by Jax Abbey
“How do you know him?” Stella asked.
“I—” Derek began.
Stella held up a hand to silence him. “You know what–? I don’t even want to know. Right now I just need you to listen. Derek, what you did isn’t okay. I asked for space, and the next thing I know you’re right here beside me…in TEXAS…breathing down my neck. Wait, how did you find us?”
Sheepishness fluttered across Derek’s face, but disappeared as he became defiant. “I may or may not have placed a GPS tracking device on Josie.”
Stella’s jaw dropped. She liked her men a little possessive, but she didn’t appreciate being tracked like a rescued animal that had been released back into the wild. “You did what?”
“You never know what could happen—the world is full of crazies these days!”
“Yeah, and you’re one of them!”
Derek flushed. “I seriously didn’t mean any harm by it. It was just a precaution in case anything crazy ever happened to you. And what do you know…”
“Well, I’m starting to think that you may be the craziest thing to happen to me.” Stella thought about the last couple of days. “Okay, one of the craziest.”
“You might see what I did as crazy, but you told me you needed some time to yourself to think, and then you ran off with another man. A dangerous man. That is reprehensible.”
Stella and Derek sat in silence for a few moments, Stella looking at the fake grass, Derek studying Stella’s profile. She really couldn’t make sense of any of the feelings coursing through her veins right now except for the overwhelming rage.
“We should get off the course. People are waiting to play the hole.” Stella stood up and walked along the course to its exit. She didn’t wait to see if Derek followed. Honestly, she didn’t really care. She deposited her club on the counter of the rental shack and turned around when she heard him approach.
“You have no idea what’s going on. There’s nothing between Finn and I. He’s just a friend who needed a favor.”
“If he’s such a good friend that you’d do him a favor, why have I never heard about him before? Why did you feel the need to keep him a secret? I didn’t think there were any secrets between us. I’m starting to wonder what else you haven’t been telling me.”
“Look, Derek, it’s been a long day, and at this point I’m not very happy with you,” Stella said, looking down at her ring. “To be honest, I’m starting to rethink our engagement.” She kept her eyes on the ground so she wouldn’t have to see Derek’s expression. “Between your mother, and this whole GPS-tracking thing…” And being attracted to Finn, she added silently.
“Aha! So that’s the real issue here: my mother.”
“No, it’s just one of many. But it’s definitely a big one.”
Derek crossed his arms over his chest. “So what are you going to do now? Go back to Gilroy? Because if you do that, Stella, we’re done. I can’t marry someone I can’t trust.”
Stella drew herself to her full height to look Derek in the eye as she eased the engagement ring off of her finger. “You are so right. I can’t marry someone I can’t trust either.” She grabbed Derek’s hand and pressed the ring into his palm. “Go home, Derek. I’ll be back in a few days, and we can make arrangements to exchange anything we’ve left at each other’s place.”
Derek’s shoulders fell. “So that’s it? After I cared for you and loved you for a year and a half, and we were planning to commit ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives?”
The pain in Derek’s voice tugged at Stella’s heartstrings, but she was tired of being jerked around. Once she had truly thought she’d be happy as Derek’s wife in a quaint, two-story home with a picket fence, dog, and two and a half kids. But the last couple days with Finn had reawakened her sense of adventure. Now that life she’d imagined with Derek seemed like a gilded jail. She didn’t want to have to mold herself into the person Derek thought she was, or whoever Derek’s mother wanted her to be.
She wanted to be free.
Stella sighed. “We’re talking in circles. It’s been a long day for me. I’m exhausted. I’ll call you when I get back to Vegas.” And then she walked away from him.
“Stella!” Derek called, frozen in place next to the shack. “Stella!”
She looked back once, then continued across the parking lot without another glance.
FINN, 7:13 P.M.
Finn fumed as he made his way back to the repair shop. He knew it was ridiculous for him to be upset that Stella had dismissed him, and he was annoyed by how much it bothered him. God, she drove him crazy.
