by Nikki Lane
“Well, it’s about time,” she said in a teasing tone. “Kasey! Your sister’s here.” She set the glass bowl down. “Help me put the frosting on your uncle’s cake, would you?”
I dropped my bag in one of the kitchen chairs and washed my hands.
Kasey came barreling down the steps and dipped her finger into the bowl of frosting.
“Gross,” I said, wrinkling my nose.
“Chocolate, my fave,” she said, sucking her finger.
“I hope your hands were clean.” I pulled the bowl away when she tried to go for seconds. “No way!”
She rolled her eyes and sat on the counter next to the cake.
“Just a few more weeks until report cards are out,” she said. “Don’t forget your promise.”
With a long frosting knife in my hand, I was carefully smoothing chocolate buttercream over a yellow layered cake.
“How can I?” I said. “You remind me every day.”
Someone knocked on the kitchen door. My heart skipped at the sound.
Kasey went to answer the door.
“Kasey, wait.” I set the knife down.
“Relax. It’s just Riley,” she said, opening the door.
Riley stood in the threshold and waved, seeming unsure what to do next.
“Come on in, Riley,” Aunt Meg said.
“This is my sister, Maeve,” Kasey said.
“Hi, Riley,” I said.
“Hi.”
Riley couldn’t have been more than sixty pounds sopping wet. Kasey’s asthma medication had caused her to gain some weight. I hadn’t really noticed it until now.
“Come on,” Kasey said. “Let’s go to my room.”
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Aunt Meg called as they stomped upstairs.
“Is it okay for Uncle Jim to be eating all this?” I asked.
Aunt Meg hovered near the stove where a few pots and pans bubbled and sizzled. “The man survived a heart attack and eating low cholesterol food for almost a year. I figured he’d earned a pork chop and a couple of slices of his favorite cake.”
“Who’s coming for supper?”
She set down a slotted spoon and wiped her hands against the folds of her apron. “Just us, and Riley. Why…is there someone you wanted to invite?”
I absentmindedly shook my head. “No.”
“I could call him for you, if you didn’t want to do it yourself. He doesn’t leave for his trip for another few days.”
“Aunt Meg,” I said, holding the knife against a glob of frosting. “Please.”
“I’m sorry, dear. I just hoped that you two could work things out.”
“There’s nothing to work out.”
“Don’t lose hope so easily.” She turned off the burners of the stove.
You need to have hope in order to lose it.
“Things are over between me and Jacob. I don’t even know what I was thinking. It would have never worked out.” I licked the bit of frosting from my fingertips and set the knife in the sink. Leaning against the edge of the counter, my mind drifted off to a few happy memories. Like Disney World. I’d probably never top that level of happiness for the rest of my life.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Aunt Meg asked.
“Fine.” I feigned a smile. “Just fine.”
She handed me some plates for the table.
“So, where’s he going?” I asked, setting the table.
“Florida. When I had talked to Carol the other day, she’d mentioned he was visiting for just a couple days.”
I set the rest of the table in silence, and afterward, walked to the barn to call Uncle Jim for dinner. Before heading back to the house, I made a quick stop by the goats’ pen.
I spotted him right away. Granted, he was the only male out of the bunch. A little smaller than the rest of them, too. He trotted around the enclosure and then ran up the ramp to buck and kick.
“Come by to say hi to Billy?” Uncle Jim said behind me.
“Guess so.” I leaned against the wood fence with my folded arms hanging over the other side. “He got big.”
Uncle Jim hitched an arm over the fence. “Little ones tend to do that.”
I stole a glance his way and then focused back on Billy. He seemed happy to annoy the female goats by nudging them hard with his barely-there horns. “Guess it’s silly to think that he might have remembered me.”
“Not so silly to think that.” He matched my pose against the fence. “You’d be surprised what they remember. You helped bring him into this world, made sure he was okay. Gave him the bottle when he wouldn’t eat from his mama.”
“But I haven’t been back to take care of him. And besides, he was just a baby,” I said. “I don’t remember anything from when I was that small.”
“That’s a shame.”
I turned to look at him again. “Why do you say that?”
“Well…you might find this hard to believe, but it wasn’t always bad for you at home.”
I scoffed. “You’re right. That is hard to believe.”
Uncle Jim let out a short chuckle. “Your mother used to put you in a new dress every day. And every Sunday she’d take you to church, and we’d all go out for pancakes afterwards. You used to go crazy for chocolate chip pancakes.”
I tried to think hard and dig up the deeply buried memory in my head. An image popped up of me in a frilly Sunday dress with a mouth smeared with chocolate and syrup. But I didn’t know if it was a recollection of something that really happened or just an image my brain came up with to fill the void.
“That was before her and Doug got back together, of course,” Uncle Jim continued. “Your aunt and I tried to convince her you two were better off without him, but she wouldn’t listen. Said that her little girl deserved love from both parents.”
“Well, that didn’t turn out how she’d planned.”
“Life never does. But she tried. For a good while, she tried to make it work.”
