by Wilder, L.
“Yeah, I know.” His shoulder slouched as he let out a solemn sigh. “Just hard to go back there, ya know?”
“I know, but it will get better. You just have to give it time.”
He lifted his head, and a soft smile crossed his face as he told me, “You know, you remind me so much of Trisha. You have the same pretty smile and bright eyes.”
Ford had told me that many times since his wife’s death. I’d seen pictures of Trisha, and while I saw no resemblance between us, I found it sweet Ford thought enough of me to compare me to the love of his life. “Thank you, Ford. That’s really sweet of you to say.”
“You know she was one of the finest teachers you’d ever meet. Everyone loved her.” He thought for a moment, then fussed, “You need to go back to school and get your degree. A pretty girl like you doesn’t need to be working in a place like this.”
I helped him off his stool and started guiding him towards the door as I told him, “I enjoy it here. You guys are like my family.”
“Bunch of old drunks is all we are.”
“No. You’re much more than that to me.” I helped him out the door and over to the bench where he could wait for his cab. I gave his arm a light squeeze as I smiled and said, “Now, hang tight. Your ride will be here soon.”
“Thanks, doll.”
“No problem.”
As I walked back inside, I heard Country fussing to Gladys, “I’ll never understand why you won’t hire more help.”
“Don’t need more help.”
“The hell you don’t. If you had a man around, then shit like that wouldn’t happen, and even if it did, you’d have somebody to handle it.”
“Haven’t had a man work here since your grandfather, and I don’t plan on changing that any time soon. Besides, Marlowe handled it just fine.” Gladys motioned her head towards the door as she told him, “Now, why don’t you and your little friend there head on out. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”
“Don’t even know why I bother.” Country stood, and as he started towards the door, he looked over to me and pleaded, “Talk some fucking sense into her, will ya?”
Knowing Gladys would’ve had my hide if I answered, I simply smiled and watched as he walked out the front door. Just as the door started to close, I spotted Ford’s cab pulling up to the curb. Once he’d stumbled over and gotten inside, I looked over to Gladys and said, “Looks like Ford’s finally gone.”
“About time.” I started clearing off the last of the tables when Gladys announced, “Time for you to be heading on home.”
“I know. I’m almost done. I just have to sweep.”
“That can wait until tomorrow.”
“Aren’t you always saying don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today?” I teased as I finished wiping down a table. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything to rush home to.”
“Just not right.” Gladys crossed her arms as she frowned. “Pretty, smart girl like you should have herself a feller to go home to.”
“Well, no such luck. It’s just me and me alone.”
“You’re wrong about that, hun.” She gave me a stern look as she continued, “Just like you told Ford earlier, we’re family around here, and as long as we’re around, you ain’t never gonna be alone.”
She was right. They were my family. I’d never really known what it was like to have one until now, and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect each and every one of them—nothing.
Chapter 3
Rafe
Country and I were about to head over to Stilettos for our night’s rotation when he mentioned wanting to stop by Crockett’s and check in on Gladys. Apparently, she’d had some issues with the bar’s cooler, and he wanted to see if he could get it going again. I didn’t mind. I’d always liked Crockett’s. Gladys was cool as shit. I loved how she always found a way to put Country in his place. There was no way in hell I’d pass up a chance to see that, and there was also the fact Marlowe would be there.
When we walked in, the place was pretty quiet. There were just a few regulars sitting around having a beer while Gladys and Marlowe stood behind the bar fiddling with the cooler. She started working at Crockett’s about a year ago. I was actually surprised to hear Gladys had hired someone. She’d always run the place on her own but hiring Marlowe ended up being one of the best things she could’ve done. Marlowe busted her ass, and she did it with a fucking smile. The customers loved her, and Gladys thought she hung the moon. And she wasn’t the only one.
From the first time I laid eyes on Marlowe, I was enamored. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was about her that had piqued my interest. She wasn’t like the other women I’d hooked up with in the past. Marlowe was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but she was quiet and timid—at least she was with me. I’d seen the way she smiled at her customers, rested her hand on their shoulders, and talked like they were old friends, and they ate that shit up. I, on the other hand, didn’t get that interaction with her. Instead, she’d just glance at me from afar, but there was something about the way she looked at me that made me think she wanted to be closer—much closer.
As we made our way over to the cooler, I couldn’t help but notice how incredible Marlowe looked. She was wearing a white off-the-shoulder blouse with jeans and boots, and her long dark hair was down. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, but then again, she didn’t fucking need it. Marlowe was one of those girl-next-door types—a natural beauty with a look of innocence in her eyes, and when she glanced at me in that way she did, I could feel it right down to my knees.
Country broke my train of thought when he dropped his tools down on the counter and said, “Okay, you two. Clear out so Rafe and I can take a look.”
“I think the condenser is shot,” Gladys told him without budging from her spot. “Doubt you’ll be able to fix it.”
“Won’t know until I take a look.”
“Have at it, big guy.” Marlowe teased as she gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Hopefully, you can get her up and running again.”
“I’m sure I’ll have better luck than you two did.”
