Shifting Lines

by Abigail Lee

  “I have a husband.” She smiled. “And a three-year-old son.”

  “What?” I was shocked. She had never mentioned that she had a son.

  “He doesn’t care that you work so much?” I couldn’t stop asking her questions.

  “He’s been around for a long time. I’ve never been one to sit around and let a man tell me what I can and can’t do.”

  I watched as she handed back change to a customer and walked over to a man waiting at the edge of the bar. I finished cleaning the glasses and shot glasses and lined the liquor bottles back in order thinking about everything she had just said.

  Once the bar top had been wiped down, I went to find Luke. He was sitting in his chair, staring at his computer screen.

  “Hey.” I sat down on his lap, facing him. “That was fun. Mel hired me full-time.”

  “Good thing I make the final decision about hiring new employees.” He kissed my lips and pulled me closer onto his hips. “You don’t have to come up here and work. That was never the intention.”

  “I know, but it was fun.” I ran my fingers through his hair. “You should let me help more. Hannah would work, too, if you let her.”

  “Hmm, maybe,” was all he said before leaning back in his chair and pulling my mouth down to his.

  “I’m out of here. Ooh, guys.” Mel walked into the office and handed me a wad of cash. “Here’s your cut from tonight. Thanks again for the help.”

  “You bet. Luke just said I could work tomorrow night, too.” I smiled.

  “I did not.” He shook his head.

  “Hey, I wouldn’t object.” Mel crossed her arms. “We made more tonight in tips than we have in months. And all of the customers were happy.”

  “See.” I winked at him.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, causing me to squirm on top of him.

  “Okay, see you both tomorrow. The doors are locked up front.” Mel turned and left the office.

  “Let’s go home,” I said once we were alone. It was well past two o’clock in the morning, and my first class started at eight thirty tomorrow.

  “We don’t have to go home to do what I have in mind.” I laughed out loud as he quickly lifted me and walked toward the new couch he had just bought after he noticed I refused to sit on the old one after discovering what used to happen in here.

  “I’m really not supposed to sleep with my employees,” he teased as he kissed my neck. “It’s against company policy.”

  “I would hate to break the rules on my first day,” I breathed out.

  “Baby.” He leaned up and licked his lips. “We’re about to break all of the rules.”

  “Where are you living next year?” Hannah asked as we walked back to our apartment after class.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I thought about extending the lease on our apartment even though you’re moving away.”

  Hannah had accepted a job in Dallas and was moving away soon after graduation.

  “I hate that I’m moving,” she whined. “But I’m excited about my job.”

  “What’s Trey doing next year?” I asked.

  “Other than leaving you, leaving him is the worst part of this decision. I really like him, Riley, but he has another year of grad school left.”

  “Dallas isn’t that far away,” I tried to reassure her. “You guys can make it work.”

  She laughed and shook her head. We walked in silence for a while longer before she brought the subject back up.

  “I figured you and Luke would move in together.”

  “Why?” I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  “You’re together every night anyway. It kind of makes sense.”

  I let her words sink in and considered that as an option. Living with Luke did make sense, but we hadn’t talked about anything like that. I wasn’t going to be the one to bring up the subject, but I had a feeling he would let me paint his bachelor pad pink if I wanted to.

  We walked into our apartment, and both of us fell onto opposite ends of our red couch, pulled blankets from the basket under the coffee table and snuggled up to watch the episodes we had recorded this week. Luke and I had spent most of the night in his office, and he was still asleep when I left his apartment this morning. I had been too tired to even wash my face before my classes this morning.

  “Are you still going home this weekend?” she asked bringing me out of my sleepy haze.

  “Yeah, I haven’t even talked to Luke about it but I was planning on leaving Friday after class. I haven’t been home in forever.” I sighed. “Even though he still thinks I was just there.”

  “Do you think he’ll go with you?” She sat up. “Have you even told your parents about him?”

  “Yes, I’ve told them about him.” I threw a small pillow in her direction. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I don’t know….” She started counting with her fingers. “Because they are super conservative, live at church, and have never drank. And, well, Luke is the exact opposite of that.”

  “He’s still a good guy,” I sighed. “But the church folk might fall over at the sight of his tattoos.”

  We both laughed as we continued watching 16 and Pregnant.

  “Can you imagine being that young and having a baby?” she asked watching the screen. “I couldn’t even handle it now, much less back then.”

  “No, I can’t even imagine that yet.” I cringed as the young dad slammed the door on the young mom holding a small baby. “This show is the best birth control there is.”

  I woke up a few hours later and saw three missed texts and a missed call from Luke.

  “Hey, sorry. I was asleep.” I walked into the other room to call him back since Hannah was still asleep on the couch. “Someone kept me up too late last night.”

  He laughed on the other end of the line. “I’m rested so I’m not sure who could’ve kept you up so late.”

  “Yeah, you probably just woke up, too,” I teased.

  He laughed again before he spoke. “Do you want to bartend again tonight? I had to fire the guy who called in sick last night.”

  “Yeah, I can be up there in an hour or so.”

