SNAP (The SNAP Trilogy Book 1)

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SNAP (The SNAP Trilogy Book 1) Page 5

by Dawn, Tara


  They all begin to talk at once and my brain kicks back into work mode. I hold up a finger. "One second, boys."

  Reaching under the counter, I pull out a tray and hand it to Cady. She's grinning from ear to ear because she knows that one, that she will get some good change to spend tonight, and two, she's probably going to take home tons of numbers. Like her little black book isn't already filled and overflowing with post-it notes. I hand her a pad of paper and a pen and she sits it on her tray. She struts off to start taking orders as I turn to those standing at the bar.

  The eyes that are on me look thirsty, and not just for a drink. It spikes my confidence some as I push thoughts of Phil aside and work my way down the bar getting beers, mixing drinks, and taking food orders. Cady heads back over to the bar with a stack of drink orders and a smile on her face a mile wide.

  "Here, boss lady! We've got some thirsty people on our hands," she says as I wait on the last patron in line.

  I wipe the sweat off my lip and pull my poncho over my head. Running my hands over my caramel brown hair, I pull it up in a messy knot and secure it with a rubber band I found by the till.

  "Yeah, girl. Someone's gonna get good tips tonight! Work that shit and watch as that tip jar overflows." She cocks her brow at me before snagging a couple bucks out of the jar to put in the jukebox. "Now make my drinks, wench!"

  Feeling a little more comfortable in my skin, I laugh as she walks away and grab her orders. I flip through slips and take a deep breath. She was right. It's going to be a big night. Several tables not only ordered drinks, but food as well. I chuckle at her use of table descriptions. She didn't use the table numbers, but "Table of 5 hawt guys!", "Snotty Bitches!!!", "Fugly Sweethearts", and "Smoking hotty checking you out!" I freeze, my stomach knotting, as I look at the order for a single drink.

  He's alone.

  I glance around nonchalantly until I spot him sitting towards the back near the few pool tables we have. It's more shadowed there than anywhere in the bar, but just bright enough I can make him out some, even with the ball cap on his head. The jukebox comes on blaring Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl as Cady dances her way back over to the bar to wait on her drinks, her red hair flaring out around her. Most of the eyes in the room are on her like they always are. Except his. His are watching me watch her.

  "Make those snotty bitches drinks first so I can spend more time with the other tables making tips," she says around the pretzel she pops in her mouth.

  "Cady, although I love your descriptions of the tables, I really do, Roger will never hire you if he sees this. If a patron notices you call them a snotty bitch, he and I have to work damage control. That shit sucks, lady. If you have nothing nice to say, save it and tell me later."

  Cady rolls her eyes and sighs from her verbal hand slap as I sanitize my hands.

  "Fine." She turns around leaning against the bar on her elbows as I start mixing up the snotty bitches Sex On the Beach and Red Headed slut before popping open the beer that goes with it. I start to put all the drinks on her tray so I can move on to her next ticket when she turns around eyes wide.

  "What?" I ask as I slide the tray towards her. She nods her head to the side and I turn to see him sitting a few seats down. He's staring into the mirror behind the bar and I suddenly feel nervous and extremely self-conscious. Leaning toward Cady so no one can overhear, I scream whisper, "I can't believe I let you talk me into wearing this tonight!"

  She grabs the tray off the bar and smirks at me evilly. "You didn't require much talkin' into it. Besides, he seems to have liked what he saw when you came at me like that."

  I instantly stand up and tug the hemline of my dress down hoping he couldn't see anything. As she flits away to deliver the first of her drink orders, I start working on the others; filling them quickly before she makes her way back over. All while trying to ignore him and his eyes that I feel roaming my backside until I'm ready to face him.

  After filling the "Table of five hawt guys" draft beers, I turn back around to put them on the bar next to their ticket. I notice the last ticket, the one for the "smoking hotty," is gone and look down the bar to where he now sits. His ticket is sitting in front of him.

  That sneaky ass bastard.