“Only because you have the special touch,” she replied playfully.
“You know it, baby.”
Marlowe’s eyes quickly skirted over me as she started to ease past me without saying a word. Hoping to get a smile or any kind of reaction from her, I gave her a wink and said, “Hey, Marlowe. How’s it going?”
“Hey, Rafe,” she answered bashfully as a light blush crept over her cheeks. “It’s going good.”
That’s all I got before she scooted by me and around the counter. I pretended not to watch as she made her way over to one of the back tables. I also pretended not to notice the way she kept glancing over in my direction. She was checking me out the entire time she was listening to some guy give his order, and I couldn’t lie, I enjoyed the way she watched me like hawk. I liked it a lot.
“Damn, brother. You’re gonna give the girl a complex if you keep gawking at her like that.”
“What the fuck? I’m not gawking at her.” I motioned my head in Marlowe’s direction. “Hell, she’s the one gawking at me.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled. “Keep telling yourself that.”
I leaned back against the edge of the cooler as I studied her further. “I just don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“How the hell can she swing for the other team? It just doesn’t make any fucking sense. I mean, damn, look at her. The girl’s a fucking knockout.” I glanced down at Country and added, “And you’ve seen the way she looks at me, right?”
“Like you’re a fucking perv?”
“No, fucktard.” I looked back over at Marlowe once again, and just like earlier, she was watching me out of the corner of her eye. “Like she’s interested. Like eat-me-up-with-a-spoon kind of interested.”
“Already told ya, brother. The chick doesn’t do dick.” Country tossed the wrench down on the counter as he stood and sai
d, “She’s got a fucking girlfriend.”
“You know that for sure? I mean ... Have you actually met this girlfriend?”
“No, but I ain’t got to.” Country nodded his head over in Marlowe’s direction. “She’s shown no interest in me whatsoever. I mean zilch. Zero. Nada. Hell, that’s gotta say something.”
“Yeah, it says she’s got good fucking taste.” Before he rounded off with another snide comment, I motioned my hand over to the back of the cooler and asked, “You gonna be able to fix that thing or what?”
“Not today.” Country grumbled under his breath as he looked over to Gladys and said, “So, it looks like you were right. The damn thing needs a new condenser.”
“Well, shit. I knew it was coming. The stupid thing’s been on its last leg for weeks.”
“Then, why didn’t you get another one?”
Gladys threw her hands up as she fussed, “’Cause it was still working, and I ain’t about to just throw money away.”
“I wish you would just sell this shit-hole and be done with it.”
“I will when I’m good and ready. Now, mind ya business.”
“Um-hmm,” Country grumbled with a shake of his head. “Well, I’ve got to get to the club and I have plans after, so it’s gonna be a couple of days before I can get back here and fix it.”
“That’s gonna put us in a real bind.”
“Guess you should’ve thought about that when it started messing up on ya. Just keep throwing money into the dump.”
Tensions were building by the second, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before Country said something he’d regret. Hoping to stop things before they got out of hand, I stepped forward and announced, “Hold up, you two. I can fix it later tonight.”
“You sure?” Gladys asked, sounding hopeful.
“Yeah. Shouldn’t be a problem.” Praying I wasn’t biting off more than I could chew, I told them, “I’ll get one of the prospects to run by and grab the part, then I’ll come by after our shift at the club and install it.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, no big deal.” I leaned over to get a better look at the burned up condenser, then said, “Shouldn’t take me more than an hour to replace it.”
“Well, aren’t you a life saver!” Gladys replied excitedly. “I’ll definitely owe ya one.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad to do it.”
After I sent a message to Badger, one of the prospects, letting him know which part to pick up, I helped Country gather his tools. As I followed him over to the door, I took a quick glance around the bar and was disappointed to find Marlowe was no longer watching my every move. I quickly shook the feeling, and moments later, Country and I were on our way to Stilettos.
It was still an hour before opening, so the parking lot was pretty empty when we pulled up. As usual, we rode around back and parked, then went in through the back door. The dancers were busy getting dressed while Carly Joe and Mandy were doing inventory at the bar. Country plopped down on one of the corner sofas and whined like a two-year-old, “This place is dead.”
“What do you expect? It’s an hour before we open.”
“That’s my point,” he complained.
Shotgun stepped into the room as he told Country, “Don’t see why you’re bitching. Isn’t like you aren’t already here most nights.”
“Yeah, but this is different,” Country argued as he sat up straight on the sofa. “This is like waiting on some fucking bomb to drop that may never even come.”
“The point is, we’re here.” Shotgun crossed his arms, making his enormous biceps look even bigger. “We’re staying on high alert, and if someone tries shit, we’ll be ready.”
Knowing how Shotgun and Menace were tight, I asked, “I know it’s only been a couple of days, but has Menace found anything on the professor yet?”
“He’s following a lead as we speak,” Shotgun answered, sounding hopeful. “If his instincts are right, we should have more on the guy by the end of the night.”
“That’s good to hear.” I shouldn’t have been surprised. When it came to his computer-hacking skills, Menace was the best any of us had ever known. “Ready to see what this guy has to say.”
