Dirty Truths

by Renee Miller

  She looked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs and her body tensed. Relax. Promise, the future held hope and promise. He’d attempted to mend their relationship and she should show more faith in him. Kristina sat down, placed her coffee next to her on the little round table, and went back to her list. Her breath caught when Daniel cursed after a loud thud.

  ***

  Fuck.

  Daniel rubbed his knee and glared at the toppled laundry basket. Kristina had grown lazy. “Since when do you leave this shit lying around? Jesus, you’re out there on your ass doing nothing when you could have had this done and I wouldn’t have messed up my damn knee. I think I’ve got enough bruises, don’t you think?”

  “Sorry.” Kristina stood.

  And she wondered why he lost his temper with her? Stupid shit like this forced him to snap when they’d been married.

  She walked to the basket.

  He turned from her, disgusted with how she’d gone back to the trash she’d been after just a few months without him. The answering machine’s message light blinked and Daniel walked to the end table shifting the sling on his shoulder. His neck ached from sleeping too long on one side to avoid rolling on his injured arm.

  “You check this?” he asked.

  “What?”

  God, she was as thick as a brick sometimes. “The message, stupid. It could have been Desiree.”

  “I turned the phone off. I didn’t want to be interrupted last night.” She paused holding a pink blanket close to her chest. “I thought Desiree didn’t matter.”

  “Shit, you know what I meant. She doesn’t need to know we’re trying to work things out, and I don’t see any point in breaking up with her until I know we have.” He wanted to slap her, but force would get him nowhere. He wouldn’t convince her to let him come home if he lost it now. There would be plenty of time later to retrain her.

  Kristina bit her bottom lip and her eyes welled with tears.

  Daniel turned away, sick of her blubbering. Someday she’d realize life was full of shit she didn’t like and she’d just have to suck it up and deal with it. He pressed the button and waited for the machine to play the message. Expecting Desiree’s voice, a sharp pain knifed through his chest when a man’s drawl, smooth and very familiar, addressed his wife. His face warmed and fire flared in his veins.

  “Hey Kris, I know it’s late. I hope I didn’t wake you…”

  Daniel snorted and turned to pin Kristina with an accusatory glare.

  She reddened and looked down at the basket.

  “Sorry I was so nosey the other night. I just worry about you. Oh, and we got some new shirts and I need to know your size. I can guess at it but I thought you’d like one that didn’t ride up on you all the time, although I don’t mind it one bit—”

  Daniel stopped the message, punching the button so hard the machine flipped off the table and onto the floor. “Who the hell was that?”

  “Just Wade. There was a problem at the bar the other night with one of the customers and he’s just making sure I’m okay, I almost quit.” She shrugged.

  Daniel clenched his fists, taking deep breaths to stop himself from lunging at her. He knew Wade and he’d never liked the arrogant prick. Wade Bowen was dishonest and cocky, and the way he let his wife whore herself out the way she did was disgusting. Daniel had fucked her once, but only after repeated offers. He couldn’t believe a man would let his wife get so nasty. The woman knew things he’d never allow Kristina to know. He paused and looked closely at her. Had Wade been teaching his wife the same things? The thought of anyone, especially Wade, putting his hands on Kristina made Daniel want to vomit. “I heard what he said. What I want to know is why he’s calling you. Isn’t that something he could tell you at work?”

  “I guess, but he—”

  “And why the fuck are you still working there? I told you to quit.” He walked toward her.

  She backed away, her face reddening further. “I told you I’m not quitting. I thought things were going to change, you said—”

  “Shut your fucking mouth,” he roared.

  She lifted her chin.

  A chill ran up Daniel’s spine. Oh no, she wasn’t going to defy him.

  The room flashed red and he reached out for something, anything; his hand coming upon the phone sitting on top of the wall unit next to the stairs. His only thought to shut her up, Daniel picked up the phone and hurled it. Kristina ducked, but he watched with satisfaction as it glanced off her shoulder.