  Collecting a deep breath, and my courage, I stand up straight and walk towards the man who has been watching me all night. His face is turned away watching who knows what, but as soon as I step in front of him, he turns and I get my first good look at him.

  Holy mother of God. I'm in trouble.

  Warm, chocolate brown eyes framed with thick black lashes meet mine before traveling down the front of my body. I want to feel self-conscious, but his eyes feel so good that I could swear it's his fingertips instead. After what I went through with Phil, I thought it would be a lifetime before I responded to another man. I could never be more wrong. My nipples grow hard under his gaze and I silently wish he doesn't notice. Who am I kidding? It's like men have sonar for nipple hard-on's.

  As his eyes come back to my face, I take a deep breath in thanks for whichever god answered my prayers. Unfortunately, my breasts aren't small, so when I take a deep breath it puts those beauts on display. His eyes snap down latching onto them. At this point, I swear they can cut glass. I reach out to grab his ticket and break the stare down he is having with my breasts. I already know his drink order, but that ticket is a reminder to both of us that I know he's been watching me and it just makes things feel awkward. As I pick up the ticket, he pulls it from my fingers and puts it in his back pocket. I freeze not knowing what to do.

  "Blue Moon?" I ask, raising a brow at him.

  "Yes, please." His top lip twitches as if he's about to smile, but he checks it very quickly remaining stoic and untouchable.

  Damn, his lips are so lickable. His clean shaven jaw is begging to be nibbled on too. Shaking the thought from my mind, I turn to get his beer out of the fridge, feeling his eyes drift to my ass. If he sticks around, there may be nothing left of me but a puddle by the time this night is over with. I turn and place his beer in front of him on a cardboard coaster.

  "Here you are, Hun. Cash or tab?" I ask him and watch as he tilts his beer, draining it. His Adam's apple bobs up and down with each swallow and it makes my thighs clench. I turn my head wondering where these feelings are coming from and to get myself under control. I use this chance to check the time. A little after nine.

  The only thing I see when I turn back around is his backside walking toward the door. His shirt stretched across his strong shoulders and his jeans hanging a little loose on his hips. The man is definitely smoking hot.

  After he leaves, I find a ten dollar bill on the bar where he was sitting. I ring up his drink and throw the change in the tip jar, then get busy so I won't have to help when Roger gets back to play catch-up. Cady and I are busting ass serving drinks and food left and right. Only one person has started to show their ass so far, but his friends were nice enough to take care of that problem for us. Neither Cady nor I are dressed for bar fighting tonight. We work so hard, sweat is trickling down my back. As I scoop ice into a cup I take a quick sniff of my underarm.

  Yep Roger needs to hurry the hell up. Did they stop for ice-cream? This is no time for a father/daughter bonding moment.

  A look around the bar confirms that. Tables are full and people are standing around everywhere ready to steal tables or waiting for people to leave. The wall by the pool tables is lined with people waiting their turn. It has been a long time since I've seen Maggie Mae's this packed. I wonder to myself what could be going on in town for so many to be here. We get a lot of travelers through here since Maggie's sets right off the interstate exit, but not usually on the bar side. Most people don't stop to get drunk in a town they don't know. At least they are keeping the jukebox busy and playing good music.

  Since I have a break between filling drink orders, I walk into the diner section of the tavern to see how things are going over there. The diner itself closes at ten on weekends, but will st
ay open later for anyone who comes closer to closing time since the bar is still open. It's ten thirty and there are only two couples left. Mary is busy sanitizing all the tables and chairs while Jimmy is following behind filling all the condiment containers. I watch as he puts them in place on the table and begins flipping the chairs upside down on the table top in preparation to vacuum. I've told him a million times he is not to do this while patrons are still in the diner eating. I walk over and put the chair back on the floor as he turns to face me.

  "Jimmy, we've talked about this," I whisper to him so the remaining customers can't hear.