“You and me both.” After a couple of the girls came out of the dressing rooms, Shotgun let out a deep breath and said, “Guess it’s time to get to it. I’ll keep an eye out front. Rafe, you monitor the bar, and Country you cover the back.”
I gave him a nod, then made my way over to the bar. Like most nights, the place was packed, but thankfully, there were no major fiascos that needed to be tended to. I was able to just sit back and get lost in my own world of thoughts. It didn’t take long for my mind to drift to the cooler over at Crockett’s. Spending the better part of my night replacing a condenser on a worn-out cooler wasn’t something I was looking forward to, but at least there was an upside. I’d get another chance to see Marlowe, and maybe—just maybe—have an actual conversation with her. It seemed strange she’d been working at Crockett’s for over a year, and with Country always around, we’d never had a chance to really talk. I had a feeling I was wrong, but I wanted to believe it had something to do with my brother’s boisterous personality and nothing to do with me.
As soon as my shift was over at Stilettos, I met up with Badger and grabbed the new condenser, then headed over to Crockett’s. By the time I arrived, it was almost midnight, and there wasn’t a single car in the lot. I was worried Gladys and Marlowe might’ve gone for the night, but when I got to the door, I noticed the back lights were still on. I quickly knocked, and it wasn’t long before Marlowe stepped into view. She rushed to the door and unlocked it, then opened it and said, “Hey, come on in.”
As I stepped inside, I couldn’t help but notice the place was completely empty. I’d always thought they stayed open until midnight, so I asked, “You here alone?”
“Yeah.” Marlowe locked the door behind me. “Gladys wasn’t feeling well, so she closed early.”
“How early?”
“About eight, I guess.”
Surprised by her response, I asked, “And you waited around all this time?”
“I had some inventory to do, and I knew how important getting the cooler fixed was to Gladys.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hang around a little while.”
“So, it’s just you and me?”
“Afraid so.”
We both stood there for a moment, silently staring at one another like we had no idea what to do next. It wasn’t something that happened with me. I wasn’t one to hesitate. I’d always known what I wanted and went for it, but this was different. I’d never wanted someone who wasn’t into dudes, and it was throwing me off. It would’ve been different if Marlowe wasn’t looking at me like she had so many times before—like she was into me. Hell, I could practically feel the attraction radiating between us. Damn.
I gave her a quick smile as I said, “Well, I better get to it. I’m sure you’re ready to get out of here.”
“I’m in no rush.” I was surprised when she followed me behind the bar. I was expecting her to make herself scarce like she normally did, but instead, she pulled herself up on the counter and sat with her long legs dangling in front of me. “I’m kind of wired anyway.”
I was in shock. Marlowe had already said more to me than she had in months. It seemed as if something had changed and she was okay with hanging out and talking with me. As I grabbed Country’s tools from under the counter, I asked, “Long day?”
“Yeah, you could say that, but it wasn’t too bad. I’d rather it be busy than not. The slow nights seem to go on forever.”
“Can’t disagree with you there.”
“What about you? Was it a busy night over at Stilettos?”
I pulled the cooler away from the wall and started to dismantle the back cover as I answered, “No more than usual.”
“Do you like working there?”
“It definitely has its advantages.” I remo
ved the burned-out condenser as I continued, “For one, our coolers aren’t older than I am.”
“I’d say that’s a definite advantage,” she giggled.
Damn. I couldn’t believe it. I was actually carrying on a real conversation with her—something I feared might never happen, and it came easy. I felt completely comfortable with Marlowe, and from the way things were going, it was clear she felt the same about me. I wanted to keep her talking, so I asked, “You’re from Texas, right?”
“Um-hmm. I grew up in San Antonio.”
“That’s a long way from here.”
“Yeah.” Her nose crinkled with a grimace. “That was kind of the point.”
“You have a rough go of it?”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“Understood.” I could tell by the tone of her voice she didn’t want to talk about it, so I tried to change the subject. “Looks like things are going well for you here. Got a good job. Gladys thinks a lot of you. Country, too. Plus, you’ve got your girl. I’d say—”
“My what?” she interrupted.
“Your girl.” I glanced over at Marlowe, and it was clear from her expression she had no clue what the hell I was talking about. Hoping to clarify what I’d meant, I told her, “Country told me you have a girlfriend.”
“Umm, yeah.” She bit her bottom lip as her eyes drifted to the floor with embarrassment. “That’s not exactly right.”
“What?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend. Never did.” Trying my best to hide my surprise, I pretended to keep working on the condenser while she spoke. “Country came up with that on his own after I told him I had plans to see a girlfriend of mine.”
I held back my smile as I asked, “And you never told him any different?”
“Well ... no, not exactly.” A grimace crossed her face as she explained, “I really needed this job and didn’t want to risk causing any issues between me and Gladys, so I let him keep believing I had a girlfriend, hoping he wouldn’t ask me out again.”
“Smart move.”
“I don’t know. I actually feel kind of bad about deceiving him for so long.” I could hear the guilt in her voice as she told me, “He’s been really sweet to me this past year. I should’ve just told him the truth.”