He paced in front of the shop and dialed Billy’s number. Like before, it rang and rang before going to voicemail. Finn growled in frustration, then dialed Alex’s number. Thankfully, he answered on the first ring.
“Hey buddy—”
“I haven’t been able to reach Billy in two days,” Finn cut him off. “Have you heard from him?”
“No. Let me call and see if he’ll answer. Give me a sec.”
Finn hung up and rubbed his temples. He had a nasty feeling that his day was about to get a whole lot worse. He sat on an iron bench in front of the repair shop, waiting for Alex to ring back, only to hop back up again and pace. He looked off toward the fun park where he imagined Stella falling happily into that jerk Derek’s arms. The phone buzzed in Finn’s hand.
“I couldn’t get in touch with Billy. Oh, and I’m feeling a tiny bit better, thanks for asking,” Alex said. “I’ll try and figure out what I can. Keep the waitress occupied.”
“Stella.”
“Yeah, that would be the waitress.”
“She’s not just ‘the waitress.’ Her name is Stella,” Finn said through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, okay, Stella. What’s gotten into you, bro? It sounds like we’re going to need a serious vacation after this mess.”
“I’m fine. Just figure out what’s going on with Billy, and where the hell Phoebe is.” Finn hung up without waiting for Alex’s response. He perked up when he spied Stella crossing the street. Alone.
As she approached, he swallowed deeply and stood up. The sun illuminated Stella’s red hair, giving her a rosy halo. How had he never realized how pretty she was back in the Leaky Stein? How many beautiful women had he missed out on because he was so fixated on his work? He was pondering how to tell her this—hell, if he should tell her this at all—when she stopped in front of him and slapped him hard across the face.
“I may have deserved that—” Finn started to say when Stella slapped him again. “But I did not deserve that one! Ow.” He rubbed his cheek.
“You knew good and well that Derek was no match for you, but you just had to go and show everyone how big and bad you are. What are you trying to prove? And to whom?”
Finn couldn’t think of an answer that would explain his actions, so he just shrugged.
“What is it with men?” Stella went on, frantically waving her hands in the air. Finn remained silent for fear of another slap.
She sat down heavily on the bench. Finn slowly sat down next to her, clasped his hands in his lap, and waited for her to continue. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Stella spoke again.
“How do you know Derek?”
“I don’t.”
Stella glared at him. “He knew your name. And he said you were bad news.”
Finn shrugged. He’d never seen the guy in his life, but he too was curious how Stella’s fiancé knew his name. “If I came across my girl with some random dude, I’d say he was bad news too.”
Stella stared hard at Finn before looking down at her feet. In a small voice, she said, “I told Derek to leave.”
Finn’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at his own sneaker-clad feet. What did that mean? For her? For him? Maybe the night before had meant something to her too. He chose to set his questions aside for the time being and looked over at Stella. “How did he find us in the first place?”
“Oh, you won’t believe t
his…or maybe you will. He put a GPS tracker on my car,” Stella said. “I mean, can you believe that?”
“That’s kind of creepy. Who the fuck does that?”
“You’re telling me! Who knows how long it’s been there, and how long he’s been tracking my comings and goings. Anyway…” Stella trailed off as she raised her left hand and waved it back and forth in front of Finn’s face.
No ring.
Finn whistled, and then turned away so that Stella couldn’t see the corners of his mouth lifting. He fixed his face into what he hoped was a passable expression of concern and turned back. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Stella said. “I’m fine,” she repeated with a firm nod, as if trying to convince herself. A ghost of a smile bloomed on her face. “I actually feel like this huge weight’s been lifted from my shoulders. These last couple of days I’ve kind of missed what I had before Derek. What I had before I even started working at the bar: I was totally carefree. But I figured since I was approaching thirty, it was time to settle down.”
