I didn’t know Ramsey, at all really, but what I’d learned today had explained pretty much everything. I knew for a fact that he hadn’t given permission for this to get out. He wanted his secrets to stay that way. Everything would change for Ramsey with the town knowing the truth. His tough façade would be replaced with pity.
Once I climbed in the car with my family, I knew that he was going to be on my mind until I saw him again. It wasn’t just his problems that I was concerned about. That kiss may not have been meant for me, but it sure did a number on me, just the same.
Chapter 9
Ramsey
I woke up and had no idea where I was. After assessing my surroundings, I realized that I was in my bedroom at the cabin. It was dark outside and I could hear the crickets and other insects outside making their normal nightly sounds.
As I tried to stand up, my headache kicked in, sending me back down on the bed.
The weirdest thing was that when I went out into the living room, it was cleaner. A trash bag was tied and leaning against the kitchen entryway. I looked further and saw that even the dishes were done. Thinking that someone had been in my house, I headed toward the door and found that it was not only locked, but my keys were right where I usually left them.
Had I been that inebriated that I didn't remember doing all those things? I remembered arriving home and drinking, but nothing after that. I knew I could scratch my head all day and not make sense of things. Plus, the problem that had caused my needing to become intoxicated was still out there. By now half the town knew about my family. I hated to think how many people were going to confront me about them and my feelings.
I had several missed calls from the station, as well as a few numbers that I didn't recognize. The clock on the microwave read eleven. I'd slept the whole damn day away.
Deciding not to push my luck, I called my deputy to see what all I had missed. Just like every day, it was pretty quiet. He had called me to make sure I was alright and let me know that a few people from town had called for me, including both of our two pastors.
I knew what they wanted.
They wanted to offer me counseling to help me get through my horrific ordeal. The pastor from where I'd lived before had offered me the same thing. Nothing was going to help me unless someone could raise the dead.
At close to midnight I called it a night. There was no way that I was going to find anything to do to clear my mind and my head was pounding, so bad that I just wanted to take some pills and sleep it off.
The next day I did go into work, except I locked myself in my office and did some paperwork that I had procrastinated over. By the time that four came around, my stomach was growling something fierce. I needed a good filling meal and there was only one place I knew where to go for that.
Last Mile Bar and Grill may have had a new employee running the place, but the food was still just as good. I think Sue was still doing most of the cooking from home. When I walked inside, I spotted the good looking blonde behind the bar. She looked up when she heard the door, but looked shocked to see me. It made no sense since we'd actually gotten along the last time I'd come in.
Figuring that she was just having a bad day, I headed toward the bar and sat down. This was far enough out of town where I never ran into anyone. It was also rundown and I think it scared most locals away. Since I was officially avoiding my town like the plague, this was the best place to be.
Vessa approached me with the same look on her face. "What's for dinner?"
"We went shopping today. You can have anything on the menu. I made a big pot of spaghetti if you like that." She refused to look at me. I didn't get it.
"You made it?"
A half smile formed in the corner of her lip. "Oh my word, am I dreaming or did you just say something funny?"
"It happens every once in a while." Truthfully, I couldn't even remember the last time I had made a joke for the purpose of making someone smile.
"I will have you know that I can cook pretty damn good. If you'd rather have a microwave hotdog, I'd be glad to get you one." She handed me a drink and waited for my comeback.
"I guess I can try the spaghetti, since you claim to be so good and all."
She let out an air filled laughed as she shook her head and walked back into the kitchen. A couple minutes later she came out with two plates of spaghetti. She sat one in front of me and slid the other one right beside it. Then she placed two sets of silverware down near the plates. I looked around, but didn’t see anyone around that was waiting for food. It only took Vessa a second to make herself a soda and walk out from behind the bar to sit next to me.
She looked over and smiled as she grabbed her fork and took a bite. "Don't look at me like that. I'm starving and this is one of my favorites. If you need to take your plate over to your little corner, be my guest. I just thought it would be nice to not have to stand up and eat behind the bar."
I watched her take another bite and start chewing again. She opened her mouth with food still in it, to see how I would react. I shook my head and grabbed my own fork. It wasn't until I'd taken a couple bites that she put her fork down and stared at me. "What?"
"I just figured you'd get up. I don't know much about you, but I know you don't like company. I must be growing on you."
I didn't know if it was that or the fact that the whole world was closing in on me and she was the only person that wasn't judging me. I hadn't wanted a friend in a long time, but things had changed. My secret was going to spread throughout the town and eventually Sue and Vessa would know it too. For some reason, I wanted to be around her before she too felt sorry for me and pushed me away.
"I just wanted to be close to the bar when I died of food poisoning."
Vessa smacked me in the arm, making me laugh out loud. Her eyes got real big and she smiled too. "I had no idea that you had teeth. I mean, you never show them. I didn't think you knew how to smile, with all your hermit qualities."