  "Hazel, they are getting ready to leave. I pulled a double with hardly any sleep and didn't want to cut out on Mary before everything was done because she pulled a double too. I'm exhausted and still have to go home to Gemma and try to get sleep for my six am shift tomorrow. Mariah is on third shift right now. Gemma has her sleep schedule messed up from our wonky shifts. So forgive me for trying to shave fifteen minutes off of our time so that I won't be late tomorrow." Huffing, he walks toward the next table to grab all the condiment bottles and holders to refill. I leave him be to vent his frustrations in his own way.

  Having Gemma changed his life. He's nineteen and is getting a crash course in what life is about. Mariah was his high school sweetheart. I watched them over the last couple of years as they came here on dates. Their romance is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. She is literally his queen and he is her king. Watching their feelings bloom into a love most only wish for has been like watching a movie. Last year they graduated high school and a few months later they announced they were going to have a baby. Their parents were crushed because they wanted them to go to college and experience life while building their future. Instead, life handed them a different future. Jimmy couldn't have been happier, and Mariah just glowed. But now life is getting in the way of their happiness. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, they struggle weekly just to keep a roof over their head. I send up a silent prayer for God to keep them strong and see them through this, and that it doesn't tear them apart in the process.

  "Hazel, girl, what are you doing in here bossing? You're all dressed up, shouldn't you be out there having fun instead of working the bar for Roger?" Mary asks as she brings her cleaning supplies up to the counter.

  "You would think that," I mumble. "Hey listen, is it okay to get Jimmy out of here? He has to be back at six and still has to go get his daughter."

  "I've told him three times to leave, he won't do it. Stubborn man thing, I think." She smiles over at Jimmy.

  "He needs a day off with his family. Hell, we all do. I’m talking to Roger on Monday. This is becoming ridiculous. We can't make money if we don't have enough employees to serve the masses. Have you seen how busy we've been?"

  Mary nods her head. "Yes. Tonight alone we had several groups ranging from five to twelve a piece. More tips are great, but when you are so busy you can't spend the time you need with all your tables, your tips suffer."

  A large commotion comes from the bar and we all turn to see through the narrow doorway.

  "Son of a bitch," I say under my breath. "I'll be back in a bit to check on you."

  "No you won't either. I'll get Jimmy out of here and finish closing this place up. Go take care of business." She smiles at me, her eyes crinkling in the corners. She reminds me of my grandmother and works just as hard as she did. I smile back and pat her shoulder.

  "I don't know how much I can do in this dress, but I can pull my heel off and smack someone with it," I say with laughter in my voice as I wave to them. I would never do something like that, but thought is entertaining.

  A beer bottle whizzes in front of me as I walk through the doorway and shatters against the bar. What the fuck is going on? Shocked, I turn toward the direction the bottle came from and see several of the local farm boys wrestling one of their buddies into a chair. It's the same jackass that was starting shit earlier. That shoe thing is looking like a good idea.

  "Hey!" I yell over the music, "You're done! I'm cashing you out!"

  Turning toward the bar, I hear the asshole slur, "You're done, bitch. I'll leave when I want."

  His words set off all the anger I've been packing down these past few weeks. Unable to stop myself, I walk toward the drunken asshole and shove the table into his stomach with fury in my eyes. Air gushes from his lungs and the smell of alcohol is more than I smelled on Phil earlier, and that's saying a lot. His eyes latch onto mine as his friends step back leaving him to me.

  "I'm only going to say this once." I lean over the table getting up in his face for emphasis. His head wobbles in understanding. "Get up and get the fuck out."

  We stare at each other for another second before a smile breaks across his face. "You're a feisty one. I bet you're a hellcat in the sack." Laughter breaks out in the group.

  Great. Now he's a comedian. I shoot daggers in his direction again and he holds his hands up in surrender. Standing up from the chair, he begins to stumble before his friends grab him. One of them follows me to the bar to cash out their tab while the rest carry him out of the bar. After he pays, I grab the broom and begin sweeping up all the glass into a dust pan and dump it into the trash. Luckily the bottle was empty.