Billy had wandered over to our side of the fence. He crept toward us, keeping his head low. I crouched down and reached my hand out through one of the slots. He took a few more steps, sniffed the tips of my fingers, and then coaxed my hand for a pet on the head.
“See that,” Uncle Jim said.
I smiled and rubbed the back of his ears. “I guess he does remember.”
“Just took a few minutes, that’s all.”
Billy had enough of the reunion and darted back to annoy the other goats.
Uncle Jim wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we headed back to the house. “Maybe someday, you’ll remember, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
It seemed like every asshole within a fifty-mile radius had come to the club that night. They were coming in waves throughout the night. The first group to make trouble was already drunk when they walked through the door. It didn’t take long for Donny and the other bouncer to kick them out.
It was unusually busy for a Thursday, and in just a few hours of working, I had already made my money for the night.
The doors to the club opened, and the room swelled with another large group.
“Damn,” I said to Marissa. “What’s going on tonight?”
“Full moon,” she said, pouring a few shots. Her boobs were spilling out of the black corset she was wearing. “Brings them out of the woodwork.”
I spotted Sal surveying the room. Standing still was forbidden when the club was extra busy. So was eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. Basically, anything that wasn’t making him more money.
I walked around and tried to gauge who to approach first. Who wasn’t too drunk yet or who looked like they had some money to spend.
“How you doing tonight?” the only guy wearing a black Stetson said with a southern drawl. He took a swig of his beer, his eyes barely opened.
His clothes were clean, and he didn’t smell too bad, other than the usual tobacco and alcohol odor. He definitely ranked low on the gross scale. Nothing was worse than trying to give a l
ap dance to someone who smelled like they hadn’t taken a shower in a week. If my night hadn’t been going so well, I wouldn’t have been able to be so picky. But any money I made for the rest of the night was just icing on the cake.
“Can I help you with something?” I said. Playing coy usually paid off.
He gave me a lopsided smile. “I don’t know, can you?”
“What are you a cowboy or something?”
“What makes you say that?”
I gave him a onceover. “I dunno. The cowboy boots? Or maybe it’s the hat.” I tapped my chin.
He chuckled. “You don’t miss much, do you?”
“No, I reckon I don’t,” I said, attempting to mimic his accent. “So where are you from?”
“Drove all the way here from Texas. You ever been to Texas?”
Something about that accent had me strangely drawn to his mouth.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Never been anywhere really.”
“Me, neither. I’m here visiting my cousin for a few days.” He nodded toward the small group behind us. The waitress was handing out their drinks as they watched the football highlights on the flat screen. “It’s his birthday.”
“Well, it looks like you guys are looking for some fun.”
He took another swig of beer. “I reckon you’re right.” His dark eyes swept over my body. “You look like a girl who knows how to have fun.”
I smiled. “And you look like a perfect southern gentleman.”
“Well, I did promise my mama I’d keep out of trouble as best I could.”
“Troublemaker, are we? You don’t seem like the type.”
He smiled a little harder. “Well, little darling, the night is young.”
“I’m Maeve,” I said, reaching out my hand.
“Randy.” He took my hand and gave it a few good pumps.
It didn’t take long to convince Randy that he wanted a private dance. After he’d done another round of shots with the group he was with, I led him to the back room.
His already alcohol-flushed cheeks reddened even deeper when I started to dance. His hands glided down my thighs a few times, but I didn’t mind. Guess I was a sucker for a cowboy.
“Damn, girl,” he said after the dance was over. “You sure do know how to move.”
I adjusted my lingerie and smoothed out my hair. “Glad you enjoyed it.”
He remained slumped back in the plush seat. “How about you join me for a drink at the bar?”
“Oh, I don’t drink.” I leaned over and brushed my lips over his ear. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”
I left the room with him still in his seat, on the lookout for my next target.
* * * *
I hovered over Donny as he lay on the floor, cupping his nose. Blood seeped through his thick fingers.
“Donny?” I said, trying to keep centered as the red liquid trickled down his hand. “Can you hear me?”
He nodded and peeked his eyes open.
The room had erupted in complete chaos within a few minutes. Donny and the new bouncer—Joe, I think, or John—had been trying to keep the peace all night. The mood had been teetering between relative calm and all-out bedlam for most of the night. All it took was one table full of drunk assholes to collide with another group of drunk assholes to disrupt the delicate balance.
My gaze darted around the room as I tried to assess the situation. The new guy was nowhere to be seen and a bunch of chairs and a few tables were flipped over and scattered around the room. I squinted, my eyes trying to adjust as someone brightened the lights. It was funny how different the place looked when it wasn’t covered in darkness.
A couple of girls rubbed their elbows or shoulders, probably from having been in the middle of it when the fights broke out. Other than Sal and a few other dancers, the room had cleared out.
“Where are the hell are the cops?” I shouted at Sal. “And the ambulance?”
Donny was wincing in pain. “My chest,” he sputtered. “I think I broke my chest.”