She took her napkin and wiped her lips, but as she pulled away, I noticed something familiar about her mouth. When I thought she noticed what I was staring at, I turned my attention to my plate of food. "I always liked having this for dinner. My mom used to make these garlic knots that..."
"Oh shit!" Vessa went running into the kitchen.
I got up and followed behind her, taking her tone as a sign that something was wrong. By the time I got in there, she was waving a towel in front of a very smoky open oven. I could smell the garlic and realized what was going on. "Guess that's our garlic bread?"
"Damn, I made that from scratch. I can't believe I forgot about it. They're ruined now." She walked over to the counter and pulled out four slices of bread. "Guess this is the best I can do."
It was hard not to laugh at her. I'd been teasing her so much that she'd set herself up for another catastrophe. The thing was, smiling made me feel better about what was going on in my life. I wanted to be angry; to beat the shit out of something or go to the shooting range. Being around this woman, settled me down. I just couldn't explain it.
I walked over and grabbed the pieces of bread, taking a bite in front of her. "If I was at home, I'd be eating Ramen noodles again. Your aunt has been feeding me dinner since I moved here. I have to say, she's one hell of a cook, but you are the first person to feed and entertain me."
She smacked me again on the arm. "Stop teasing me. I liked you better when you were just a douche."
"A douche? I've been called many things, but never a douche. Just because I don't like to socialize, doesn't mean I'm a douche."
Vessa picked at her bread. I watched her looking down, like she was confused. It was the same look from when she first saw me. "I don't get you. Ever since I moved here, you've made it clear that you didn't want friends. What changed in the matter of a day?"
I pinched my nose, feeling that burn when you first start to feel that migraine. "Would you rather me go back to not talking to you at all? I didn't say that I wanted to share life stories a
nd shit."
She growled and started walking back out. "Whatever!"
When I followed her out, there still wasn't a single person in the bar. Tuesdays were slow. I liked coming in then because I was usually by myself. I sat down next to Vessa and finished my food in silence. When I pushed my plate out from in front of me, she stood up and grabbed both of them to carry to the kitchen.
Maybe this was a bad idea. I had no business trying to be friends with someone that had her own problems. That is when I realized it was because of her situation that I could relate to her. She too, was broken in her own way. It was also the reason why I couldn't be her friend.
I pulled out a twenty and sat it on the bar. While she was still in the back, I decided that it was better for me to just go. Obviously, she was confused about my actions and to be honest, I was too.
My hand pushed on the door for it to open. "You are seriously going to leave without saying goodbye?" She was standing with her hands on her hips.
"I enjoyed your cooking, Vessa, but I think it's best if I just go. I can't do this."
"Do what? We are two adults, Ramsey. I'm not asking for your damn hand in marriage. Look, I have no friends here. Like none! In fact, I don't have many friends back home either. I gave up my social life for the sake of my family. My life is so messed up, but when I'm working, I feel like I can breathe. My aunt is great and I am awfully grateful for her to take us in, but I need to be me once in a while."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because, maybe my aunt was right. Maybe we both need a friend." This was exactly what I didn't need. I had thought that this was the one place that I could come to for peace.
I looked down at the floor and thought about telling her that it was a bad idea. Just as I went to open my mouth and say it, something stopped me. I couldn't be mean to her for selfish reasons, no matter how much I wanted to just walk away. "I'm a terrible friend."
"Teach me how to play pool. I won't ask you anything unless I win a game. I don't even care if you talk to me. I just like the company."
I sighed. What could playing pool hurt? She wasn't pressing me about personal things and I kind of liked the company too. "This is a bad idea." I followed her over toward the pool table.
She grabbed a stick off the wall for herself and turned around to look at me. "My whole life has been bad ideas. I'm not afraid." I watched her bend over and take a shot at a ball that was just sitting on the table.
As the night progressed, so did my alcohol consumption. By my third drink, I was looking at Vessa in all the wrong ways. Try as she might, but she still hadn't won a single game. Since I didn't have to answer any personal questions and I was pretty content with staring at her ass, I had her make me another drink.
A few people came in after we'd been playing for a while. When she went to go wait on them, I sat down and watched her working. I knew it was the alcohol making me think about her that way. Her full breasts filled out the fitting shirt she was wearing and her jeans left nothing for the imagination. She had to know how sexy she was, especially if she had always been a bartender. There was no way in hell that she didn't get hit on daily.
I closed my eyes and let myself imagine her being naked in front of me. I thought about having her sweet lips on parts of me that hadn't been touched in a long time. As I concentrated on what it would feel like to have her riding me, I heard someone clearing their throat. "You falling asleep on me?"
My eyes opened wide to see her standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. "No, ma'am. I was just resting my eyes."
"That couple just left, so it's just us again. How many questions are you up now?"
I lost count after seven. "About ten."
