The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life

by Pace, Michelle

  “Hell yes, it does. I swear he gets off on it.” Lauren downed her beer and she pointed to the karaoke area. “I’m going to see what songs they have.”

  Lauren made her way through the crowd, wishing she wasn’t so crabby. The morning after the fish fry, she and Jack had argued about all the female advances he’d received. As far as she knew, he’d never put his hands on another woman, but he was a huge flirt. Sometimes it made her feel insecure, even though deep down she believed he loved her. Usually, she managed to stifle her jealousy. Remembering her goal to forget her problems and find Avery a man, she picked up a songbook and began to look through it.

  Avery glanced in Shilah’s direction. He made eye contact and waved, then modeled his costume for her. Avery gave him two thumbs up and laughed.

  “What’s a beautiful witch like you doing sitting all alone?” Avery turned and saw two men she didn’t recognize standing before her. One was dressed as a surgeon, the other as an accident victim.

  “Waiting for my friends.” Avery glanced around, and Jules was gone.

  So much for my wing women.

  “Do you want some company while you wait?” The surgeon smiled. “I’m Dave and this is Nick.”

  Avery glanced around for her pals again. Seeing no one, she gestured for the two strangers to sit.

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “Do you need a drink?” Dave tilted his head to the side. He seemed okay, and she wanted to be polite.

  “Yeah. Another pitcher of beer would be nice.”

  “I’ll get it.” Nick bounded off. Avery cleared her throat and tried to think of something to fill the silence.

  “This place is packed tonight. It wasn’t this busy last Halloween.” Dave downed his drink.

  “Are you from Jefferson Point?” Avery took in Dave’s features. He was cute with blonde hair and deep green eyes.

  “We’re from Port Frank.” He nodded in the direction of the river. Port Frank was the town directly across the river from Jefferson Point, on the Illinois side. “Is this your first time here?”

  “No, I’m usually here every year.”

  “How did I miss you?” Flattered, Avery laughed politely. His friend returned with the pitcher of beer.

  “There are a lot of fine-looking cougars here tonight,” Nick reported as he sat. Dave poured her a beer and she began to relax a little, reminding herself if she was going to start dating again, she needed to get used to the attention.

  Nicole finished her drink and pushed the glass away. Colin snatched it immediately.

  “Would you like another?” He had a killer smile, and they’d been chatting about music for twenty minutes. Nicole couldn’t believe she didn’t remember him; he was so striking and animated. An incorrigible flirt, she found him surprisingly attractive. Funny how we forget the underclassmen.

  “Not yet.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” Colin shrugged. “You know, I’m getting really slammed here. Promise to dance with me later?”

  “Are you closing?”

  Colin smirked at her question.

  “No. Once karaoke is done, I am too. Why? Are you hoping to seduce me?”

  Nicole grinned wryly at his candid flirting. “There’s a gathering at my place after this. You should stop by.”

  Colin raised his eyebrows in surprised pleasure, and Nicole almost laughed at the blatant enthusiasm on his face. “Cool.”

  She made her way back to the table. As she approached, she expected to see Shilah with Avery, but instead two strangers sat on either side of her. Naturally, one was wearing green scrubs, a lab coat, and a stethoscope. Nicole cringed and slowed her approach.

  “What’s up?” Nicole asked, unenthusiastically.

  “Hey. Dave and Nick,” Avery presented. “They’re from Port Frank.”

  “I’m Nicole.” She gave them a casual wave.

  “Nice to meet you.” Nick immediately slid over closer to her. Nicole’s skin crawled and her mood deteriorated further. She suddenly wished she’d just stayed home.

  “Nick and Nicole. Ain’t that sweet?” Dave seemed playful, but Nicole just blinked twice at him. She was not amused.

  “So, are you girls both from Jefferson Point?” Dave asked.

  “Yep.” Nicole shot a disapproving look at Avery, who seemed confused.

  “Well, well … who are your new friends, Aves?” Lauren loud voice behind them made the two men jump.

  “Dave, Nick, this is Lauren,” Avery offered.

  “Pleased to meet you, Lauren,” Dave spoke directly to Lauren’s cleavage.

  “Nice.” Lauren frowned at him. “I signed us up to sing ‘I Love Rock and Roll.’”

  “Oh, Lord,” Avery groaned.

  “Remember that time when you were a bundle of nerves about that dance solo in school, and I told you to buck up or I would steal it from you without batting an eye? You will get up there and sing tonight.” Lauren’s arm was around Avery in a comforting manner, but Nicole knew Lauren meant it.

  Shilah stood by the bar sipping his beer. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing in Avery’s direction and was displeased when two strangers approached her table.

