“Whaaat? Oh Jesus, you sound like me. I dropped an entire pot of coffee on the floor last week. Thank God the babies were in the living room.”
I grimaced. That would have been horrific. She had the most beautiful twins I’d ever seen. I couldn’t imagine one of them being scalded.
“The reason I called, do you think Logan can throw a stitch in this lip of mine real quick, so I can take off out of here? The apartment is empty. I don’t want to wait at the clinic, then get a late start as that’ll put me into Bakersville after midnight.”
“Absolutely. I’m positive he can do that for you. He never travels without his bag. He says you never know when an emergency will happen, but between you and me, I think he carries it around for the kids. I swear to God; the man has a band-aid ready before they even do anything to themselves.”
I chuckled and felt a sting on my lip. Bad idea.
Kate continued, “Just come by the hotel. We’re here for a couple of hours while the kids sleep.”
“Sure thing. I’ll be over there in a few. Thanks, Kate. I owe you.”
“Never. You’re always welcome in my home, no matter where we are.”
While I drove to the hotel, I started feeling better about things. Even though I wanted to take a bat to David, his car, his house, and everything else that he owned. That would be crazy, though. No matter if he deserved it or not.
Logan met me at the door, took one look at me, and frowned. These alpha males and their instincts for trouble were uncanny.
“I fell down the stairs and I don’t want to talk about it,” I explained quickly. “Kate said you might be able to give me a stitch or two really quick.”
He clenched his jaw. The expression on his face told me he wasn’t happy with my excuse. He knew.
“Come in, and I’ll take care of it,” he growled. “And if this is a problem, I’ll take care of that too.”
I shook my head. “It’s no longer a problem. It was just a surprise, and it’s not happening again. Ever.”
Walking behind him I heard him mutter, “If you need help burying the body, I’m here.”
I chuckled but tried to keep my lip from moving. “Thought about it, but no.”
Kate came rushing across the suite’s living room and grabbed my shoulders. “You look like hell warmed over. You have to watch your footing. Was it the concrete stairs outside your apartment?”
“Yeah. Stupid stairs and a heavy box.”
Logan muttered something again that I couldn’t quite catch.
After grabbing his bag, I was seated at their dining table while he cleaned and sutured the cut. When he was done, he pointed me to the bathroom to clean myself up a little more and rinse my mouth out.
I felt a whole hell of a lot better when I emerged again. When I stepped into the living area, I studied their hotel room. They'd gotten one of the suites with a full kitchen and living room split between two bedrooms. Nice place to stay if you had to slum it in a hotel. Geesh.
Seated on the couch, Kate glanced at me and smiled. “Are you sure you can’t stay for lunch on Friday? All the girls are getting together. We'd love to have you join us.”
“No, I’m out of here in about fifteen minutes. But I’m going to miss you guys. Saw Liv earlier. Julia stopped by last week. I think I’m hugged out,” I chuckled. “You ladies make it hard to leave, but I need to take care of mom.”
She had a sad expression in her eyes as she played with a pen on the side table. “Yeah. You need to take care of yourself, too. I know it hasn’t been easy.”
For some reason I knew that she was talking about Cade. It warmed my heart that she recognized the grief I’d been going through, while making it even harder to leave. These were the friends that I’d made, and their friendship meant the world to me.
Logan brought me a bottle of meds and handed them to me. “Just the normal stuff. Two now and maybe one tomorrow if it hurts. The stiches are dissolvable, but I would suggest going into a clinic and getting it checked out next week. Ice for the swelling.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I replied, taking the meds from him.
He leaned in and whispered, “Things are going to get better. I promise. Trust me on this.”
When he stepped back, Kate gave me a long hug before I left.
Wiping my tears as I stepped out of their hotel, I climbed in my SUV and headed to pick up my trailer. The movers were packing it for me in the next hour, then I was out. On my way to a new beginning.
Chapter Three
“Two thousand dollars is not what you owe me for vacation, Olivia! You’d better take it out of my account and call me back!” I barked into my phone.
I’d left no less than three messages for her already, and she wasn’t picking up. She was either hearing and ignoring them, or just being stubborn. I could almost picture her laughing at each and every single message.
The money was too much, and I wasn’t going to spend a dime of it. An email from Liv had hit my inbox the day it was deposited. It was very official in appearance, with Aiden’s corporate header, where he and Liv had thanked me for my years of service. They’d called it a bonus, but I knew it was the “gift” Liv had talked about. Either way, it was too much.
I glared at my cell, then shoved it in my back pocket.
Tapping on the steering wheel of my car, I observed all the businesses that were in the neighborhood near the bar. I was sitting in the parking lot waiting to go in and meet with the owner, but I’d forgotten that the drive between my mom’s house and this side of the city took less than fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes max if I walked.
I flipped down the mirror and checked my hair and makeup for the fiftieth time. My dark auburn hair was trying to behave today. Pulled back in a ponytail, it kept the long locks under control at work. It felt like my hair was always tied up in a ponytail, and I rarely even saw myself in a mirror with it down.
