STAY GOLD

Thirty-three. Father. Brewer. Sarcastic ass. Owner of Idlewild Brewing Company. It's Wes, not Westley.

[brewingwes]

“We have an IPA on tap.”

Although Wes would be the first to say he didn’t typically work behind the bar at his own brewery, more often than not he found himself doing just that. It wasn’t as though he had to control every aspect of the business; after all, he hired smart employees for a reason, for them to use their brains and clear up bandwidth for him. Rather, he liked being hands-on and present, for both the brewery’s sake and the customers. 

He faced the patron sitting in a bar stool and gestured to the taps. “It has hints of grapefruit. Pretty damn summery, if you ask me.”

[brewingwes]

austincr0ss‌:

“I’ll knit you a nice pink color, it’ll really bring out your eyes. If you don’t wear it, I’ll be hurt.”

“How’d you know that’s my favorite color?” Wes jested. “I’ll wear it every god damn day.”

[brewingwes]

aubreyoconnell‌:

“Well, well, if it isn’t my favorite and second favorite McCoy boys,” Aubrey teased, giving Austin a squeeze of welcome. “I supposed I can handle sitting with you two. I’m surprised you had the chance to take off for a while to watch these,” Aubrey added, directing it towards Wes. “I would have thought you would too busy playing with kegs.” 

Wes chuckled as he sat down next to Aubrey. Beaming from ear-to-ear, Austin scooted himself between the pair and, without preamble, launched into a thousand questions about when the fireworks would begin. After Wes satisfied Austin’s curiosity, he turned back to Aubrey. “I’m always busy with kegs, but we’ve gotta make an exception sometimes. Besides, I’ve got a good bartender working.”

[brewingwes]

hardingjana‌:

“Not last call already, is it?”

Wes sighed deeply and checked his watch. “Almost midnight.” He would have preferred to be well on his way home, but Idlewild Brewing Company featured a few late-night stragglers. 

[brewingwes]

laurahaywardx‌:

“Where are you looking at instead?” She chuckled, walking around slowly. “I am curious. Who knows? Maybe you would inspire me.”

Wes’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “There’s nothing inspiring about me, for starters. Check Facebook for that.”

[brewingwes]

austincr0ss‌:

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. At least you’re still working somewhere fun, I just fix up old ladies’ cars all damn day. Maybe it’s rubbing off on me. I’ll be knitting next.”

“I mean, while you’re at it, I could use a good knitted scarf. Shit’s expensive these days.”

[brewingwes]

eleanoregardner‌:

At the mention of his sister, the smile on Nora’s face faded quickly as she thought of only one reasonable explanation behind his choice of words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-” she paused, unsure of how to finish that sentence, debating if she even should. She closed the book and grabbed her bag from the barstool, rummaging through it looking for something. “You should borrow it,” she suggested, mid search. “If you want to, of course.”

Wes waved his hand to gesture that it didn’t matter, even if it did very much so matter. He had spent most of his life without his twin sister, Caroline, and yet felt incomplete all the same. Wes could never, nor would never, understand why someone so young could be taken from this Earth---before her life had even begun. It was bullshit. Anyway, it was his own fault for letting his mind drift to memories of Caroline. 

“I couldn’t,” he replied, finally meeting her gaze. “It’s not mine to...” He struggled to find the next words, unable to comprehend what he truly meant. “Not mine to borrow.”

[brewingwes]

laurahaywardx‌:

“Could’ve been worse.” She shrugged, not because she wanted to make him feel better, she was just stating the simple truth. “Good things there’s nothing a few bottles of beer can’t fix.”

“I try not to look for solace at the bottom of a bottle.” Not any more, at least. He had his son Austin to thank for that. 

[brewingwes]

harperkellyxo‌:

When the line moved, Harper let out a sarcastic cheer and thankfully after the customer that had caused all the backlog was served - it moved relatively quickly. Harper dug for her notes and tapped the man in front of her, waving them around slightly. “Mind ordering mine when you’re up? I’m starving and I think I’m gonna punch someone in a minute.”

“Depends. Is this a move to get me to buy your burger?” Wes replied in a sarcastic tone. 

[brewingwes]

austincr0ss‌:

“Maybe I’m just getting old but surely there’s a way I can celebrate the fourth without getting drunk?” Austin said, looking at the beer in his hands that he had finished. “But I feel too young to start hosting BBQs. I’m in a limbo.”

“You’re definitely old, man, but so am I. So you’re in mediocre company.”

[brewingwes]

eleanoregardner‌:

The glass of water came as a surprise, but the brunette saw it as a kind gesture nonetheless and accepted it with a smile. “Sense and Sensibility,” she replied, again not expecting the bartender to show interest. She’d been told in the past that her quiet demeanor made her seem rather unapproachable, with the exception of the occasional male asking to buy her a drink—which she declined. “I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’ve never read it?” Nora asked while drumming her fingers on the glass.

It felt like a gut punch. Wes knew better than to inquire about the book title, knowing the kind of memories it would conjure, but he pressed onward anyway. Perhaps he was a masochist, in a way, even if he didn’t view himself as such. “Haven’t read it, no, but I’ve heard it read allowed, if that counts.” He paused. “It was my sister’s favorite book.” Was. Such a simple word that commanded ample attention.  