  “Hey there, Masked Man, want some company?” A redhead, dressed as a sultry vampire, seated herself next to him. Shilah couldn’t help gazing at her long legs and voluptuous cleavage. He moved the bar stool out for her.

  “What are you drinking?” Colin was immediately present behind the bar.

  “Jack and Coke,” she replied and turned to Shilah. “I’m Paige.”

  “Shilah.” He shook her hand delicately.

  “That’s a different name,” Paige replied.

  “I guess so, to some.” He shrugged. She tossed her long hair with a giggle.

  “So … Shilah,” Paige reached out and touched his badge. A small smile played on her lips.

  “Paige Green?” The voice behind him was familiar, and Shilah turned to see Nicole standing next to them.

  “Nicole Andros?” Paige pulled her hand slowly away from Shilah. He watched as the two stared each other down and the atmosphere seemed icy. “Hi.”

  “Harper,” Nicole corrected.

  “You’ll always be Nicole Andros to me.” Paige’s tone seemed to imply some unfriendliness between the two.

  “Long time, no see,” Nicole responded, her tone serious. Lauren approached them.

  “Paige. The whole vampire whore costume suits you,” Lauren blurted. Nicole’s face lit up with apparent delight.

  “Excuse me?” Paige looked aghast and defensive.

  “Come on, Shilah. You want no part of that. Whatever it is...” Lauren grabbed Shilah’s arm and pulled him toward their table. Confused, he looked back at Paige who was seething and mortified.

  “That’s one skanky whore,” Lauren informed him. “You may already have ‘the syph’ just from standing that close to her. You’d better get a shot of penicillin just to be on the safe side.”

  “You can thank us later for saving you,” Nicole concurred.

  “Aves, look who we found,” Lauren announced. Shilah felt like an intruder and wanted to turn and leave. She hadn’t called him. Avery appeared to be having a good time, and he didn’t want to interrupt if she wasn’t interested.

  “Shilah.” Avery smiled. Her slightly open mouth begged to be kissed. He wanted to order the other two guys to leave the table, but instead he calmed himself and sat next to Lauren.

  Shilah nodded to his competition, rapidly deciding he could take them both without much effort.

  “Your best friend, Paige, is here.” Nicole smirked as she leaned toward Avery.

  “When the hell did she slither back into town?” Avery looked around haughtily.

  “Okay, what’s the story with Paige?” Shilah slid his mask up from his eyes. “She’s pretty hot.”

  His comment elicited a deadly gaze from Avery. Her beautiful eyes seemed to ignite with loathing. If looks could kill, Shilah thought to himself as he suppressed a smile.
Avery looked even more luscious when she was angry.

  “She’s the town whore,” Lauren interjected. She poured herself another beer.

  “Where is this girl?” Nick looked intrigued.

  “At the bar … the vampire.” Nicole pointed to Paige, who was watching their table and spun away immediately.

  “If you’ll excuse me...” Nick headed for Paige. Dave chuckled. One down and one to go, Shilah thought to himself.

  “What does her lack of chastity have to do with the three of you?” Shilah motioned to the ladies at his table.

  “Old high school rivalry … between her and Avery. Paige is a rabid boyfriend thief. She was rather successful because she spread her legs.” Lauren’s voice carried.

  Shilah couldn’t suppress a grin. He admired her bluntness. Jack had often said her honesty was a quality he adored about his wife. Shilah turned his attention to Avery again.

  “But that was high school.”

  “Small-town soap operas never end.” Nicole explained dismissively and Shilah saw Lauren shoot her an incredulous look.

  “Actually, it continued until Paige finally left town and got married to some sorry son of a bitch.” Lauren interjected.

  “I need to hit the head.” Dave announced. Everyone shifted to let him out. Shilah took advantage of the opportunity, taking the seat next to Avery. He looked up to see Nicole and Lauren both smirking at him.

  “Sounds like she’s been ridden hard and put away wet.” Shilah’s comment made all three of the girls laugh. He leaned into Avery and gave her a little nudge. She looked at him and smiled.

  “We need beer!” Lauren’s declaration came with theatrical hand gestures. “Who’s buying the next round?”

  “I’ll get it,” Avery said. As she stood, Shilah caught a glimpse of the garter belt that held up her fishnets. He looked into her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

  “Here.” Lauren handed him a napkin as he watched Avery leave. He looked at it and then again at Lauren. “You’ve got some drool running down your chin.”

  Avery approached the bar, giving Paige a wide berth. A confrontation with her old rival felt counterproductive. Spotting her archenemy, Avery continued to the opposite end of the bar. She swiftly claimed a bar stool to get off her feet, which were already aching.