Not quite a brunette and not quite a red-head. That’s what I was. Although the red coloring was fair warning for most observant men before they pissed me off, the ones that didn’t pay attention, typically got a black eye.
Minimal makeup, just some eye-liner and blush. It hadn’t changed in the last five minutes since I’d checked. The small bruise on my jaw had been covered nicely and I doubted anyone would even notice. I decided to put on some lip gloss just to pass the time. I carefully applied it since the stitches were still in place.
I shoved the gloss into my backpack that was sitting on the floor on the passenger side. It looked a little ratty with frayed straps and worn edges. Which reminded me that I needed to do some shopping for a new one, and maybe for some other things as well. Too many of my possessions were starting to look a lot like the backpack.
Getting settled in Bakersville wasn’t half as hard as I thought it might be. It was a small city with a lot of charm. At least my mother thought so. Growing up here wasn’t fun due to the lack of entertainment for kids in their teens, but for the twenties and up generation, it was a nice place to either retire or have kids.
I was a little surprised that they had a new bar. When I’d been visiting with my mom one weekend she’d pointed it out in the newspaper. Newspaper! Because Bakersville residents still had them and bought lifetime subscriptions.
Technically, the bar was outside of the county line, but within city limits. An important detail due to the sale of hard liquor. It couldn’t be sold or consumed at a bar within the county but could outside the county. It was called a “dry county” and the rules were so convoluted, that I highly doubted the city council even knew all of the restrictions. Regardless, Bakersville seemed to still be living in the nineteen-twenties.
They had plenty of local places that needed wait staff, if I decided the bar wasn’t to my liking, and Dallas was less than fifty miles away. Not a huge drive by any means. It was a straight shot down the highway, and I loved driving.
I pulled my phone out of my back pocket again and checked it. Still early, but more cars pulled into t
he half empty parking lot and some people went inside.
I grabbed my bag, got out of my car, and smoothed my jeans down. They were a little tight, but with a few more workouts they would fit perfectly. I hit the key fob to open my trunk and threw the bag inside before locking the doors and setting the alarm.
Straightening my cherry red t-shirt, I set off across the parking lot. My black mid-calf boots crunched over loose cement rocks as I approached the building. The neon sign outside said Rounders, and was already lit in anticipation of the sun setting soon.
I opened the door and wasn’t surprised by the interior, but it had some different things that made it unique in the Bakersville bar scene.
There was a huge circular dancefloor in the middle with tables and seats set around it. By the looks of it, there were two bars, both on opposite sides of the room. It appeared that there was another room at the back with regular dining tables and televisions.
The interior had low-lighting, wooden fixtures with stainless steel paraphernalia and seating. It looked more like a club rather than a normal bar, which was unexpected as I thought I’d applied at a bar.
I scanned the room and spotted several nervous looking, younger kids talking to themselves at a table. I was only twenty-eight, but anyone that seemed to be younger than me, automatically became a kid these days.
“Hey, guys,” I said as a greeting.
They all gazed at me as a group. Some waved by way of greeting, and some just smiled. Two men that appeared to be a little older than me, sat away from them and gave me a chin lift. By the look of them, I would guess bartenders. Slightly bored expressions, and shirts that were too tight, in order to get more tips from their drunken female customers.
Addressing the guys, I said, “I thought this place was already open.”
One of them, with a dark spikey haircut, considered me, and smirked. “For about a month now, Red. You must be the new waitress.”
Ahh, the one that wouldn’t get punched in the face since he noted the hair. He’d push it, like Pete did, but wouldn’t go too far.
“Yeah, just started, I think, but I thought it would be like a bar and grill gig.”
The other guy, with sandy blonde hair, gave me the once over, starting at my ample chest. I eyed him squarely in the face, to let him know I wasn’t going to put up with his kind.
“My name is Suzanne. Grew up here and just moved back.”
The first guy responded, “You can call me Duke. Middle name, but I hate my first one. This is Scott.”
I nodded. “Nice to meet you, where’s the office? I think I need to check in or something.”
“The owner should be here in a minute. Gary, he’s not bad. If you’re just starting tonight, he’ll probably talk to you first. Our manager, Mark, is in the office but you don’t want to go in there.”
I frowned at Duke. “Why?”
Scott coughed on a laugh. “Let’s just say we call him Dick, rather than Mark.”
Great. Another ballbuster manager.
Not what I needed, but I'd make it work for a while if I had to.
I heard the door behind me shut and turned toward it. A well-dressed, middle-aged man in a suit was walking toward us. He reminded me a little of Harrison Ford when he was younger. Brown, ruffled hair, with dopey, non-aggressive smile and tired eyes.
One of the girls spoke up. “Hey, Gary.”
He smiled at her and waved to another kid.
When I spoke to him on the phone about my start date at Rounders, I’d pictured someone that looked a little differently. Not so frumpy.
He addressed the group. “I’m sure Mark will be out in a minute. It’s Friday night and since we’ve gotten so busy, he’s going to be taking some of the bar shifts as well. Just wanted to stop by and tell you all that you’re doing a great job, and to meet with our new waitress. Everyone know where you’re going tonight? Still good?”
