SIENNA'S POV
"Here we go sir." I said and handed the guy his beer. I took over the local bar where every aviator and employee at Top Gun hung out. After the former owner wanted to get out of Miramar there were no question that I was going to move from New York and buy up the place.
"Can you do a cocktail sugarplum?" A middle aged dude asked with a smirk and I let out a scoff.
"Of course salty fish." I said and he looked at me with a weird look.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Something sweet, something wet." He said and licked his lips and I chuckled.
"Alright." I said and turned my back to him and poured some water in a shaker and added some sugar and shook it. I poured it up in an iced glass and handed it to him. He took a sip and frowned.
"What's this?" He asked.
"Something sweet and something wet, sir." I said.
"It tastes awful." He said.
"It's water you drunken fool, go home you have had enough." I said and he groaned and walked out of the bar. I wiped off the bar counter when I saw a very familiar face walking into the bar making me roll my eyes.
"So, you are home now." I said and he walked up to the bar.
"It was a last minute thing, I should've reached out." Dad said as he sat down and I chuckled.
"I think we are past that point. Beer?" I asked and he nodded.
"So, who did you piss off this time?" I asked and he chuckled.
"Another admiral." He said and I chuckled.
"Classic. Desk duty?" I asked.
"Teaching." He said and I nodded.
"Mission or a top gun class?" I asked.
"Mission." He said.
"Long?" I asked.
"A few weeks." He said and I smiled softly.
"The bar looks great, you have done a great job." He said and I smiled.
"Wanted to keep its former glory a little but people request a little more than just a beer these days so I updated the menu, added a piano and some other touch ups." I said and he smiled.
"You know what works." He said and I chuckled and the door opened and a couple of aviators in their flight uniforms walked in being loud as usual.
"Jesus Christ." I said and he chuckled.
"I just felt the wave of arrogance, did you?" I asked and he chuckled again.
"Where's Penny?" One of them asked and I chuckled and turned around to face them.
"I'm the owner now." I said and he smirked.
"How rude of me, I'm Jake Seresin or Hangman if you like." He said and I chuckled as he smirked again.
"And here we have Natasha Trace or Phoenix. Reuben Fitch or Payback and Mickey Garcia or Fanboy." He said introducing his fellow aviators.
"And this is the part where you say your name." He said.
"Sienna Mitchell." I said and he nodded.
"Callsign?" He asked with a smirk.
"Bartender." I said cleverly and he chuckled.
"We will find you a proper one." He said.
"Four beers." He said.
"Classic for aviators." I said and he chuckled and I put the beers in front of him.
"I'll pay by the end of the night." He said.
"As long as you pay." I said and he chuckled.
"I like this one. Feisty. You should be in the navy." He said and I chuckled.
"Too much arrogance." I said.
"Well, you serve a hell of a beer." He said and I chuckled.
"That's always something." I said and they went and occupied the pool table like the aviators always did.
"You know those guys?" I asked dad.
"They are my students." He said.
"Shouldn't you say hi?" I asked.
"Nah, I'll do that tomorrow." He said and put his phone on the bar counter and I chuckled.
"What?" He asked and I went over to the big bell and rung it and the entire bar cheered. I pointed to the sign "Disrespect a women, I pilot or put your phone on my bar counter and you buy everyone a round" and he sighed while letting out a chuckle.
"For real? When did you hang up that?" He asked.
"It's been here long before me." I said.
"Thank you, man." Hangman said and dad chuckled.
"Hey, rules are rules." I said and he chuckled. The door opened again and a few more aviators in their flight uniforms waltzed in with just as much confidence and arrogance as the last ones.
"Bradshaw!" Phoenix shouted and my dad's head shot up and he didn't take his eyes off the dude who walked in front.
"Hey! Bartender!" I heard Hangman shout and I smiled while rolling my eyes before I turned around and walked to the other side of the bar.
"What can I do for you doucheman?" I asked.
"Hangman." He said.
"Really? I heard douche." I said and his fellow mates laughed while he leaned onto the bar with one arm and looked down on the floor in embarrassment.
"Funny." He said and I smiled.
"Sienna, this is Robert Floyd or Bob, Javy Machado or Coyote and Bradley Bradshaw or Rooster." He said introducing the aviators who just walked in.
"Peeps, this is the new owner of Hard Deck, Sienna Mitchell." He said.
"You took over from Penny?" Rooster asked and I nodded.
"Not too long ago." I said.
"You know anything about bartending?" He asked and I chuckled.
"Depends, what do you want?" I asked and he smirked.
"Negroni." He said and raised his eyebrows as he thought he was really clever, giving me the name of a drink that has never been served here before.
"Good choice." I said and turned around to grab the liquor, threw it over my head and caught it behind my back.
"Woah." He said. I turned around and poured the liquor into the shaker.
"It was invented in 1919 by Count Camillo Negroni, he was a regular costumer at the Casoni Bar in Florence, Italy. One day he wanted more of a kick in his Americano." I said and kept on making the drink while telling the story.
