by M. E. Carter
Nicole makes eye contact and I know she’s wondering the same thing I am. Did Paul call Tammy or did he leave this up to us to take care of?
Tucker clasps his hands together and fidgets with his cuticles. It’s obvious he isn’t sure how to answer Tammy. He probably doesn’t want her to know he’s here because he’s been thinking about Nicole all night. Hell, I don’t even want to know that. It kind of makes me want to kick his ass to the curb.
“I’m good. Just here to hang with Nicole if she needs me.”
Tammy winks at me. I’m pretty sure she’s trying to be conspiratorial but she’s failing miserably. Still, we’ve got bigger problems to worry about right now and since I’m the manager on duty, I guess it falls to me to address.
“Tammy, did Paul happen to call you and let you know about what happened last night?”
She diverts her attention over to me. “You mean about Nicole’s ex-ass showing up? Sure did.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Nicole sounds as confused as I am. Tammy loves a good, juicy story. I assumed she would have jumped all over this one.
She surprises us all when she says, “I figured you already had enough people hovering over you, honey. Thought you might like at least one person in your life to act normal and not tiptoe around you.”
Nicole’s face softens. “How did you know I needed that?”
“I have lived a lot of life, honey. More than any of you youngins know about. It’s made me wise in my years.” Turning back to Tucker she finally puts it all together. “Is that why you’re here? You gonna be her personal bouncer all night?”
“That was the plan.” Tucker looks back up at Nicole, and I see the overwhelming like in his stupid pretty eyes. “If she’ll let me.”
“It’s not about letting you. You have practice in the morning don’t you?”
“Not an early one,” he admits. “Besides, it’s not like I’m pulling an all-night bender and then going in. I’ve done that before.” He shakes his head and blows out a breath. “That morning was brutal. If I can get through that, I can easily do this.”
Tammy waves off Nicole’s concern. “See honey? It might be a little out of everyone’s way. But it’ll make the men around here feel like they’re doing somethin’ important and if I’ve learned anything over close to thirty years of marriage, it’s that men like to feel needed.” I suppose she’s not wrong about that, even if it is an outdated stereotype. “And besides,” she leans in, lowering her voice to speak like we can’t hear her as the only people in this very small area. “It just gives me a little bit of eye candy for the evening and you wouldn’t want to deny an old woman of that, would you?”
Nicole puts her fingers over her lips and tries not to giggle. “Oh, well, in that case, I guess he has to stay then, doesn’t he?”
Tammy smacks the counter with her hand once. “Then it’s settled. Non-alcoholic drinks on the house for tonight’s bouncer. What tickles your fancy tonight, hockey boy? A soft drink or maybe a virgin daiquiri?”
“I’ll just stick with a bottled water if you have it.”
“Coming right up. Kade!” she hollers even though I’m right here. “I’ve got an order of bottled water for the eye candy at the bar.”
I just shake my head as I grab the water and place it in front of him. Like I said, if nothing else, at least Tammy will keep us all entertained.
Chapter Eleven
Nicole
I recognize most of the irritation I feel, and display, is misplaced nerves.
I don’t know how I would have made it through the past year without Paul playing the role of overprotective big brother and my sister playing, well, my overprotective big sister. I’m so grateful for them. But I’m also grateful for the people here at my work.
Who knew that everyone would jump into action the second there was even a minor threat of trouble? I’ve never experienced anything like it before. It makes me wonder where everyone was the two years I was dating Jeremy. Did no one notice or did they just not care that I had random bruises I explained away as accidents? Regardless, it just confirms that I made the right decision leaving everything behind to move here. What it doesn’t do, however, is ease my anxiety.
As the night goes on, I get more and more nervous. Every time the door opens, I jump and have a flood of fear run through me, praying it’s not him again. Even worse, I don’t want to go back into that apartment. I’m surviving this night on caffeine and the absolute desire to not go home, but time is running out before everyone leaves, and I’m not sure what to do.
The last patron finally heads out the door and Tammy turns the locks behind him. Even Tucker is already gone now that the evening is over.
“What a night.” She stretches out her arms to relieve the muscles in her back. “I love having those boys hang out but, whoo-wee. They are some high maintenance drama queens, aren’t they?”
Kade chuckles in response. I would, too but I’m busy fretting about what I’m going to do when they leave. How am I going to make it through the night again?
I don’t know if I’m wiping the counter a little too hard or if I have a strange look on my face or if I’ve been snippy all night, but suddenly Kade is next to me.
“Are you okay?”
“SureYeahWhy?” My answer comes out way too quickly and I know I’ve blown any cover I had.
“You just look like you want to throw up.”
“That’s not a flattering thing to say to a girl,” I try to joke in a bad attempt at playing off my real feelings. It falls flat though and he doesn’t take the bait.
“Are you afraid to go to your apartment alone?”
My movements stop. Closing my eyes, I drop my chin to my chest. “I’m really that transparent?”
