Peter Rhinehart and Hank Meyer are best friends, but
their lives couldn’t be more different. Peter is a local pastor who is
dedicated to his community. He spends his time visiting the flock, attending
meetings, and with the holiday season approaching, preparing for the Christmas
service and live nativity. As a bartender, Hank serves a much different
customer base at his family-owned tavern, including a handful of lonely
regulars and the local biker gang.
When Peter scoffs that Hank has it easy compared to him,
the two decide to switch jobs until Christmas Eve. To their surprise, the
responsibilities of both bartender and pastor are similar, but much more
difficult than either of them expected. As Peter and Hank begin to see one
another’s lives in a new light, and each discovers a new love to cherish, their
lives are forever changed.
This was a fun, heartwarming Christmas story. It opens
with a grandmother telling her grandchildren a story, one that starts "in
the beginning" instead of "once upon a time." I hadto laugh at
her grandson's aversion to anything with kissing, and her promise to warn him
so he could cover his ears.
The story is about two men who have been best friends
since high school. Though their lives are very different, they regularly get together
for lunch and to catch up on each other's lives. During this lunch, each
comments on the busyness and stresses of their jobs. Hank is the owner and sole
employee of The Last Call, a tavern. Peter is the pastor of a nearby church,
somewhat overwhelmed with the preparations for Christmas which is only a few
days away. Each believes that the other has the easier life, and decide to
switch places to prove it.
I loved seeing these two confident men get tossed into
sink or swim situations. Peter's first night as a bartender was a real
eye-opener. The bar is busy and he can't keep up with the orders. The customers
get grouchy and Peter worries that he's going to wreck Hank's business. Matters
become even more tense with the arrival of a motorcycle gang. They don't take
well to Peter's ineptness or his cagy replies about what he does in real life.
He's saved from disaster by the arrival of Millie, the waitress from the
restaurant where he and Hank have lunch. She also works as a waitress at the
local strip club, and knows the motorcycle gang from there. She rapidly defuses
the situation and steps in to help Peter with the drinks. Peter offers her a
job helping him after hearing her story, and looks forward to getting to know
her better. Over the next few days, Peter finds his feet, discovers that his
job and Hank's hve many similarities, and gets to know many different types of
people he wouldn't have met otherwise.
Meanwhile, Hank promptly misplaces the list of duties
Peter gave him. After settling in to watch a football game, he's not too happy
to get a call from Peter's sister Grace Ann, fussing at him for missing his
appointment to collect the donkey for the nativity play. Grace Ann is the
church secretary, very uptight, and no fan of Hank. Hank, who had a crush on
her in high school, delights in teasing her. When Hank admits losing the list,
Grace Ann promises to make sure he doesn't miss anything. His first full day on
the job goes south fast when he mortally offends the church's biggest donor.
Grace Ann is horrified, Peter is accepting (and a little envious that Hank had
the courage to do it), and the finance committee worried. I liked how Hank
brought an outsider's fresh look to raising money. Over the next few days, Hank
also discovers the similarities of their work as he listens to people's
concerns.
I enjoyed seeing the romances develop between Peter and
Millie, and Hank and Grace Ann. Peter and Millie are fairly straightforward.
Millie worries about her past being an issue for Peter's church family. I loved
Peter's confidence that everything would be fine, though you couldn't prove it
by Grace Ann's initial reaction. Hank had a rougher time with Grace Ann. Since
he knew her in high school, she has become uptight and judgmental, very
different than the girl he remembers. I enjoyed seeing him call her out on her
attitude and deliver some home truths she wasn't expecting from him.
The ending was terrific, with a Christmas party that
brought together people from both their worlds. I laughed out loud at the
description of the bikers singing Christmas carols, and Millie's former
coworkers visiting with the missionary ladies from Peter's church. The hilarity
continued on Christmas Eve as some of the patrons of the Last Call showed up
for the service. The Christmas spirit was alive and well, all thanks to a
little job sharing.
I liked the epilogue which provided "the rest of the
story" about our two couples. It wasn't a surprise, but I enjoyed catching
up on some of the more colorful characters.
No comments:
Post a Comment