“He’s late.”

Alex rolled her eyes as she leaned on the counter at the record store. “By ten minutes. And it’s a three- to four-hour drive from Denver. Calm down.”

“YOU calm down,” Steph mumbled as she looked out the windows.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing. Ryan’s good for you being off tonight, right?”

Alex smirked. “Yes. All night, while we show your dad around and bring him to the bar for dinner. I know you’re excited to see him, but you can display a measure of patience while he navigates an unfamiliar, snowy highway.”

“Not that snowy.”

“More snow than Seattle right now. Why don’t you go read the ads you’ve been putting off? And finish with that playlist?”

“… fine,” Steph grumbled, pushing herself away from the counter. “What are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know. Probably step out for some fresh air.”

“If you-”

“I will bring him right inside if I see him.”

Steph sighed as she re-entered her booth, closing the door. Alex shook her head as she left the record store, hugging herself against the chill. Snowfalls had been a regular occurrence since the previous month’s blizzard; not nearly as bad, but enough to ensure that the unpaved ground was covered with a few inches of powder.

The crisp air still felt good as she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. This isn’t so bad. A few more days until the Holiday Festival, couple of days after that until Christmas… man, it really snuck up on us.

Good thing I ordered presents early. She smirked to herself. I miss the 2-Day Prime shipping in Portland.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

She frowned and opened her eyes, looking at the source of the question. Then did an immediate double-take. “George?!”

Steph’s father stood in front of her with his hands spread, wearing a thick jacket and watch cap, a big smile on his face. “Can I hug my daughter’s serious girlfriend? Or is that too awkward?”

“No, dude!” Alex embraced him quickly, laughing as he squeezed her. “When did you get here? Steph’s been watching the door for almost half an hour!”

“I literally parked five minutes ago. But I think I got turned around when I walked out here. And then I got distracted by that dispensary across the street.” He looked back at the Silver Dragon.  “Do we need medical marijuana cards in Colorado?”

“Nope. Recreational use is totally legal.”

“You think my daughter will be upset if I toke up while I’m here?”

Alex smirked. “If you wait a couple of hours, you can have some from our stash.”

“… wait, you guys have a stash?”

“Well, we prefer the gummies. But yea.”

“Huh.” He processed that for a few seconds, then nodded. “Okay. Well, I suppose I should go in and give my daughter a proper hug.”

“Wait.” Alex grabbed his arm as he stepped forward. “Follow me. I have a better idea.”

“What is this?”

“The back room of the record store.” Alex closed the door behind them. “Steph can see the front entrance from her DJ booth, but if we come in through here, you can sneak up on her properly.”

“Ooh. I like this idea.” He grinned as they walked softly for the next door. “She’s recording right now?”

“Yea, she has ads and stuff she needs to read today. And she was working on a playlist.” Alex opened the door, peering into the store. “There she is.”

George looked beside her, both of them seeing Steph’s back as she spoke into the microphone. The radio station became clear as they crept into the store.

“Citizens of Haven Springs, if you haven’t been to the Black Lantern for its famous Duck Fries, then you’re wrong,” she was saying, glancing between the mike and a piece of paper in her hands. “They are seriously the best things you will EVER have in your mouth. Pair them with one of their burgers and an ice-cold beer of your choice, and you’ve got a match literally made in heaven. And just in case you needed yet ANOTHER reason to go, they’ve got Ladies Nights every other Thursday, with the next one coming up in two days. Make sure you swing through, and tell ‘em that Steph sent-”

Alex reached the knob, quickly turning it and shoving the door open. Steph glanced over her shoulder just as George burst into the booth, quickly wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug that trapped both of her arms against her sides. “SWEETS!!” he bellowed dramatically, lifting her in the air and swinging her around. “I MISSED YOU!!”

“Dad!!” Steph exclaimed, struggling against his grip. “No! Stop! I’m on the air! Let go of me!”

“I MISSED MY DAUGHTER SO MUCH!!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Alex was cackling as she tried to stay upright. “Even though when she was five, she drew a three-foot-tall ice cream cone on our living room rug in green magic marker! Then tried to lick it off!”

“DAD!! Shut UP!!”

“Are you playing music?! I wanna pick! Can you put on the Doctor Who theme song?”

“NO!! Put me DOWN!!”

“Not yet! First, the important part!”

Keeping one hand wrapped around Steph, Alex watched him extend the other arm and make a fist. Steph’s eyes got wide as she struggled even harder. “No! Don’t you dare!”

“You know what time it is?”

“I’m twenty-five! I’m too old for a-”

“It’s NOOGIE TIME!!”

“NO!!”

Alex collapsed against the door frame laughing, as George ground his knuckles into Steph’s head, the brunette roaring in frustration as she struggled against him. “Let me GO!!”

Her father was laughing heartily as he finally dropped Steph, who immediately grabbed the top of her head and started massaging it. “God, that felt good!” he exclaimed. “It’s been WAY too long, Sweets!”

“Argh…” Steph winced as she rubbed the top of her head. “Not long enough. I HATE it when you do that.”

“I know. Where did we land on that Doctor Who theme song?”

