“How’s everyone doin’?” I asked Franklin’s group when I went to check on them. Like most places, Drum was home to an assortment of people, and Franklin’s co-workers were the good kind. “Can I get y’all anything else? Refills? Should I save y’all pieces of Miss Patsy’s pie? I gotta warn you—they’re goin’ fast.” While Tiny was a great grill cook, he’d left the baking to Bitty. Without her around to make dessert, Max had gotten Miss Patsy, the Methodist preacher’s spinster sister, to start making daily pies for us, and they had been a hit.
Tinker, a man in his forties, leaned back in his chair and rubbed his belly. “I sure as Pete can’t pass up a piece of Miss Patsy’s pie.”
“We’ve got pumpkin, apple crisp, and pecan today. Miss Patsy seems to be in a fall kind of mood.”
Each of the men ordered a slice of pie along with a scoop of ice cream. I was about to head to the back with the ticket when the front door opened. The woman who walked in was tiny—barely five feet tall—and her platinum blonde hair was in two braids that hung a few inches past her shoulders. She had a youthful face with doe eyes, and she was wearing jeans and a bohemian-style blue shirt. A duffel bag was slung over her shoulder.
Max stopped in his tracks when he saw her, his arms full of dirty dishes, a scowl crossing his face.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Tinker said, sitting up straighter.
Franklin had stilled as well, casting me a worried glance. “Lula’s back.”
Which meant I was out of a job.
Chapter Two
I’d known this job was temporary, but somehow I’d shoved that fact in the back of my mind. Max had always promised me that he’d keep me around when or if Lula returned, but the tavern wasn’t busy enough for three full-time waitresses.
Lula turned her attention to me, her already large blue eyes widening. “You replaced me, Max?”
The look in Max’s eyes softened just a touch. Lula’s flightiness was legendary—apparently she’d come and gone too many times to count, usually with no notice—and this last time, she’d gone off to Chattanooga with a truck driver who’d delivered food supplies for Tiny. Max had threatened to not take Lula back, saying she’d left one time too many, but the customers loved her. They’d only warmed up to me because Max and I had both assured them I was temporary.
Panic started to bloom in my chest. I was living under an alias and my father had a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bounty on my head disguised as a reward for my safe return. Wyatt—the only person in Drum who knew I’d been born Caroline Blakely—had convinced me that Drum was one of the safest places I could be…previous murder attempts notwithstanding. He had a point—it was a land lost in time with limited access to internet and even spottier cell phone coverage. It also had absolutely no CCTV cameras. Besides which, the people made me want to stay.
Nevertheless, I had to earn my keep, and Drum wasn’t exactly overflowing with jobs.
“He didn’t replace you,” I said with a wide smile. I stepped closer and offered her my hand. “I’m Carly Moore. I’ve been filling in for you.”
She glanced down at my hand, but instead of taking it, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Well, aren’t you the sweetest thing!”
Max still stood to the side, and when she released me, she turned and gave him a soft smile. “Hey, Max.”
“Don’t ‘hey, Max,’ me,” he said, trying to sound gruff, but it came out forced. “You walked out on us, Lula. You left us in a bind. Again.”
“I know,” she said, casting her gaze on the floor. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Just because you came back doesn’t mean you still have a job. Carly has busted her ass to take up the slack for you. It doesn’t seem fair to punish her just because you decided to drop in for another month or two before you take off again,” he said in a harsh tone, but I saw the indecision flickering on his face.
He was still holding the dirty plates, so I took them from him.
“Maybe you should have this conversation in the back.” I nodded to the table of road crew guys, who were openly staring in curiosity and shock.
Franklin looked plain worried.
“Good idea,” Max said. His mouth turned down and he led the way, leaving Lula to follow.
“Hey, Lula,” one of the guys said as she walked by, lifting a hand in greeting.
“Good to have you back,” Tinker said.
And that was when I knew I’d lost my job. If Max fired Lula, half the men in town would treat me like a pariah. They’d revolt and start going to Watson’s.
Max shot them a frown as he kept walking, but Lula waved.
“Hey, Billy. Hey, Tinker and Tater, good to see you.” Then she disappeared into the back.
I took the dirty plates to the tray Tiny liked us to dump them in and handed in the ticket for the guys’ pies. I waited on another table, then picked up the pie order and headed back to Franklin’s table.
“Here you go, gentlemen,” I said in a friendly tone as I set the plates in front of them. “Would anyone like some coffee? It’ll warm you up before you head back out in the cold.”
Billy looked up at me. “What’s gonna happen to you now that Lula’s back?”
“Don’t you worry about me, Billy,” I said, forcing a smile. “The good news is that Lula’s back and everyone’s happy.”
Franklin frowned and got up from his seat. “That coffee sounds pretty good, Carly. How about I come back and help you get the cups?”
Franklin knew I was capable of bringing it all out, but I wasn’t surprised he wanted to follow me. “Ruth will put this to rights,” he said under his breath as we walked to the back together. “Don’t you worry.”
I shook my head and willed my eyes to stop stinging. “We all knew I started out as a temporary replacement.” I turned and offered him a tight smile. “I was lucky this lasted as long as it did.”