[brewingwes]

harperkellyxo‌:

Noticing a male’s deep sigh, Harper’s eyes moved to him and then back to look ahead at the line. “See, this dude knows what I mean.” she called out, unashamed of the attention she brought herself in the form of several people turning around to look at her. Looking at the man again she shrugged.  “I hope you already know what you’re gonna order.” she said since he was infront of her before raising her voice again. “If we ever get a damn chance to!”

Wes hardly minded her sharp tongue, mostly because it wasn’t directed at him. “Just a cheeseburger,” he responded. He couldn’t fathom how a hamburger order could seem so complicated for someone; it wasn’t as if there were countless options. Burgers were quite standard, more or less. Finally, the line appeared to move again.

“Thank fucking god.”

[brewingwes]

aubreyoconnell‌:

A lifetime of experience had told Aubrey exactly how early she needed to arrive at the beach in order to get the best seat for viewing the fireworks. Not that there was a bad seat, necessarily, but she had her favorite spot, and she parked herself and her blanket on the sand before most people had grabbed their tacos. As more and more people migrated to the beach, she watched the crowds, looking for familiar faces and entertaining herself with people watching. A shadow blocking the last rays of sunlight made her look up, a smile crossing her face. “Hello! I think this spot practically has your name on,” she greeted, cheerfully patting the empty spot on the sand next to her. 

Despite working all day, Wes promised Austin they would watch the fireworks together. The boy practically bounced with excitement, and after receiving permission, he jetted across the sand to find the perfect spot. “Can my daddy come too?” Austin flashed a toothy grin. Moments later, Wes appeared. “Yeah, Aubrey. Am I allowed?”

[brewingwes]

eleanoregardner‌:

Nora sat at the bar reading a Jane Austen novel as the idle chatter of strangers continued in all corners of the room. Her brown eyes flicked up from the page the moment the bartender asked her a question, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she replied. “I’m just waiting on a friend,” she clarified. Nora didn’t frequent bars often and when she did she had no real desire to drink. “Thanks, though.”

Wes pressed his lips together. Of course he wanted business, but at least the woman seemed to be good, un-rowdy company. Did anyone who read Austen ever get rowdy? Reaching under the bar for a glass, he filled it to the brim with water and then passed it to the woman. 

“Which one?” He replied, gesturing to the book. He couldn’t quite make out the title, but curiosity compelled him to inquire. 

[brewingwes]

vivianbancroft‌:

“Fantastic,” Vivian beamed at his response. She was always happy to talk about her business - and it certainly didn’t hurt that this potential client looked like that. This was the part of the business she really enjoyed - talking to people, charming her way through town, actually planning the moments people would remember for a lifetime. She wasn’t terrible at the business side of things - she was a Bancroft, after all - but there was a reason she hired Nora. 

Actually, there were several reasons she hired Nora but she didn’t entirely want think about all of them at the moment. 

Vivian smiled at his response. “I thought the same thing, I’m not going to lie. But her chief of staff was rather adamant,” she kept the smile on her face, though she was a bit annoyed in general with the mayor’s chief of staff. Her father had always been a difficult man. “I think it’s more of a way to maintain a personable image. Mayor Delarosa is amazing, obviously. But keeping her in the public eye, welcoming people to talk to her and let them know that she’s still willing to listen to them, is never a bad idea. Which,” she started, “is why I think - we all think - we should involve local businesses.”

It all made sense in theory, even if the anti-social side of Wes cringed at the idea of a lager, incredibly public gathering where he had to shake hands and kiss babies (metaphorically speaking, of course). He did like Mayor Delarosa and voted for her too, so perhaps this could be his small contribution to her re-election, even if it was years away. 

“Sure, yeah,” he replied in a casual tone. “I’ll put you in touch with Alex, she’s---” a bartender, not the brewery’s event space coordinator. Perhaps Wes ought to consider a promotion for her, but that was thought for another time. “Yeah, Alex Wrotham will reach out.”

[brewingwes]

harperkellyxo‌:

                Impatient fingers drummed on her leg as she was waiting in line at one of the many food vendors. Harper was well aware of the numbers the event had drawn in but that didn’t stop her from suffering from hanger. 

“How long does it take to order a burger?” Harper spoke to herself but purposely loud enough for the person in front of her to hear. “Jesus Christ, we’re all gonna starve by the time this asshat makes a choice.”

Her remarks resonated with Wes. He had barely twenty-minutes worth of break time to chow down a burger, check in with the babysitter, and then head back to work. Granted, as the owner of Idlewild Brewing Co., he certainly called the shots and could take as long a break as he wanted. However, Wes preferred to not be that kind of boss and sought to help his employees as much as possible, given it would be one of the busiest days of the year. 

Wes sighed deeply, enough for the woman to hear him most likely. 

[brewingwes]

dianaxpalmer‌:

“Oh, I am so glad I stuck to British lit,” Diana laughed. “Though The Faerie Queene makes me want to… Well I need to find something other than that to teach for this next year.” 

“What are your alternatives?”