“Ah, crap, that’s right.” Steph whipped back around to her mike. “Fine citizens, I hope you all enjoyed the show. Let’s go back to some actual music with Blue Bells Dancing, by Junk In The Trunk.”

George raised his eyebrow as she hit a couple of buttons, and the music started playing. “Is that their real name, or did you just make that up?”

“Dad, I can’t make these band names up if I tried. And where the hell did you come from anyway?!” she demanded. “I was watching the front door, looking for you. The only way you could’ve snuck in… is…”

She slowly turned her head towards Alex. “… if someone let you through the back,” she finished.

Alex kept as straight of a face as possible, though she could feel a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You must have missed him.”

“Uh huh.”

“Hey, weren’t you excited to show your dad around town?” Alex nodded at the front door. “All he’s seen so far is the record store and the front of the Silver Dragon.”

“Oh, and your girlfriend mentioned that we could all get stoned together,” George added. “How’s that sound?”

Steph gave him a look that was completely indescribable. “… fucking terrible?!” she finally exclaimed. “Since when the hell do you even smoke pot?!”

“I’ve been informed that there are gummies now, which honestly sounds much tastier.”

“There really isn’t much, is there?”

Alex winced as she stood beside George and Steph, the two girls just having finished showing him the main street. “Not really,” she admitted. “I mean, the scenery is pretty killer, you have to admit that.”

“Oh, absolutely,” he agreed, looking up at the surrounding mountains. The snowy peaks made for an incredible view, even under a sky white with an impending snowfall. “We definitely don’t see nature like this in Seattle, that’s for sure.”

“Yea, but you’ve got a lot more shopping and food options than we do,” Steph reminded him. “Some days I’d kill for a proper coffee shop.”

Alex nodded. “Facts.”

George looked around. “Is there not good coffee around here?”

“Closest is the Brown Bear.” Alex pointed across the street. “They do a pretty decent breakfast, too. But my place has way better burgers.”

“And that’s this bar here?” George looked up. “What is a Black Lantern?”

“It’s a… uh…” Alex let her voice trail off. “I have no idea.”

“Wait, really?”

“I’ve always assumed that it had to do with mining, since there’s such a huge presence here. But I’ve never actually asked.”

Steph snorted. “Wow, you’re a terrible owner.”

“Shut up.” Alex looked at George. “You hungry?”

“I haven’t eaten since breakfast at Sea-Tac. I could annihilate a burger and fries right now.”

“Right this way, then.”

Alex led them to the door of the bar, pushing her way inside. She wasn’t surprised to see Ryan standing right across from Jessie, the two of them talking softly while smiling at each other.

“Hey, lovebirds, make eyes at each other on your own time,” she said dryly. “We’re hungry.”

Jessie gave her an amused look. “I’ll make eyes at him whenever the hell I want, thank you very much.”

“And don’t come in here acting big and bad just to impress Steph’s father,” Ryan added as he pushed himself upright. “I own twice as much of the bar as you, which technically still makes me in charge.”

“Yet we’re here with a lack of both food and drink,” Alex countered as they slid into the closest booth. “You’re slacking.”

“No, our new waitress is slacking.” Ryan turned to the side. “Riley! Alex says to get better at your job!”

The younger brunette appeared from the back room, a tray of empty glasses in her hands and an irate look on her face. “Tell your better half to hold her horses,” she said as she set down the tray on the bar. “I only got two hands, and I can smack her with both of them.”

Alex raised an eyebrow as Riley approached their table. “With all your waitressing experience, I would think you’d treat customers nicer than that.”

“I heard what he said. Technically, you’re not the boss of me.”

Steph and George both snorted as Alex narrowed her eyes. “You’re not funny.”

“Meh.” She produced a notepad and pen from her back pocket. “What can I get you guys?”

“Burgers with duck fries all around,” Steph said quickly. “And…” she paused and looked at her dad. “You’re still drinking Blue Moon, right?”

“Of course.” He looked at Riley. “Unless the young lady, who I’m sure is exceptionally good at her job, has another beer to recommend?”

Riley finally cracked a smile. “I like you.”

“I live by the philosophy of not angering the people who handle my food. I find it serves me well.”

“You should explain that philosophy to your daughter’s girlfriend.”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “You remember that just because I’m not a majority owner doesn’t mean that I can’t fire you, right?”

“Yea, I’m sure there’s lots of people with waitressing experience who are available to work the holidays on short notice while Ryan leaves for a week in Wyoming.” Riley smiled widely at her. “Now, am I fired, or are you gonna tell me what kind of beer you want?”

“… I liked you more when you were on the other side of the bar.” Alex sighed. “I’ll have a Blue Moon too. Please.”

“Coming right up.” She turned to leave, then hesitated. “Oh. I was told that when you guys came in, we had a complimentary appetizer for you.”

Steph perked up. “Free food? I like free food. What kind of free food?”

Riley silently reached into her back pocket, pulling something out and placing it on the table between them. She lifted her hand to reveal a green magic marker.

Alex and George immediately choked on laughter as Ryan and Jessie dissolved into giggles. Steph looked at the marker, blinking several times. She finally sagged in her seat, heaving a sigh. “… I fucking hate all of you.”