THE CAMELLIA TAVERN

CHAPTER 13: VULCAN BAR & GRILL

Friday, June 19

I leave Sturvis for Birmingham around noon on Friday, careful to avoid arriving during their rush hour traffic, which is notoriously bad, at least compared to what I'm used to. I have the perfect Spotify playlist for the drive and Winter, Anjali and Lil Al are all riding with me, which is a little risky since my car is far older than any of theirs. Mine has the most room, so it won by default.

Warrick has reserved hotel rooms for all four of us in close proximity to Vulcan Bar & Grill, which I've been reading about online. It's been open for a little more than a year and it's already received numerous awards and accolades from magazines, travel websites, and food-related publications.

"So are we gonna go out after we finish at Vulcan Bar & Grill," Lil Al says excitedly to the rest of us.

"I don't think we'll be done until late," Anjali says.

"Nah. We only have to be there for their dinner shift. We're free at 10 pm," Lil Al says.

"How do you know he doesn't expect us to stay later?" Winter asks.

"Boss told me. 5-10 pm. That's what he wants us there for. Then we're good to go out. And I know this place. It's kind of a dive bar. Well, it's for real a dive bar, but it's the spot."

We leave our bags at the front desk of the hotel since check-in isn't until 3 pm and grab a late lunch at a nearby Thai restaurant.

I would've liked to try some things from the menu at Vulcan Bar & Grill because I looked at the menu online and it looked mouth-wateringly delicious. But, one, it's a little out of my price range and, two, we'll be strictly working and observing while we're there.

I wonder what the staff there thinks of their boss. Hopefully, none of them have had as awkward of an experience as I have with him. Then again, he's probably had more than his fair share of women throwing themselves at him. Not that I threw myself at him, really. I merely made a miscalculation about what was going on between us, resulting in a humiliating experience for me.

Warrick sends a black SUV to pick us up at the hotel at 4 pm.

"This is a pretty boss move by the boss," Lil Al says with a wide smile. Obviously, I'm not the only one who feels a bit like a VIP sliding around on the leather seats.

We pull up to the front of the restaurant and all climb out.

There is a black awning over the front door that says, simply, "Vulcan" across it in white letters. Ivy covers the brick of the exterior and two large windows give guests a view of the street from the main dining room. It's more upscale than The Camellia Tavern, but it isn't over the top. There's something very homey, yet, elegant about it.

We go inside to an empty restaurant except for employees preparing for the inevitable dinner rush. At the host stand, we're greeted by a slender brunette who says, "You're here from The Camellia Tavern in Sturvis, right?"

We all nod and she smiles in response. She pulls out a phone and types in a quick text message.

"I've let him know you've arrived," she says. "Why don't you have a seat at the bar until he's available?" She motions towards the bar with her hand and we all head that way.

"This place is gorgeous," Anjali says, surveying everything around us.

"I bet they pull in a shit load a night here," Winter says, taking her own visual inventory of the bar.

"I can't wait to see what they got goin' on in the kitchen," Lil Al says, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

The enthusiasm of the three of them rubs off on me a bit and I can't help but smile.