He smiled at me and briefly nodded before turning back to the group.
Wow. Was this guy for real? He was like the friendly dad type.
Everyone nodded except for one girl who raised her hand. She must have been straight out of high school by the look of it.
“Sir, I was hoping that I could get shifts in here. I think more people come in here.”
Gary nodded. “I understand, but if Mark feels like you’re going to do better in the sports bar, then you should talk with him about your shifts. From what I hear, you guys are doing great where you’re assigned.”
I heard Scott whispering behind me. “She just wants the excuse to flirt with you.”
Duke whispered back, “No doubt, but I’m not into anyone under the legal drinking age.”
Well, at least Duke had morals.
“Besides, college girls are so much more fun,” Duke whispered again.
I rolled my eyes. Forget about morals. Single, good looking bartenders were always like wolves among lambs.
Gary wrapped up his father of the year speech to the kids and they shuffled in one direction, presumably toward a breakroom.
He addressed Scott and Duke behind me. “Can I trust you two to behave?”
I glanced over my shoulder and caught both of them giving Gary innocent expressions. They were quite a pair.
Gary turned to me and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Is it Sonya?”
“No, Suzanne. Nice to meet you too, Gary.”
He tilted his head to the side and gave me a little frown. “Odd. I thought your name was Sonya Mullins. I think that’s what the paperwork said.”
I shrugged. “Paperwork mishap? I talked to you last week.”
Gary pinched his nose. “You know, you probably did, but with this location opening and another site in Dallas, I’ve been exhausted. There’s a woman that’s starting over there this week, and I’ll bet money she’s Sonya, even though I have her on the payroll here instead of there. I’ll fix that with Mark.”
The elusive Mark. Whoever he was.
I smiled at him. “No problem, I’m just here to work. As long as the payments go to the right bank.”
He shook his head. “I’ll fix that, I’m sure it was just a clerical error. I could have sworn that we received a letter of reference from your old boss for the Dallas location. I even called the guy. Randy, Richard? Anyway, he had nothing but good things to say about you. We talked about business for a while, then got off the phone. Nice man. Hopefully, we did the necessary background checks and paperwork.”
I blinked a couple of times. That was nice of Richard. Totally unnecessary. And given his reaction to my notice that I was leaving, completely surprising. I felt a twinge of guilt for making fun of him. He was weird, but apparently a nice enough guy to extend a letter of reference. I made a mental note to call and thank him. And to call him Rick.
“Took them. So, you have another bar in Dallas?” I asked.
“Yes, three now. They’re basically set up the same way, based off the original club we opened in New Orleans last year. We’re expanding into several cities.”
I nodded. “Any reason you decided to open one in Bakersville? Seems a little too small compared to those cities.”
He motioned for me to follow him toward a double set of doors on the other side of the room.
“Well, this is also a smaller version but if you’ve noticed, the population here has spiked in the last year, and the demographic is turning more toward the mid-twenties age group. College kids, staying in the city and attending the local community college before heading out to the bigger universities.”
“Oh, I had no idea. Just moved back to this area, actually.”
Gary smiled and opened the double doors. Behind them was a large kitchen that was currently being used by several people preparing food.
He came to a stop beside the door and observed the workers. “You’ve missed quite a bit then. We do get very busy here. Which was what we really wanted to know when we built this club. Would this type of place do well in a medium sized city of ab
out two-hundred-thousand with the right age group? We know the answer is yes to that now, so we’re considering putting this setup elsewhere. When I say we, I mean my investors and me.”
I eyed him with a little more interest. From what I could tell, he was a fairly savvy business owner and not the dopey dad type at all. Maybe he just toned it down for the younger employees.
“So, I’m going to be reporting to Mark here or you? Do you live here?”
He laughed. “No, I live in in hotels right now. I call New Orleans home, though. I’m just in the area trying to make sure all our sites are performing well. Especially this one, before Mark moves on.”
“Oh?”
He motioned me over to one of the counters to look at some of the platters of vegetables. He snagged a small carrot off the counter, held his finger against his lips, then ate it.
“Mark has opened several of our clubs. Some like this one, and a couple of other less conservative ones let’s just say. He generally stays on for a couple of weeks, then goes to a different one. Sometimes we need him to help management clean up their paperwork, personnel, etc. He’s going to be here for a few more weeks, but he’ll be in and out.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Less conservative as in strip clubs?”
He chuckled. “A few, and some other ones that are even more interesting.”
He gave me a wink.
I had no idea what he meant but decided not to ask. Anything more “interesting” than a strip club was going beyond my realm of knowledge, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Anyway, we’ve got a plate and a water over there,” he said and pointed to another counter. “Those are for Mark. Might as well take them in to him. He gets a little grouchy if he doesn’t eat.”
Ahh, the old interview by trial and error. I’d done this before at a previous job. The interview was basically, wait on the boss and if you passed, you were good to go. In this case, since I was already hired, it was wait on the boss, so he could make sure you were the right person for the job.
Damage: (Lakefield Book 5) Page 3