He leaned closer. “This is bullshit, Carly. You work circles around that girl. She lollygags around, leaving Ruth to pick up the slack.” He straightened back up and shook his head. “It ain’t right, and Ruth won’t get rid of you to keep her.”
I placed a hand on Franklin’s arm and held his gaze. “It’s gonna be all right.”
But I had to wonder what Max would do. I wasn’t sure there was a right answer here. Lula might not be a great worker, but the patrons loved her, and their loyalty mattered to the establishment.
Max stomped out of his office, Lula following on his heels, and stopped in front of me. “Carly, can I speak to you in my office?”
I shot a quick glance at Lula, who kept her gaze on the floor. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Sure,” I said, pressing a hand to my stomach to quell my nerves.
I trailed behind him into the room I was sure used to be an oversized closet at one point. He grabbed his office chair and turned it to face the door.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward it.
I did as he instructed, saying, “Nothing good ever came out of those three words.”
His lips were pressed into a thin line as he shut the door and sat on the edge of the desk, staring down at me. “I’m takin’ Lula back.”
My head bobbed as my mind raced. What would I do for work?
“I don’t want to, but I’m between a rock and a hard place, Carly,” he said in frustration. “Half of my customers love her to pieces.”
“I know, Max,” I assured him. “They were worried I might be taking her place, and we both assured them I wasn’t.” I gave him a tight smile. “I can’t be makin’ a liar out of the both of us.”
“The thing is,” he said. “I doubt she’ll stick around. The girl has serious wanderlust. She’ll be here for a month or two and run off again. I don’t want to lose you in the meantime. I know it’s not fair to ask, but would you stick around anyway? I’ll have to cut your hours, but I’ll be sure to have all three of you work on Monday and Thursday nights. And I’ll put you on W
ednesday lunch shift. We both know that’s the best one.” He grimaced and leaned forward. “There’s just not enough business for three full-time waitresses.”
Didn’t I know it.
“What choice do I have?” I said with a chuckle. I doubted any other employment opportunities would present themselves. I was still living with Hank Chalmers, helping provide him with medical care and cooking his meals in exchange for room and board, so at least I didn’t have many bills. The only regular expenses I had were the gas it took to get to work and back—Wyatt had fixed up Hank’s car for me to use—and food that I bought for the household. I could make it work.
I stood and put my hand on Max’s arm. “Don’t look so worried. I’ll be fine.”
“Maybe Wyatt can help you out.”
My back stiffened. “I’ll be just fine,” I said in a tight voice as I dropped my arm.
His brows lifted. “Are you and Wyatt havin’ problems? I haven’t seen him around this last week.”
“No,” I said, taking a step back, a nearly impossible task given the room was about six feet wide. “But I don’t need a man to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”
Max grimaced. “I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant,” I said. “And I appreciate you being so worried about me, but I promise I’ll be fine. We’ll find a way to make it work. When does Lula start?”
“Tonight—if that’s okay. With it bein’ Thursday and all, I figured there’d be enough tips to spread round.”
But we’d all end up with less money at the end of the night.
“I should have just fired her ass,” Max said dejectedly.
“We both know you couldn’t do that,” I said, offering him a more genuine smile than before. “Business would likely suffer, and then all of us would be hurting.”
“I’m not takin’ her back full-time. I’m makin’ her share some of her hours with you,” he said.
“I’ll take whatever I can get,” I said. “I’m just grateful to still be here. I like workin’ with y’all too much to leave.”
“I meant it when I told you that you’re one of us, Carly,” he said, his voice tight. “You fit right in. Lula’s a flirt, so she’s popular with the customers, but she’s never been interested in getting too close to us. She comes in and does her job and leaves. We don’t know much about her. It’s like she’s guardin’ a lockbox full of secrets.”
I ducked my head to hide my shame. I had plenty of secrets I was guarding too, but I knew what he meant. I might have only been a part of the Max’s Tavern crew for a few weeks, but Max, Ruth, Tiny, and I had been through hell together. They’d stood by me through the entire nightmare, offering me shelter, comfort, and friendship. I felt a loyalty to them that went bone-deep, yet I still couldn’t tell them the truth about my background. Like the fact that my father had planned to marry me off to my lifelong best friend turned betrayer, but only so said best friend could be his successor in an illegal enterprise. After the wedding, they’d planned to have me killed in an accident no one would question.
Although I was fairly certain the freak accident was off the table now. Having given the matter some thought, I suspected they’d use my disappearance to make me look unstable. They’d still want to kill me, but they’d probably make it look like an OD. Or suicide.
“We all have our crosses to bear,” I said. “I better get back out there. I think Franklin and his crew are probably ready for their checks.” No one had gotten them that coffee, unless Tiny had given it directly to Franklin, but I suspected they’d forgotten about it in the excitement.
I headed for the door and Max called out, “Carly?”
Stopping with my hand on the doorknob, I glanced over my shoulder.
“I meant what I said about you being family. Thanks for being so awesome about all of this.”