  “You don’t tell me anything. You do what I tell you and that’s how things run around here. If you want to fix this shit, you’re going to learn my fucking word is law and you will not have any more to do with Wade fucking Bowen. Do I make myself clear?” he clenched his jaw when she turned to glare at him as she rubbed her shoulder.

  “Get out. I mean it. I’ll call the cops if you don’t leave right now.”

  “Is this how we work things out? It gets rough and you call the cops? Good thing I didn’t get rid of Desiree. At least she knows who’s in charge.”

  “You lied to me. Nothing’s changed and you don’t love me at all.” She walked around the coffee table and to the door. “Don’t hand me your shit about wanting this to work. You’re no different than the night you left, and you never will be. I’m done.”

  “You’re done?” Daniel grinned. “Well honey I’ve just started.”

  Kristina opened the door and tried to act tough, but her chin trembled and she slouched just a little. She was scared.

  He knew she would call the cops if he pushed too much, and one more run-in with them would do him no good. He walked past her, pausing to lean close to her ear. “This is a long way from over.”

  She closed her eyes.

  He laughed and walked out the door, smiling when she slammed it shut behind him. She’d learn; whether she chose to do so the easy way or the hard way was up to her.

  ***

  Kristina sank to her knees, Daniel’s laughter as he walked to his truck ringing in her ears. She was an idiot, a fool, too stupid to see what she knew to be true. He played her like a violin and she’d sung the notes he wanted her to.

  Cadence cried in the kitchen but she couldn’t get up and go to her. She thought about Daniel’s tenderness the night before, and the words he said. How could she have missed the words he didn’t say? He never said he was sorry for hurting her. He never said he’d been wrong to hit her. No, he said they would work things out and they would learn how to get along. He would help her to learn what made him happy. What about her happiness?

  Standing on shaky legs, she sniffed, If one good thing could come of last night, it was knowing she couldn’t ever go back to him. It didn’t matter how empty or alone she felt. They were finished.

  CHAPTER 10

  The following night, a busy Saturday, Kristina’s heart did a little dance in her chest when she walked through the door of Dirty Truths and saw Wade behind the bar. Foolish as it was, Kristina couldn’t help feeling giddy just seeing him.

  He glanced up and winked.

  She smiled, lowered her head and hurried into the office to grab her new shirt.

  After searching the boxes that littered the floor, Kristina found the shirts, black fitted tees with a red maple leaf on the front and the bar’s logo across the back. She rifled through them until she found a large one. Just looking at it, Kristina knew it would be too snug for her comfort.

  “Hey, you got my message?” Wade peeked around the door.

  Kristina nodded and held up the shirt. “Um, I don’t think these are bigger than the old ones. This is a large?”

  “Yeah, sorry.”

  He didn’t look very sorry. Wade glanced behind him, came into the room and took the shirt from her, holding it up against her chest. “It’s not too bad. Covers all the important bits.”

  Kristina took the shirt back. Her hand brushed his and she jerked away at the contact, as though burned.

  Wade chuckled and draped o
ne arm over her shoulder to give her a playful hug.

  She smiled and slipped away from him, needing some distance between them.

  “I’ll go change,” she mumbled and left the office.

  Once inside the bathroom Kristina slid the lock in place. Wade was always touching her. He played with her hair, ran a hand over her back, or leaned in close when they talked. She didn’t know what to make of it, but she had to admit she liked it, even if she shouldn’t.

  Pulling the old T-shirt over her head, Kristina grimaced at her desperate need to feel wanted. She had to get a grip. It wasn’t as though Wade loved her. He didn’t even want her. He did that with everyone. It was part of his nature, but she soaked it up like a dry old sponge. She slipped the new shirt on and tugged it over her front. It fit a little better than the old shirt, but she’d have to be careful not to shrink it.

  Back in the barroom, she caught Wade’s eye.

  His mouth turned up slightly as his gaze traveled over the V-neck of the shirt and down to her legs.

