something or other with every step. He didn’t quite make it to Caleb’s side, but he got close enough to get a look at what was hanging on the wall.
“Sure, I remember that,” Hank said. “Nobody could’ve wiped that grin off your face. Hell of a day.”
“Yeah. It was.”
“You don’t sound too convinced.”
Glancing over to the barkeep like a man that had been caught, Caleb turned his back to the picture and trudged back to drop into his chair. “Guess I was wondering what the hell I was thinking back then.”
Hank’s head snapped back, and he blinked as if flash powder had just been ignited. “What’s that supposed to mean? You were thinking that you just opened your own saloon and hoping you’d still be in business farther down the road. You did just that, Caleb. Here you are. Here we all are.” Glancing at the picture, Hank shrugged and added, “Well, most of us anyway.”
“Sarah’s still working at the Alhambra,” Caleb said in response to Hank’s unspoken question. “My guess is that she’s helping balance the books a whole lot more than she serves drinks.”
“She always did have a knack for numbers. Couldn’t take being cooped up for very long, though.”
“Maybe I’ve got that same problem.”
“Is that what all this moping is all about?”
Hank didn’t need to be told that he’d struck a nerve. He could see that much written on Caleb’s face. Reaching out, he patted Caleb’s shoulder just roughly enough to make the chair squeak beneath him. “I don’t know how you spend so much time in this damn office without losing your mind as it is. If it’s getting to you, then why don’t you work up front for a bit.”
“I don’t think I’d be much of a replacement for Holly.”
“Not unless you sprout red hair and learn how to properly fill out a corset,” Hank said.
“Yeah, well the last thing the Flush needs is another man behind the bar.”
“Who’s to make that decision? The owner? Oh, wait a second, that’d be you.” Hank smirked when he saw Caleb chuckle at that. “Look here, now. You’ve worked hard to get this place off the ground, and I know you don’t want to give it up. I also know you deserve a change of scenery. You used to like working out front before we hired them others, so why not come back out from behind this desk for a while? It may just remind you of why you wanted to own a saloon in the first place.”
“Well, there is the tournament coming up. I guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to be up front for all of that.”
“There you go.”
Caleb nodded, feeling less like a kid that wanted to skip school and more like a man who was taking the reins back for himself. “All right, you talked me into it. When do you want me to start?”
Hank was already untying the apron from around his waist and handing it over. “How’s now strike you? I could use a breather.”