Stella pushed her hair away from her face. “I thought marrying Derek was going to change everything for me. I wouldn’t miss roaming the globe. I’d find the sense of purpose I’ve been missing, and I’d be in a better financial situation.” Stella sighed. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Jesus, why do I tell you anything?”
Finn didn’t know either, but he wanted to keep her talking. It had been a long time since he had a real connection with anyone, and he felt like he was on the way to having that with Stella. “How long would you have been happy living like that? You and I both know that guy would have driven you crazy.”
“Okay, Mr. Relationship Guru. Oh wait, I forgot your only relationship is with your work, and that’s morally ambiguous at best.”
“Relationships are overrated,” Finn stated, kicking a pebble. “If I were you, I’d already be practicing the ‘Single Ladies’ dance.”
Stella raised her eyebrows and glanced down at her left hand resting on the bench next to Finn’s. “Oh, would you?”
“Ms. Carstens?” Big Ty, the mechanic, approached, wiping his hands on a dirty rag.
Stella jumped up and brought her hand to her chest as if she’d touched a hot poker. Finn stifled a groan and stood up as well. The mechanic had shit timing.
“Your car is ready.”
Stella bit her lip and turned to Finn. He put a hand on Stella’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. You hang out here.”
A few minutes later a pale-faced Finn exited the shop, Big Ty ambling close behind. He waited next to Stella as the car was pulled out of the garage.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is something wrong with the car? Is Phoebe okay?”
Finn thanked God he was already pale, because he was pretty sure he would have blanched at the mention of Phoebe. “I spoke to Billy earlier…Phoebe’s fine,” he said. He sent up a silent prayer that he wasn’t lying. “It’s just that getting Josie fixed took more of our funds than expected. We’re basically out of money…and still four hours from Millstown.”
“Couldn’t help but hearin’, you folks lookin’ to make some fast money?” Big Ty asked. “I have an idea, but it might not be your thing.”
“Let’s hear it,” Finn said. “At this point, any idea is better than nothing.”
“It’s Amateur Night at The Prickly Pear. I’ve heard some girls can make as much as a couple thousand on a really good night…”
“Nope, nope, nope,” Stella said, shaking her head. She crossed her arms. “Not interested.”
“Well…we could just check it out,” Finn said. “Do you have any other ideas?”
Stella bit her lip and remained silent.
“You folks have a good rest of your trip. Hope you can work something out,” the mechanic said. He waved and headed back into the garage.
“Still waiting,” Finn said. His own arms were crossed, and he tapped his foot on the ground rhythmically.
“Ugh! You know I don’t have any ideas, so just shut it!”
“We don’t have anything to lose by just going and checking the place out,” Finn said. “We don’t even have to stay more than five minutes. But we do have to come up with some kind of plan—otherwise we’ll be spending the night in the Beetle.” He eyed the darkening sky with a frown. “Let’s grab some food first.”
Stella sighed and gave in. “Maybe there’s something else we can do there—I used to bartend. Maybe they could use a hand?”
Finn and Stella walked to the Beetle. He ran ahead of her to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. She glanced at him, amused, then got in.
He darted around the front of the car and got behind the wheel, smiling when he turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred. Stella smiled as well, then narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms, and stared ahead.
“I’m still mad at you,” she informed him.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he replied, pulling out of the parking lot. “Let’s go get something to eat, and then check out this Prickly Pear.”
Stella, 10:17 p.m.
Finn crossed his arms and glowered. He and Stella were standing just inside The Prickly Pear Gentlemen’s Club, eyeing a poster proclaiming it to be Men’s Amateur Night and, coincidentally, Rainbow Night. “I’m not doing it.”
Stella stepped forward and moved a heavy red velvet curtain aside for a peek into the club’s interior. She’d been in a couple of strip clubs during her days on tour with her ex, Corey. It was the usual setup: a pole in the center of a Plexiglas stage, surrounded by plump black armchairs. A well-stocked bar sat off to one side of the room. Since it was still pretty early, the club was empty. And the smell—ugh. The place stank of sweat and stale cigarette smoke. Stella released the curtain and turned back to Finn.