  Shivering, she walked around the bar to grab her bottle opener and her cash key from the hook above the little sink.

  She managed to make it through the night, steering clear of Wade when possible and embarrassed at her stumbling efforts to remain cool when she couldn’t.

  ***

  Hoping to maintain what little dignity she had left, Kristina put as much distance between herself and Wade as possible, but each night she came in to work he found reasons to be close and touch her. He’d pick lint of her shirt, brush her back as he passed by, his hand lingering a moment longer than necessary; little things that shouldn’t meant anything, but they rattled her nerves.

  At night, his voice and the way his damn mouth tilted up on the right side when he smiled tormented her dreams. She woke each morning in a tangle of sheets, her hair hopelessly knotted from tossing about on the pillow. Sometimes she’d wake so aroused thinking about Wade and what she wanted to do to him she wanted to scream.

  The following Saturday, Kristina arrived at the bar dragging her feet. She figured it would be nuts. A local band that always drew a big crowd played, and their fans had gathered once more to support them. The front of the room was a writhing mass of bodies, dancing and waving their arms to the twangy southern rock.

  Exhausted, and not eager to run around the floor all night, she agreed to work the bar. Sheila bustled around the pool tables and past the packed dance floor.

  Wade came in late, rare for him on a Saturday night, looking frazzled.

  Kristina smiled as he passed and gave a yelp of surprise when he patted her ass before slipping by her to the office. He shut the door after turning to give her a wink.

  When he emerged more than an hour later, the night was in full swing and she had too much to do to pay him any attention. Sheila had some trouble with a group at the farthest pool table and Wade left the bar to deal with them. He rounded the revelers up and escorted them out the door. The easy way he handled himself no matter what the situation impressed her. She longed to be confident enough to take control. It seemed she had little power in anything anymore, not even herself.

  Pushing her self-pity aside, she smiled at the crowd lounging around the bar and grabbed bottles, shook cocktails, and took their money until Wade flashed the lights for last call. Breathing a sigh of relief—she didn’t think her legs could take another moment—Kristina took the last orders, made a note to change the keg in the cooler when the tap sputtered out the last foamy beer, and worked at cleaning up the mess she’d made behind the bar.

  As the band packed their gear at the front, Sheila’s voice rang out over the crowd “I don’t care where y’all go, but you can’t stay here. Drink up or it’s mine.”

  Kristina laughed. Sheila had nerve. In her place, Kristina would quietly slip around the bar, taking bottles and glasses with barely a word to anyone. But not Sheila. When she worked, everyone filed out within an hour of last call or she pushed them out.

  She caught Sheila’s eye with a wave and pointed to the cooler. Sheila nodded, coming around to watch the bar while Kristina went to change the keg. They never left an empty one overnight. Wade said empty kegs allowed air in the lines making it a bitch to pour the first few beers from the new one.

  Blinking to adjust her eyes to the dim glow, she walked to the kegs lined up on the opposite wall. A single bulb hung from the ceiling in the center of the cramped cooler, illuminating the kegs and little else. Kristina hated changing them. Heavy and awkward, she always managed to drop one on her toe, or slip on the stainless steel floor, always slick with condensation. She slid the empty keg from its position and turned to pull the full one forward. Grunting with the effort, Kristina skidded, righted herself and heaved the container up on the little ledge they sat on. She then had to push it back against the wall or the whole thing would topple over. Her fingers, slick from the wet aluminum, stung in the cold air. She hit her thumb against the valve and cursed. Unless she started bribing someone else to do this, she’d have no nails or undamaged toes left.

  When the keg hit the wall with a metallic ting, Kristina straightened. She brought her hands to her mouth and blew on them to warm up her fingers so she could attach the valve to the hose leading to the tap. Numb fingers made this difficult, but she managed to snap it into place. Rubbing her frozen hands she turned to the door and touched the handle only to have it swing back in her face.

  “Uh,” the wind went out of her lungs as the large handle caught her stomach. She stumbled back when it swung open again.

