Eli Krauss & the Starry Eyed Girl

Eli could never understand why Rachel had wanted to own a pub. It had always been a strange concept to him, like wanting to be an ice cream man or drive for NASCAR. There didn’t seem to be a point.

But as he stands at the front of the bar and looks over the heads of the crowded bar, he realizes there is a certain appealing aspect to it. The sound of people pushing their drinks around on the wooden surfaces, of laughter and singing, it made him want to give them more.
His thoughts are interrupted by a poke on his side. When he turns, he finds Fiona Hardwick.

“Hello,” she chirps, “Where can I start?”

Fiona smiles again and Eli immediately wants her to fuck up and get fired. She looks too much like Rachel when she does that, he thinks. Eli looks down sharply from Fiona’s grinning face and says, “You can put an apron on and Brad will show you how to serve the drinks and show you which section is yours. Brad’s in there.”

Eli says all of this very quickly and all while avoiding actually meeting Fiona’s face. He watches as she offers a confused and jerky nod and walks around him to the back room.

_____

Fiona immediately thinks she has something on her face, something between her teeth, or maybe she forgot to put a bra on again. He doesn’t want to look at me, Fiona thinks. She walks away from her new boss towards the entryway to the right that he had pointed out. There is an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach as she does.

There is a tall man in the small and dark back room, just as Fiona had been told. Brad is turned away from her, rummaging through a box. He spins around and Fiona notes that he has the same hazel eyes as Eli. In fact, if Brad had a beard, they would look exactly the same.

“Brad?” she squeaks.

The man turns around and says with wild eyes, “Shit. Oh, shit. You scared me!” Then he barks out a laugh.

Fiona looks at his crinkled up face and grins as well. “I’m Fiona,” she says and offers out a hand to shake. Brad takes it and mutters, “It’s really great that you’re here. Crazy Eli didn’t want to hire anyone other than me and I was like, ‘You’re crazy!’ But now you’re here, so I guess it’s all right... Well, I’m Brad and I’m Boss Man’s brother. Nice to meet you,” he finally finishes and they stop shaking hands.

She giggles at his rushed words and realizes they will get along. Brad turns around again and bends down. She watches as he returns with a black apron. There is a large pocket in the front reading in that same bold font: HOME.

“HOME,” Fiona reads aloud. Brad grins at her.

“Yeah, HOME,” he repeats with a nod.

_____

Eli tries to avoid Fiona Hardwick at all costs. He watches out of the corner of his eye as she walks around the bar with a black circular tray above her head. She greets the customers with that same revoltingly familiar grin. She laughs pleasantly at everyone’s jokes and she plays with her honey colored hair when Brad teaches her how to work the register.

She doesn’t make one mistake. Not one.

And so Eli decides he just won’t look at her when she’s happy.