“Just…don’t move,” I commanded. “They’ll be here soon.”
Sal stomped around the room, cursing at the mess, no doubt silently adding up all the money he’d lost.
“Sal!” I said.
He stopped mid stride and looked over his shoulder at me.
“Did you call the cops?” I asked.
“No cops,” he said in a stern voice.
“But look at this place.” I held up my arms like the damage wasn’t obvious.
“No. Cops.”
I let out a huge sigh and crossed my arms. “Fine, then call 911. Donny’s hurt really bad.”
He snapped his fingers at the new bouncer, who’d magically appeared from the back room. “You…take Don to the hospital.”
The new guy’s frown settled deeper in his face when he spotted Donny bloody on the floor.
“You can’t do that,” I yelled. “He could be seriously hurt!”
“Remind me again why you’re still here,” Sal said. “All of yous, get the hell out of here!”
A few girls jumped at the tone of his voice and scurried back to the dressing room.
I joined the new guy by Donny’s side.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sal sneered.
“What does it look like?” I bent over and hitched a hand under Donny’s arm. “I’m helping him get Donny into the car.
Sal shook his head and gave me a dismissive wave before letting out his aggression on an innocent table that had survived the brawl. Another stream of obscenities left his mouth when his foot went right through the table after he’d kicked it.
Donny groaned and cringed when we brought him to his feet. Honestly, I didn’t think I was doing much to help. Donny was well over three hundred pounds. I could barely hold his arm up without some serious effort.
“Thanks,” the new guy said to me, grimacing from under Donny’s weight. “But I think this would actually be easier without your help.”
“Right…” I slid out of Donny’s grasp, the sound of broken plates crunching under my shoes, and watched as the new guy lugged him outside.
My shoulder ached, the soles of my feet were burning, and I barely had the energy left to grab my stuff from the dressing room. I threw my change of clothes over what I was already wearing. The sooner I left that hell hole the better.
I scoped out the parking lot before venturing out. It was spotted with a few cars, and two of the three streetlights were still turned on. Normally, I’d have Donny walk me to my car at the end of my shift. A few groups of people still lingered in the parking lot, laughing and having loud conversations.
“Crazy night, huh?” Marissa said beside me.
“Yeah,” I said. “This place is really going to shit.
“Told you,” she pointed toward the sky, “full moon.”
I followed the path of her finger, aimed at the bright, white circle dotting the black sky.
“Full moon,” I muttered. “You were right.”
We walked in unison for a while.
“You okay, sweetie?” she asked.
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need to sleep this night off.”
Marissa wandered toward her car and opened the door. “You got a ride home?”
“Yeah,” I said. “My car’s right there. Thanks.”
“See you tomorrow night?” she asked.
“You know it.”
She gave me a small smile and got in her car. I didn’t waste any time doing the same.
Once I was locked inside the car, I rummaged through my bag for my phone.
Every corner. Every pocket. Even the outside pockets.
“Shit,” I said to myself.
I’d forgotten it inside the club. I’d developed this habit of checking my phone every chance I got during my short breaks. It’d become a diversion when I wanted to forget where I was for a few minutes. I always made sure I had it before leaving. Always! I must have been so distracted
by everything that had happened. I hadn’t been thinking clearly.
My hand hovered on the handle a few seconds before opening the door. How fast could I run inside and get back in the cocoon of my car?
I trotted past a small group and avoided eye contact.
“Hey there, darlin.’”
Randy, the cowboy, leaned against a truck. His arms were crossed and the black Stetson was dipped low on his head.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you still doing here?”
He left his group and walked in my direction. “Just listening to these guys argue about where they want to go next.”
“Not enough action for one night, I guess.” My shoulder throbbed, and I gave it another rub.
“You weren’t hurt, were you?” he said.
“No,” I said with a small laugh. “I’ll be fine.
“If it’s still bothering you in the morning, you might want to have it checked out.”
“What are you a doctor or something?”
“Nope. Just been in my fair share of confrontations.” His fingers skimmed the brim of his hat.
I laughed. “Well, I’ll be sure to call my doctor first thing in the morning.” I took a few steps toward the club.
“You sure it’s a good idea to go back inside there?” he asked.
“I just forgot something.”
“You want me to walk you?”
The number of people in the parking lot was slowly dissipating.
“You really are a southern gentleman, huh?”
He smiled and escorted me back inside where Sal had locked himself in his office. The place was deserted so it was easy to pluck my phone from its usual hiding spot—behind the makeup mirror.
Randy walked me through the empty parking lot back to my car.
“I’m in town for a few weeks,” he said. “I was thinking maybe I could see you again…outside of a work-related visit, that is.” He gave me a small smile, a little bit of his pearly whites peeking through.
He’d been the first guy to approach me in a while. But the flattery was lost on me. His attempt only served as an unwanted reminder of my available status.
“Maybe,” I said. “I’m not trying to jump into anything right now.
“Nothing serious,” he replied. “Just maybe a drink or two. Innocent enough, I promise.” He outlined a cross over his heart.