  “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Wade reached in and pulled her out of the cooler.

  The hallway was narrow, too narrow for more than one body. Kristina found herself pressed against him.

  “I’m okay,” she murmured.

  “I wanted to tell you not to worry, but I guess you’ve already changed the keg.” Wade didn’t move, trapping her between his body and the wall. He rubbed her arms with his hands.

  Kristina breathed in his scent, cigarettes and something spicy. Her head spun. She looked over his shoulder where Sheila stood at the edge of the bar, watching them while placing empty bottles along the top. “I should finish up.”

  “Okay, but you’re all right?”

  Kristina avoided his eyes, staring instead at his shoulder. “Fine, I’m fine. Sheila’s waiting.”

  Wade turned and let her step away. He followed her to the bar and brushed her back with one hand as he slipped past her to the office to disappear inside once more.

  Kristina stood, staring at the door. She jumped when a hand touched her arm.

  “I’d watch it honey,” Sheila muttered and bent to pick up an empty beer case behind the bar. “Wifey ain’t gonna like that much, no matter how much she runs around. She don’t let him too far off his leash.”

  “It’s nothing like—he’s too old for me, and I’ve known them since I was a kid. He’s just looking out for me. Jesus, Sheila, I’d never be with a married man.”

  Sheila raised an eyebrow, grabbed the bottles she’d lined up along the bar and put them in the case. She sniffed and shook her head. “That’s a fine looking man there, you don’t know what you’d do if he turned on his charm. I can guarantee he’s got the skills to go with it. Mad skills, if you know what I mean. I’ve been there. Just a warning because I like you and I can tell he likes you, which is dangerous… for you. I’m taking these out back; you behave while I’m gone, hmm?” She picked up the case of empties and walked to the door.

  Kristina stared at her back. Had Sheila and Wade? No, he wouldn’t. She walked to the bar and picked up the rag to wipe the surface, her mind reeling. What if they had? Did it change how she felt about him? She didn’t know why, but it bothered her to think he would sleep around, although she didn’t want to consider why it should. A lump formed in her stomach. She breathed deep and set the rag over the little sink under the bar. How could she lie to herself? She didn’t like the thought of Wade sleeping with anyone, not even his wife
. Kristina shook her head at her crazy feelings. She had no right to be jealous.

  “Hey, dopey. You want a ride?” Sheila said, startling Kristina out of her thoughts.

  “Yeah, let me get my stuff from the office. I’ll tell Wade we’re off.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Sheila walked across the floor, a smug grin on her face. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and nodded at the door. “Well?”

  Kristina opened it.

  Wade looked up from the cluttered desk and frowned.

  Kristina felt as though she interrupted something important. “We’re just going. I need to grab my purse.”

  Wade switched off the computer. “Wait a minute. I need to ask you about something.”

  “I’ll wait in the car,” Sheila touched her shoulder and Kristina turned.

  She winked and looked pointedly at Wade.

  Kristina blushed and turned her gaze to her hands.

  “I just have a call to make. I’ll meet you out there.” Wade turned back to the papers on his desk and picked up the phone.

  Dismissed, Kristina and Sheila left the office. Sheila said no more, pushing through the door and outside while Kristina sat on the closest stool toying with a coaster. At a soft click from the door she looked up.

  Wade smiled, glancing around the bar before coming to sit next to her. His leg brushed hers. She inched away.

  He shifted, pushing his knee against the outside of her thigh. ”I was hoping you can take on a few more hours.”

  “Of course I can, just let me check with my mom to make sure she can handle taking Cadence more often. I think I can manage at least two more shifts.” Kristina didn’t know why he couldn’t have asked her in front of Sheila. She stared at his hands as he took the coaster from her hands and fidgeted with the edges.

  “I need you to work the closing shifts. Sheila can’t do them; she’s got something else going on. So you’d still have the same number of days, but you’d be here for the whole night, no leaving early.”