Chapter Three
Ruth and I had fallen into a routine. I did four lunch shifts and she covered three. We each got one day off a week, and Max had closed the tavern until seven on Thanksgiving last week. Whoever did lunch would stay at the tavern in the slow period between the two shifts, since we were technically open at those times, and leave after the post-dinner cleanup if we were slow and until close if we were busy. Those days ran very long, between nine and twelve hours given the tavern opened at noon and sometimes stayed open as late as midnight, but the midafternoons were slow and Max didn’t have a problem with me taking breaks to visit the library or to use his computer in his office. We didn’t really get paid much per hour, but he always paid me for the full shift, even on the rare occasions I left for more than an hour.
Ruth was scheduled to come in at five, but I wasn’t surprised when she stormed in the back door fifteen minutes early. If anything, I was surprised it had taken her that long.
“Maxwell,” she called out with fire in her eyes, standing in the doorway separating the dining area from the back. “Your office. Now.”
I’d been sitting at the counter, tallying up the tips while Max sat on a stool behind the bar, reading a paperback western. But he lowered the book and shot me a look that screamed, Oh shit.
This was something else Jerry had been right about. Max owned the place, but everyone knew Ruth ran it.
“Now!” she barked. Before she turned the corner, she stopped and pointed her finger at me. “And don’t you dare leave this bar!” Then she stomped off.
Max dragged his feet, and it would have been comical if he weren’t a twenty-nine-year-old man, deferring to his hired help. But if I’d learned one thing about Max, it was that he was excellent at handling conflict with or between any customers in his tavern—he’d even whipped out a knife to defend me from a drunken lecher—but he couldn’t stand to make anyone on his staff unhappy. He tried to placate all of us, attempting to ride the middle ground so he didn’t look like he had a favorite—which tended to backfire and make everyone unhappy. Ruth and Tiny had gotten into a spat the week before, but Max had refused to intervene, even though Ruth was clearly in the wrong. (Not that I was stupid enough to tell her.) We’d all walked on eggshells for two days until Ruth had reluctantly apologized, telling Tiny that Franklin had called her out for being a bitch.
In this situation, I understood why Ruth was upset—hell, I was grateful for it—but I had to agree with Max that it wasn’t smart to fire Lula. Better to let her quit or run off again on her own terms. I could make it work until that happened.
I headed to the service counter, and Tiny and I jumped when we started hearing muffled shouts.
“Mom and Pop are arguing again,” Tiny said with a grin, but I could tell he was as unnerved by it as I was. Especially since I was part of their argument.
Ruth emerged ten minutes later, but Max stayed in his office.
“You,” she barked to me as she headed out to the bar. “Come with me.”
I shot Tiny a worried look, but he just shrugged and smiled.
I followed her behind the counter.
“I’m running the bar tonight. Max’ll help once the football crowd shows up. You and Lula’ll wait on the customers through dinner.”
“Okay.”
She frowned. “Lula ain’t me, so you’ll likely be pickin’ up the slack for her.”
“The dinner crowd on Thursday is usually pretty light. I should be okay.”
She smacked her hand on the bar, her eyes blazing with anger. “Why the hell aren’t you pissed off?”
My eyes flew wide. “About Lula?” I shook my head. “Ruth, when I started, the agreement was that I’d only work until she came back. I’m only glad I get to stay on part-time. I’ll take whatever I can get for hours, as long as I’m not hurtin’ you.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said in frustration. “Worry about yourself.”
“Maybe she won’t stick around,” I said, “but in the meantime, at least you’ll get more help. And maybe a few days off.”
“And a raise,” she said fiercely. “Max is payin’ us min
imum wage in addition to our tips.”
I blinked, sure I’d heard wrong. “Are you kidding?”
A grin tugged at her lips as she shrugged. “I tried to get health insurance and paid vacation, but at least I got us a raise.”
A new worry hit me. “Can Max afford that?”
“Don’t you worry about Max,” she said. “He’ll be just fine.” She grabbed two shot glasses, set them on the counter, then filled them with whiskey. Picking up the glasses, she handed one to me and kept hers raised. “To better days.”
I clinked my glass with hers. I could drink to that. “Amen.” We both downed our drinks, and I set the empty shot glass on the counter just as a young couple walked through the door. “Looks like it’s time to get back to work.”
Ruth made a sour face. “What do you know? It’s after five and Lula hasn’t shown up for her shift yet.” She shook her head. “Get used to it. She’s never on time.”
I walked around the counter to greet the customers and tell them about Tiny’s Thursday night special—chili cheese dogs. (We weren’t exactly a classy joint.) As soon as I got their drink orders, a family of five walked in. I invited them to take a seat anywhere they would like. As Lula wasn’t here, then I’d be waiting on everyone until she came back or Ruth came out to help.
We got several more customers, and things were hopping before Lula showed up at six.
“I’m sorry, y’all!” she exclaimed as she hurried out from the back, tugging her loose Max’s Tavern T-shirt into place as though she’d just pulled it over her head. The flyaway strands of hair sticking out everywhere indicated my thought wasn’t off base.
Her Scream in the Silence: Carly Moore #2 Page 2