  Cady sits down on the only empty stool at the bar. The hair around her face is damp and her shirt is clinging to her skin like she just had a mini workout. She picks up a cardboard coaster and begins fanning her face and neck. I totally feel her pain. It's your normal one-hundred degrees August night, so the AC is working overtime to keep it cool with so many drunken bodies filling the bar.

  "What was all that ruckus about?" she asks, seeing all the broken glass in the trash can.

  "Same jackass from earlier. I kicked them out."

  "How much longer before Roger gets back?" she whines loudly. "If it's much longer, I'll end up passing out and missing all the parties."

  "Twenty minutes ago would've been nice," I say, looking at the clock. "What the hell is going on tonight? This is not normal even for our busiest times. Not that I'm complaining, really. Look at the tip jar."

  Cady turns toward it and her eyes almost pop out of her head. She grabs the jar and slides it in front of her turning it to see what kind of bills are in it. "There's a twenty dollar bill in here! Wait, there are few twenties in here!" The knowledge of how much in tips we will be walking out of here with seems to give her a second wind. She bounces on the stool excited and I put the tip jar back into place. "So what are we going to do with all our hard earned dollars tonight?"

  "First things first, we are going to my place so I can change out of this godforsaken dress and heels," I lean against the counter shuffling back and forth on my feet to relieve the ache in them. "I swear that my blisters have blisters. It's definitely going to be a flip flop night after this, that's for sure."

  Cady begins speaking, but I'm distracted by the door opening. The sight of Roger has never made me happier. About mother fucking time! The relief must show on my face because Roger gives me an apologetic smile.

  Cady turns to see what has caught my attention and yells, "Roger!"

  The patrons also begin yelling his name and it's like it is echoing off the walls. He looks exhausted and I don't blame him. He just spent who knows how long in the heat changing tires.

  "Thanks for sticking around. Got Laney taken care of and she's already off to a party. Teenagers," he scoffs, shaking his head. "Did you have any problems tonight?"

  "Yeah, we did. But we took care of them." Cady winked at him in response.

  "We? What is she talking about, Hazel?" His confusion makes me laugh.

  "We will talk about it Monday after you see the sales from tonight." I jerk my head toward the tip jar and watch as his eyes bulge out of his head. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen the tip jar that full either.

  "We've talked about this–"

  "And we are not talking about it tonight, Roger." I cut him off not wanting to have this conversation now. "I've been here
longer than you asked and my feet are bloody and raw. Just think about it once you see the sales and we will talk about it on Monday, okay?"

  "Fine, thanks again. Now get out of here," he says as he walks around the bar to relieve me.

  "Huh-uh. Not without my payment!" Cady grabs the tip jar and opens her purse. Grabbing handfuls of bills, she shoves them inside.

  "What are you doing?" Roger shouts. I can't help but laugh and begin helping her.

  "We earned every damn dime of this money! We ran our asses off all night, in heels may I add, to serve all these people. I don't get a paycheck. These tips are my paycheck. So I'll be taking what's mine, thank you very much!" She doesn't hold any punches.

  My head snaps up to Roger's hearty laugh. He has tears in his eyes watching her shove the money in her purse like she's robbing a bank and about to make a run for it. The expression on her face is priceless.

  After filling her purse with all the money, I grab a twenty and put it back in the jar for Roger. He had some in there before we got here. Not nearly that much, but maybe leaving him a little something will make him think more about hiring Cady on to help out around here.

  "Later, Roger!" I say as we turn to leave the bar.

  "Yes, later as in Monday! Don't call her, you promised!" Cady says, turning around and pointing her finger at him while walking backwards toward the door.

  Roger nods at her. "Get on out of here!"

  She turns around almost running for the door in her excitement. My feet hurt too damn much to keep up with her. I wave to some people as we leave and finally make it through the door with a sigh of relief. The heat outside is almost suffocating. I instantly feel like I'm swimming through the humidity. Cady is already off the sidewalk and walking through the parking lot toward the SUV. I stop while near the lights to find my keys and pull them out of my purse. Stepping off the sidewalk onto the lot, I lift my keys to unlock the doors and see Phil standing next to it.

 

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