  “Okay, thanks babe.” He sighed in relief. “I owe you one.”

  I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water run over my body. Once dried and dressed in short jean shorts and a black tank top, I curled my hair in loose curls and applied extra eyeliner and a light coat of lipstick. I left Hannah a note since she was still snoring on the couch and headed for the bar.

  Mel and I got to work, and the night seemed to fly by. I opened more beer bottles than I even thought possible and mixed margaritas and dirty martinis. I forgot how much fun bartending could be. I also forgot what hard work it was. At the end of the night, I plopped down on a bar stool and leaned my elbows against the bar.

  “Need a drink?” Mel smiled up at me.

  “Yeah, a coffee.” I laughed. “I forgot how much work this was.”

  “You did a great job again.” She looked at me approvingly. “Maybe you’ll like it enough to work the three nights a week with me once you start your job in a few weeks. I would much rather work with you than the other idiots he hires. Plus, my husband prefers I work with other women.”

  I smiled and saw Luke walk out of the office from the corner of my eye.

  “You ready to quit yet?” He pulled my back into his chest and began to rub my shoulders.

  “Nope.” I smiled at Mel.

  She handed me my portion of the tips, said her goodbyes, and walked out of the front door. Luke followed her and locked up behind her.

  “You want to spend the night at your place?” he asked as he turned out the lights. “The bar is closed this weekend because we have to get some repairs done, so I don’t have anything going on here.”

  “Really?” I asked. “In that case, you remember how you said you owed me one?”

  He raised his eyebrows and waited for me to continue.

  “I was going to go home to my
parents’ house tomorrow after class and spend the weekend there.”

  His face told me he knew where this was going.

  “Will you go with me? My mom is dying to meet you.”

  “I bet your dad is just dying to meet me, too.”

  “No, he’s not.” I laughed. “But he’ll warm up to you after you guys meet and talk.”

  “A whole weekend at your parents’ house, huh? You just got back from there.”

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” I started fidgeting with my hands. “I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  He leaned down and kissed my lips. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?”

  We pulled into the long driveway that led to my parents’ house. It was an old farmhouse on the edge of a small town about an hour south of Austin. My car came to a stop in front of the two-story white house. I loved the navy shutters, wraparound porch, and large white columns out front. I took in a long breath, letting my childhood memories flood my mind.

  “Your dad is going to murder me out here, and no one will ever know.” He was staring out at the old red barn next to the house. “I should just start walking back to Austin now.”

  “Stop it.” I laughed and opened my door. “Just be yourself. But, you know, with less cussing and no touching me.”

  I was still laughing when we walked up the porch and into the navy front door. My mom ran in from the kitchen as soon as she heard us.

  “You’re here.” She took me in her arms and hugged me as if she hadn’t seen me in years. “It’s been too long since you’ve come home.”

  “This is Luke.” I motioned toward him once she released me, hoping he didn’t notice her comment.

  “I’m so glad you could come down for the weekend.” She pulled him in for a tight hug, and I laughed as he stood and awkwardly patted her on the back until she let him go.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Scott.” He smiled politely. “Thanks for having me.”

  “I’ve been begging Riley to bring you here for months now. The pleasure is all ours.” She began to walk us toward the living room. “You will have to ignore your father, though. He’s being ridiculous.”

  I laughed when we walked into the living room to find my dad’s gun collection spread across the large wooden coffee table. He had a shotgun in his lap and was wiping it down with some sort of liquid and a rag. Luke stiffened beside me and looked as if he were going to puke.

  “Really?” I looked at my dad and raised my eyebrows. “This seemed like the best time to go spread your guns everywhere.”

  “Hey.” He slowly placed the gun back on the table and stood. “I’m a retired old man. It seemed like good a time as any.”

  Standing there, he looked like he was about to lead an army into the woods and start a revolution.

  “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Luke.” I motioned toward Luke again.

  Luke stepped forward and held his hand out to my dad who met him on the other side of the coffee table. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

  My dad looked him up and down, taking note of the tattoos on his forearms, and released his hand.

  “You hunt, son?” my dad asked.

  “Not really, sir,” he answered. “We lived in the city growing up, and it wasn’t a pastime of my father’s.”

  “Too bad.” My dad shrugged. “I was going to take you out hog hunting.”

  “No, you weren’t,” I interrupted. “Hogs are mean Dad, and I don’t want my boyfriend and Dad going out into the woods with guns together. Put ‘em all up, or I swear we’ll go back to Austin.”

  “Fine, fine.” My dad put his hands up as if to surrender. “Guess I’ll find something else we can do around here this weekend.”

  “And you wonder why I never come home or bring any friends here.” I looked at my mom and rolled my eyes.

  “He’s just being your father, sweetie. Nothing wrong with that. Now let’s get you two settled.”

  We walked up the stairs to my old bedroom that looked exactly the same as when I’d left. A queen-size, white iron bed took up most of the room. I still loved the shabby chic décor that covered the space. My small white desk held pictures of my high school friends and a shelf above held my prom queen crown and a few other trophies I had won while I was a kid. Luke set our suitcases down and looked around the room.