“If I wasn’t here last night, I might not have put it together, but I was. And I’m not stupid. Nicole,” he puts his hand on my arm, stopping my circular motions that have started again on the bar top. It’s the first time he’s closed that two-foot gap between us, and I’m grateful for the contact. “The offer to come home with me is still good.” His eyes widen and he holds his hands up defensively. “Not like that. I don’t mean it like that. I mean so you’re not by yourself. And you’re not with Paul either.”
I can’t help but smirk at his nervousness. “Kade, I can’t inconvenience you like that.”
“It’s not an inconvenience,” he continues to argue and I can feel myself beginning to cave. “Really. It’s one friend helping another friend out during a time of need. I’m just providing a service.”
I tilt my head at him, trying not to laugh. His face begins to turn red like it always does when he’s embarrassed or nervous.
“Not a service,” he tries for the backpedal. “That sounded shady or like I’m an escort. Clearly, I’m not an escort. I don’t have the abs for it. Okay, I’m going to stop now.”
“Your offer is so sweet,” I say with a smile. “I just,” I sigh again feeling overwhelmed. I feel like all I do these days is inconvenience everyone. “It feels like running away. I don’t want him to drive me out of my own apartment and give him more control, you know?”
“I do. I totally know. But I also know you’ll have a harder time combatting this if you don’t get enough sleep. And you didn’t get any last night, did you?”
I shake my head. “That obvious, huh? Was it the glasses or the hairstyle that clued you in?”
“Neither. I watch you all the time when no one is looking so I know every detail of your face, which means I can tell. I also just said too much again, didn’t I?” He squeezes the bridge of his nose and grumbles, “Oh boy. This night isn’t ending well for me.”
I bite back a grin. Maybe my feelings aren’t as unrequited as I thought. “I like that you enjoy my face so much.”
“I do. Enjoy it. So please say you’ll just spend one night so you can rest.”
“Take the boy up on his offer,” Tammy interjects loudly as she slides behind the counter and places mor
e dirty glasses in the sink. “You don’t have to sleep with him but at least mess around a little bit and get in out of your systems.”
“Tammy!” I admonish, but that woman has no shame.
“What? When did everyone turn into such prudes around here?” She heads back out front, a clean dishrag in her hands.
Kade follows her with his eyes, shaking his head. “The good news is I can always count on Tammy to make things even more awkward between us.”
I giggle at Kade’s retort. “I’m pretty sure that’s why she does it. And she calls the guy’s drama queens.”
“Well, I can promise there won’t be any making out tonight, but I really think you should at least spend one night in my guest room. You don’t have to stay any longer than you want, but at least it’ll give you a night to think through things and decide if you want to stay longer.”
He makes a good point. Just one night of decent sleep will probably make a world of difference.
“Okay,” I finally agree. “But just one night.”
He holds up his hands and backs away slowly. “I would never pressure you for more.” Turning on his heel, he gets back to work balancing the till.
With three of us here, it doesn’t take long to close up shop. Once tips are divvied out and everything is shut down, Tammy leaves.
Kade, on the other hand, follows me to my apartment so I can quickly pack a bag. I’m grateful he comes with me. Out of habit, I left all the lights off so it’s pitch-black when we walk in. I’m not sure I’d make it past the doorway if he wasn’t with me.
I grab only the necessities—toiletries, jammies, clothes for a couple of days just in case, and feminine products because I’m so irregular, I never know what to expect—while Kade wanders around the small area.
“I didn’t even realize this apartment was back here until a few months ago,” he calls out as I toss my face products in a toiletry bag.
“You’ve only worked here for a few months.”
“Right. But it took me a solid two of those to figure out you weren’t going in and out of a storage room or office or something.”
Coming around the corner, I stop to get the bags situated. “You didn’t think it was weird that I never left at closing?”
“I honestly never thought about it. Maybe I assumed you slipped out when I wasn’t looking or something.”
“It’s not big.” I zip up my bag and stand up straight, stretching out my back a bit. “But the place fits me okay and the price was right.”
“Price?”
“Free.”
“Ah.” Kade does a slow nod and looks around again. “You can’t beat that deal. Are you ready?”
Grabbing my bag, I fling it over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Kade opens the door for me and waits while I lock up the apartment. And then I return the favor as he goes into manager-on-duty mode and finishes locking up the front.
We walk side by side in comfortable silence to his car. It’s a beat-up old Chevy Tahoe, probably circa the early 1990’s. It’s definitely seen better days, but the inside is clean and I learn quickly that Kade likes to follow all traffic laws. It’s three in the morning and he stops at every stop sign and looks both ways, even with absolutely no traffic on the roads.
His apartment is about five minutes away in an older neighborhood, but the building is in nice shape. It’s clear whoever owns the apartment complex takes good care of the place.
Even the inside is nice. The countertops could use an upgrade but the cabinets look to be freshly painted in the kitchen and bathroom Kade shows me.
“Is this a furnished apartment?”
He looks at me curiously. “No.”
“Oh.” I place my bag down on the spare bed and continue to eye the room. “Since it already has a bed in here, I just assumed.”
“Oh, no. It’s my roommate’s bed, actually. He asked me to store it for him and what else am I going to use this room for? It’s been doubling as a guest room for the summer.”
“Have you had a lot of guests?”