"The bartender, Fosco Scarselli responded by switching the soda water for him and after that it was the Count's regular order. To further differentiate the drink, the bartender also employed an orange peel rather than the typical lemon peel. Other patrons started to ask for the same order and after a while the word spread and the drink simply became known as the Negroni." I said.
"It's made with gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, orange peel and ice." I said and poured it up in the glass and pushed it towards him.
"Damn." He said and I smiled cheekily.
"Okay, I'm defeated. You know your stuff. Or did I just get a lucky shot with the negroni?" He asked and I chuckled.
"Not a lucky shot my friend. Hit me." I said.
"Sex on the beach." He said and I rolled my eyes.
"Of course." I mumbled. The only thing that is on an aviators mind, getting laid.
"It was invented in the 1980s by Ted Pizio, a bartender in Florida, who took the challenge to sell the most peach schnapps in the area by creating a unique cocktail, with success might I add. He named the cocktail after 2 reasons that he believed drove tourists to visit Florida for Spring Break, sex and the beach. The original drink was made using vodka, peach liqueur, orange juice and grenadine. Today it is more commonly used to replace grenadine with cranberry juice. But then people starting changing the recipe and make different variations of it which just is boring and disappointing really." I said and he chuckled.
"Impressive." He said and took a sip out of his drink and his eyes widened.
"Woah, this was fire, cheers to you." He said and I chuckled.
"It's a simple negroni, not anything special." I said and cleaned off the station.
"Still." He said and I smiled softly.
"Where do you learn to this kind of stuff?" He asked.
"Just a hobby of mine." I said.
"And why do you know so much about the drinks?" He asked.
"Gotta stand out, don't I? Too many bars out there, gotta beat the competition." I said and he chuckled and raised his glass before taking a sip.
"I think you have disturbed the pretty girl enough." Coyote said.
"Two beers." He said and I quickly grabbed the beers and placed it in front of him.
"She has a secret talent." Rooster said to Coyote and I chuckled.
"Yes, I saw, everyone did." He said and I chuckled.
"Now, get away from her before she rings the bell on you." He said and dragged the two aviators away from the counter. I chuckled slightly and turned away from the flirting and confident aviators. I looked over at my old man who was chuckling.
"Why don't you let me pay before the evening rush?" He asked and I chuckled and he gave me his card. I ran it through the cash register and it made me let out a chuckle. I walked back to him and handed over his card.
"It was declined." I said and he looked at me confused and then pulled out his wallet and started counting his money.
"That won't cover it." I said and gave him the bill and he let out a chuckle.
"I'll swing by tomorrow with the money." He said and I smiled cheekily.
"Sorry, pops. Rules are rules." I said and rang the bell and everyone cheered. And they started shouting "overboard" repeatedly. Hangman, Coyote and Payback came over and grabbed dad by his arms and legs and threw him out of the bar. All of a sudden the music stopped and I heard someone start to fiddle on the piano. I looked over to see that Rooster kid sit there with his aviator sunglasses on and the rest of his squad walked over. I slowly walked over to that part of the bar and he started playing a song that was extremely familiar to me.
"Get over here Bartender!" Hangman shouted and I chuckled as I walked over to the piano.
You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain.
Too much love drives a man insane
Rooster looked over at me and I chuckled.
You broke my will, but what a thrill.
Goodness gracious great balls of fire
The whole bar sang along which made me smile.
Kiss me baby
He looked over at me and winked which made me blush slightly and he smiled.
Oooh, feels good
I looked out to see my dad have a sad look on his face. A few seconds later I saw dad walk away and my gaze went back to the happy aviators who were singing their hearts out.
The bar cleared out and I wiped the tables and cleaned off the dishes and beer bottles, like always.
"Gotta say, I like it more when you own it." Hangman said as he and the aviators were walking out.
"We'll be back soon." He said with a wink and I chuckled.
"You from here?" Rooster asked as he leaned onto the bar and I looked over at him.
"Yes and no." I said and he raised his brow.
"What does that mean?" He asked and I let out a chuckle.
"A dark and twisted story." I said and he chuckled.
"We all have them." He said and I walked over to him.
"What made you want to be a bartender?" He asked.
"I like meeting people." I said and he smiled softly.
"How come you bought this bar?" He asked.
"Is this an interrogation?" I asked and he chuckled.
"Nah, not an intentional one anyways." He said and I chuckled.
"Saw it was for sale and thought why not go for it." I said.
"What brings you to Miramar? And I assume, Top Gun." I asked.
"Detachment. We are selected for a mission." He said and I nodded.
"Exciting." I said and he chuckled.
"Guess so." He said.
"Well, I gotta go, I have an early morning. But maybe I'll stop by afterwards and we can take a walk on the beach." He said with a wink and I chuckled.
"In your dreams." I said.
"I'm telling you, one day we will walk on that beach." He said and walked out confidently and I just sat there wondering what was going on. What was happening at Top Gun? Why are so many aviators being called in? Why is my dad here?