  “Luke, you’ll be in the guest room down the hall.” My mom crossed her arms and looked right at me.

  “Oh, of course, ma’am.” He picked up his bag and started to follow her down the hall. Poor Luke. He was in for a long weekend if my parents kept acting like I was twelve.

  We spent the rest of the afternoon with my dad showing Luke around the farm. Both of my parents were retired now and had never farmed the land themselves. However, my dad liked to talk and somehow transformed his years as a lawyer into tales of heroism at the farm. Luke listened and laughed, and by the time we sat down for dinner, he and my dad seemed to have an understanding that if he didn’t get too close to me and laughed at his stories, he would survive the weekend.

  With the guns back in the safe, we sat on the couches in the living room and watched a movie together as a family. I never thought someone who looked like Luke would gain the approval of my parents. A heavy weight I didn’t know I’d been carrying around lifted from my shoulders as he and my dad both laughed at Ben Stiller’s jokes throughout the movie.

  My parents went to bed way before us, and we stayed on the couch.

  “How are you holding up?” I asked and ran my hand down his back.

  “I’m officially scared to touch you, if that’s what you mean.” He shook his head.

  “I would have warned you if I thought they were going to be that intense, sorry.” I leaned my head against his shoulder. “You want to come in my room and make out.”

  “Yes.” He laughed. “But I’m too scared of your dad to even think about it.”

  “Seriously?” I stuck out my bottom lip.

  “Yep.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Not going to happen here.”

  “Why did your mom say it had been forever since you’ve been here?” He linked his fingers through mine. “I thought you were here two weekends ago.”

  I looked down at our hands, trying to figure out what to say. “I actually stayed in Austin that weekend.”

  He sat silently waiting for me to continue.

  “Everything was so intense between us, and I just wanted some time to think. I thought if I told you that I was leaving town for a couple of days, it would make it easier for me not to see you. I just needed to be sure I could put Padre behind us.”

  “You were at your apartment that whole time?” He looked hurt.

  “Yes.”

  “That weekend was hell for me. Not being with you and not knowing if you wanted to be with me.” He shook his head.

  “I’m sorry.” I ran my other hand over his cheek. “I should have told you, but we honestly sat around and watched TV and ate most of the weekend.”

  “Only the truth from now on.” He looked up into my eyes. “If you need some time to yourself, just tell me.”

  “Okay.” I gave him a small smile before kissing his lips.

  “Okay.” He rested back into the cushions and pulled me closer into his side.

  We watched another movie before going to our separate rooms. Me trying to push him into my room worked less than the begging from earlier. Damn my dad and his guns. I woke up early the next morning and went to Luke’s room. He was already gone, and the bed was made. Maybe he did decide to walk back to Austin, but I saw his suitcase still sitting in the corner. I found my mom in the kitchen cleaning up after what I assumed was breakfast.

  “Where’s Luke?” I asked.

  “He and your dad just left to go fishing,” she answered.

  “Seriously?” No way could I see Luke with a fishing pole.

  “Yes, they did.” She smiled and pushed a plate of eggs and bacon toward me. “They were both up early and dad
asked if he wanted to go. He said yes.”

  “Hmmm.” I chewed on a piece of bacon and thought about that. “They didn’t take guns, did they?”

  “No, honey.” She laughed. “Your dad was just being funny with all of that yesterday. He wouldn’t actually hurt him.”

  “Well, he wouldn’t even kiss me last night so he at least accomplished that with it.”

  She continued to clean the kitchen, and I took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of white shorts and a purple top.

  “Do you want to go to town and shop for a while?” I called down the stairs. “I haven’t been to any of the local shops in forever.”

  “I’m ready when you are,” she called back.

  Not much later, we made our way into the small town and walked our way down Main Street, stopping at all of the boutique shops along the way. I loved small town shopping. It was ridiculously overpriced, but they often carried things I couldn’t find in the larger stores in Austin. My mom saw a few of her friends, and we decided to have tea at the small coffee shop that sat next to the town square. I saw my high school friends in Austin more than I did here. We had all left and gone to college, or the guys had left to work in the oilfield. I loved this town, but the thought of moving back didn’t appeal to many of us.

  We didn’t get back to the house until mid-afternoon, and my dad’s truck was still gone. I made myself comfortable on the couch and napped while I attempted to watch a movie. I stirred from sleep when I heard a loud engine pull up the gravel driveway. They were finally back. I looked at the clock, and it was almost six o’clock. I ran out of the back door to meet them at the barn.

  Without thinking, I jumped into Luke’s arms as soon as he stepped out of the truck.

  “You’re alive.” I kissed his lips and jumped back down. “Thanks for kidnapping my boyfriend, Dad.”

  “We were just getting to know each other a little better,” my dad countered. “There’s nothing better than a day spent in a boat out on the lake.”

  “Did you have fun?” I whispered. “Thanks for going with him.”

  He leaned down and kissed my forehead before he started helping my dad unpack the fishing gear. “Yeah, it was fun.”