“You’re actually the first one.” He bites his bottom lip and shoves his hands in his pockets before remembering something and scurrying out of the room. “I’ll be right back.”
I take a few moments to look around the space again, appreciating that Kade would offer it up to me. He was right about coming here. The whole place feels homey and lived in, but in a good way. Like I can relax and just think. That’s better than being in my place where all I can do is freak out. Hopefully, I’ll even get a little sleep tonight.
Kade reenters the room and places a stack of linens on the bed next to my bag.
“There’s a big towel and a face towel and a washcloth. I wasn’t sure which ones you would need so I brought them all. And I’m sorry the sheets don’t match but they’re worn in just enough to be comfortable. They’re my favorites so I hope you like them.” He clears his throat and I know he’s nervous about me being here. I’m afraid he’s afraid I won’t be comfortable and I don’t like that feeling.
“If they’re you’re favorite, then I’m sure they’ll be perfect,” I reassure him. And probably also me.
He nods once and his shoulders relax. “You should get some sleep.”
I sink down onto the bed and shove my hands between my thighs. “It’s going to take me a while to calm down enough to rest.”
“Because you’re still afraid or…?”
The concern on his face is so endearing, I don’t have the heart to not correct him. “I’m still amped up from that part, sure. But mostly it’s because we just got off work. It takes a while to wind down.”
“You… wanna play Red Dead Redemption with me?” he asks while fidgeting with the band around his wrist.
“What?”
“Red Dead Redemption. It’s a video game. It usually helps me unwind after work.”
It hits me that he’s offering me a way to deescalate and distract myself from whatever ugly thoughts I might have. I don’t know how I missed that before. “Isn’t that a war game or something?”
He snickers at my very basic description. Obviously, I’m not a gamer. “Not really. It’s more like Gunsmoke on steroids, I guess. It’s won a whole bunch of awards because of how much there is to do and all the storylines. You can play online or by yourself. It’s fun.”
I admit, I’m kind of stunned. “I had no idea there were video game awards and that it was so complex.”
“Oh yeah. It’s very intense. Been around for almost twenty years and they’ve got a second version, but I want to finish the first before I move on. You can play with people all over the world, too. We don’t have to do that tonight, though. They’re probably all asleep anyway.”
I bite my bottom lip, oddly interested in seeing what this is all about. Or maybe I’m just intrigued because Kade is obviously passionate about it.
“Are you sure you want to teach me how to play? I’ll probably get killed in the first thirty seconds and that would be really boring for you.”
He looks down and shoves his hands in his pockets again. “I don’t think it’ll be boring. Not with you, it won’t. Not at all.”
I can’t help the flutters in my stomach from his words. I don’t know if he’s interested in me or is just trying to be nice, but either way, he makes me feel good.
Hands on my thighs, I push up to standing again. “Do you mind if I shower the bar off me first? I feel really sticky.”
“Sure. Yeah. Of course.” Kade slowly backs up, clearly feeling awkward but I’m not sure why. “I should… yeah… I need to do that too so, take your time.” His back hits the wall and he bounces off quickly, turning to the doorway and muttering, “Sorry,” then turning back to me. “Um, yeah I’ll be out there whenever you’re ready.”
And then he’s gone, with me standing there baffled by what just happened, but not worried about it enough to keep me from a nice, hot shower and a few minutes to process all my thoughts.
Chapter Twel
ve
Kade
“Shoot him! Shoot him!” I command like the drill sergeant I pretend I am but nothing happens.
“Why isn’t this button working?” Nicole practically squeals, her controller moving around like it’s a steering wheel because that’s going to help her shoot.
“Because you need the other one! Press the other button! Get him!”
Before she can get the shot off, it’s over. The wild boar came out of nowhere and gored her right on the spot.
Nicole drops her controller in her lap in defeat. “Oh, man. I was so close to getting on that train.”
She really wasn’t. But I don’t bother telling her that. She’s been smiling and laughing for two hours. I don’t want to take the fun away from her. I opt to go the encouraging route instead.
“You’re definitely getting better.”
Her eyes light up like I just told her she won a million bucks. Who knew Red Dead Redemption could make her so happy. “Really?”
I fumble with my controller and refuse to make eye contact. She’s not getting that much better. “You lasted a solid four and half minutes this time.”
She huffs and throws herself back on the couch. “It took us three of those just to get on the horse and get into the wild West.”
“And you didn’t get shot off your horse. That’s better than Archie, half the time.”
She punches me playfully, a laugh bursting out of her. This is the most fun I’ve had for as long as I can remember. Nicole was terrible at the game, absolute shit, but she had so much fun. Next time I’ll have to let her play when my normal friends are on. They like to give me shit about working with a girl of Nicole’s caliber. I’d like to give them a taste of their own medicine and see what kind of awkward conversations they try to have with her.
It’s not that all gamers are geeks who can’t get girlfriends. It’s just that my particular crowd is exactly like that. Archie lives in his mom’s basement. He’s alluded to having some sort of disability but it’s not my business so I never ask for details. And Rodney is married and like thirty-seven or something. Totally weird that he prefers spending his nights online with us than his wife but again, not my business.