“What do you have against gay people?” she asked. She hid her mouth behind her hand, struggling to hold back her laughter.
“Nothing! I just don’t want to take off my clothes and shake my ass for them,” Finn answered. “We need to come up with another idea.”
Stella rolled her eyes. “As I recall, you didn’t have a problem earlier when it was me who had to do the stripping. I also recall that you didn’t have any other ideas either.”
Finn’s cheeks colored. “Well, like you said, maybe we can…I don’t know…bartend or something.”
The hostess who had greeted them upon their arrival returned with the club’s manager. Stella hadn’t expected the manager to be a woman, let alone an attractive, statuesque blonde. She gave off a no-nonsense vibe.
“I’m Tanya, the manager here at The Prickly Pear. I heard you were interested in performing tonight?”
Finn swallowed. “We, ah, didn’t realize it was, uh…”
Tanya let the silence stretch on uncomfortably as she studied Finn, her bottle-green eyes hooded.
“We didn’t realize it was Rainbow Night. My friend here is a bit shy,” Stella blurted out. From the corner of her eye she spied Finn glaring at her.
“I’m not gay!” he exclaimed.
Tanya considered them both with an amused look. “Darling, you don’t have to be gay; you just have to put on a good show. It’s a shame though,” she purred, moving closer to Finn. “You could certainly pull in a good amount of money.” She traced the neck of his shirt with a lazy finger.
Stella bristled and imagined dragging Tanya out of the club by her bleach-blonde hair. “Well, he doesn’t want to do it.”
Finn glanced at Stella, a strange look on his face, then turned back to Tanya. “How much money?” he asked. Stella looked at him, mouth agape.
A slow smile stretched across Tanya’s face. “I’ve seen boys like you rake in hundreds of dollars from the patrons. Not to mention there’s a hot body competition tonight. We give the winner five hundred dollars.”
Finn swallowed. “Look, we’re from out of town and we’re pretty low on funds. I don’t really want to do this, but we don�
�t exactly have a lot of other options. Do you need a bartender or server for the night? We both have experience in the service industry.”
Tanya drew herself up to her full height. “I’ll make you a deal.” She directed her comment to Finn and Stella narrowed her eyes.
Am I invisible or something?
“A girl called in sick tonight. If you perform, I’ll let Red waitress her shift.”
Stella opened her mouth to argue, but Finn spoke before she could utter a single word. “Deal.”
Tanya bobbed her head. “Good choice…”
“Jules,” Finn blurted. Stella had just closed her jaw, but she let it drop open again.
Tanya smirked knowingly. “Good choice, Jules.”
She glanced at her watch. “It’s just about time for the Rainbow Night crowd to start trickling in. Daisy will get you all signed up. Red, I should be able to find a larger uniform for you in the back. Follow me.” Tanya turned on her spiked stiletto heel.
“Could you hold on one second?” Stella asked. “I need to speak to, um, Jules, outside.”
Tanya narrowed her eyes. “Make it quick if you want the job.”
Stella pushed open the door and gulped in the fresh air, Finn following closely behind. They walked in silence a little way from the door so as not to be overheard. The silence, however, didn’t last long.
“RED?” Stella exploded. “Are you kidding me? I’ll have you know my hair is NOT red—it’s strawberry-blonde. And then she said I needed a LARGE outfit. Did you notice the way she pretty much just ignored me and drooled all over you? And why did you tell her your name was Jules?”
One corner of Finn’s mouth quirked up. “I don’t want that vampire lady or any of the men who show up here tonight to know my real name. Besides, why do you care if she drools over me?”
Stella felt her cheeks heat up and busied herself with pulling her hair into a ponytail. “I don’t care. You can do what you want.”
“Uh huh,” Finn said, clearly unconvinced.
“But are you sure you want to do this?” Stella asked. “I know there has to be something else we can do to get some money. We could check Craigslist—”