"I will answer two."
"That isn't what we agreed upon," I teased.
She hopped up on the pool table and sat on it, with her feet dangling. "What do you want to know about me, Sheriff?"
Right at that moment, I wanted to know things that I could never ask. "What is your husband like?"
She leaned back on the pool table and started to laugh. I didn't understand what was so funny, but at this point, I didn't understand much of anything.
"Why would you ask that? I think that is the weirdest question ever. He's a dick. He cheated on me over and over again and now some girl that is barely legal is carrying his child."
I could tell that she hated me for asking that. It was too late to take it back. "He's a fool."
She suddenly straightened up her body and looked at me. "I thought so too."
"He should have been focused on his kids instead of someone else’s. You never know when something bad could happen and you may never see them again." I paused, thinking about Katie and how much I wanted to say to her. Then I realized that I opened up a can of worms that I wasn't willing to explain. I stood up quickly and put my stick away. "I gotta go."
She hopped down and followed behind me. "Ramsey, wait! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to get my ass to bed."
"You've had a lot to drink. Do you want to wait and I will follow you home?"
"I'm fine!" I wasn't, though. For the past couple hours I had been thinking of how many ways I wanted to fuck her, all the while knowing that every second spent with her was only making my life worse.
I didn't look back as I headed for my truck, or when I pulled out of the parking lot.
Chapter 10
Vessa
I couldn’t believe that he had come into the bar and acted like he hadn’t just seen me. I mean, not only had I been at his place, but also we’d kissed. Now he was just going to come into the bar and act like nothing ever happened.
This guy was unreal!
It only took a little while for me to realize that it was possible that he had been too drunk to remember. As the night progressed, I was getting the feeling that Ramsey had no idea that he’d even left his house at all.
To say that it was for the best would have been an understatement. The last thing that either of us needed was for him to find out that I’d not only been in his house without permission, but also that I’d let him think I was his dead wife.
The kiss may have been just a memory for him, but it was something else for me. What started out as me just pretending, had turned into a moment of passion. It was something that I couldn’t wrap my head around. Here was this guy that I barely knew anything about and yet I was obsessing over him like I was in high school.
I felt like I needed to help him; to fix him in some way. It wasn’t like I expected him to want me in some kind of intimate way, but I did want him to trust me. He needed a real friend. Of course, if he knew about my lying, I was sure I’d be the last person on that list.
It was getting late, but a couple came in and ordered the special to eat. I served them a couple of drinks and then their food once it was heated. As they enjoyed each other’s company, I started to clean up and prepare for the morning shift. My phone started ringing about halfway through what I was doing.
Hello?
It’s your aunt. Listen, Logan is all upset. I tried to calm him down, but his father really got him upset over the phone.
What do you mean? What happened?
Well, you know that fishing trip that he promised him this weekend?
Yeah. Don’t tell me he backed out? Logan has been wanting to do that for two years now. How could he do that?
Claims he has something more important. If you ask me, I’d like to cut off his balls and feed them to a pack of pigs.
That would be hard to do since I am going to rip them off with my bare hands.
I just wanted you to know. Oh and if you haven’t figured out, he can’t take the kids at all this weekend either.
Okay, I am calling him right now!
I told you when you were in high school that he was loser.
I know. Everyone did!
See you at home, sweetie. Don’t worry about Logan. He may still be upset, but it looks like he’s finally fal
len asleep.
Good. See you in a bit. I won’t be late. It’s slow tonight.
I didn’t wait to calm down before I started calling Gavin’s number. I was so damn pissed at the man. How could he think that standing up his kids was something that would be okay with me?
What do you want, Vessa?
Don’t you even talk to me in that tone. How could you do this to Logan? Do you have any idea how important this was to him?
Things came up. It ain’t like we can’t do it another weekend.
You promised him this weekend. You only get them twice a month and already you are cancelling. What kind of father are you?
Don’t be a bitch, Vessa. I’ve got other shit to do this weekend. I figured that you would be fine with it since you’re so hell-bent on being mother of the year and shit.
Screw you, Gavin. I do my best to make sure our children are cared for. There isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for them. Nothing is more important. Obviously we have much different opinions on parenting.
Jesus, all you ever do is nag. I don’t know how I put up with that shit for as long as I did.
You rotten bastard! You lied and cheated and then are going to blame me for our failed marriage?
I cheated because of how you were. You just wait and see. I bet no man will ever want to be with you. There ain’t no one that likes a woman with as many bitch qualities as you.
Oh, so I guess your little teenage slut is so much better?
I don’t give a shit about her. There’s plenty more where she came from.
You are an asshole. The biggest asshole I have ever met. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t see your kids ever again. I hate you so much!
The feeling is mutual.
Go to Hell!
I just got out of it on the day you moved out!
Hustle Him (Bank Shot Romance #2) Page 7