  “Hey Sean. I need another pitcher of brew.” She sat down.

  “I’ll get it.” Colin traded spots with his brother behind the bar.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Dave was behind her. She turned to him and he moved in closer and placed his hand on her knee. “Do you want to get out of here for a while?”

  She looked down at his hand, placed hers on top of it, and pushed it off her leg. Avery rarely went to the bar; she hated when presumptuous men invaded her personal space.

  “Don’t, okay?”

  “What?”

  “I’m here with my girlfriends tonight.”

  “I would like to spend some time alone with you, but your girlfriends are more than welcome to come along.”

  “Here you go.” Colin presented the pitcher, his dark eyes shifting from Avery to Dave. He looked unimpressed. “Do you need me to start a tab… or kick someone’s ass?”

  “Yes, please.” Avery responded and turned to Dave. “I’m not interested.”

  “Alright.” Dave shrugged. “Can I sit with you?”

  “Nope.” Avery felt rude, but she’d had enough of the predator. Ready to explore the situation with Shilah, she didn’t want any interruptions.

  Avery arrived with the fresh pitcher, as Lauren polished off her most recent drink and belched.

  “Ladies’ room!” She exclaimed. The girls began to gather their purses. Avery laughed at Nicole’s purse, which looked like a tiny picnic basket.

  “Is there a particular reason girls have to travel to the restroom in packs?” Shilah teased. Jules appeared on cue and took a long sip of her beer.

  “That’s one of our best kept secrets,” she offered, her face serious. She disappeared again into the crowd. Everyone at the table looked surprised and perplexed. Avery led the others through the bar to the ladies’ room.

  “So, Shilah’s smokin’ hot tonight,” Lauren offered. She immediately ducked in to the nearest stall, exclaimed in disgust, came back out, and disappeared into the next stall.

  “Really? Thanks for pointing it out, I hadn’t noticed.” Avery was buzzing, and it came out harsher than she intended. Nicole paused in the reapplication of her lip gloss to shoot her a surprised look. Avery shrugged and fixed her hair in the mirror.

  “Geez, what crawled up your ass?” Lauren called from her stall.

  “I’m glad those two Port Skank dudes moved on,” Nicole announced. Avery nodded.

  “Yeah, no doubt. If that Dave touches me one more time, he’s going home sterile.”

  “Oh, he’d do in a pinch. You gotta be a little more open-minded.” Lauren flushed and reappeared beside them. Nicole stepped to the side so she could wash her hands. “So what’s the deal? It looked to me like Shilah spent the night in the camper with you. What gives?”

  “We want details.” Nicole agreed.

  “Nothing happened. This is the first time I’ve seen or talked to him.”

  “He didn’t call you? He asked Jack for your number…”

  Avery paused in her primping, grinned and shrugged. She was delighted to hear Shilah had shown interest in seeing her again.

  “Huh.”

  “So tell me, what’s the story with Colin O’Connell and why the hell don’t I remember him?” Nicole blinked innocently. Her voice was casual, but her expression seemed giddy.

  “Probably because he was a lowly sophomore and a spindly little art geek when we were seniors,” Lauren replied.

  Avery nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s a late bloomer.”

  “So Nic, good move saving Shilah from Paige before that black hole between her legs sucked him in.”

  Avery stopped primping and opened her mouth to ask for details when another toilet flushed and Paige emerged from the far stall. Another stall door opened and a stranger appeared, dressed as a dominatrix with a whip on her belt.

  “Wow, Paige. You come from a classy town,” her friend remarked, as she glared at Lauren.

  “Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Lauren’s retort made Avery laugh and Nicole covered a smile. Paige flushed with anger and her friend glowered at them as they walked out the door.

  “Hey, Hooker Boots! You forgot to wash your hands!” Lauren called after them. All three girls fell into fits of laughter.

  As they returned to the table, Sean O’Connell’s booming voice announced that the karaoke extravaganza was about to begin. He launched into a stirring rendition of “Trashy Woman” by Confederate Railroad. The intoxicated crowd went insane. Avery leaned over to whisper in Nicole’s ear as she applauded.

  “That’s Colin’s older brother. Do you remember him?”

  “Yeah. He was on the football team, right?”

  “Yep. The one that always spoke with an Irish accent when he was drunk.” Avery nodded.

  “They are brothers? They look nothing alike.” Nicole frowned. Avery giggled. Sean, a huge barrel-chested guy, was wildly popular but not particularly attractive. He was charismatic and had dark auburn hair and dark eyes. Colin had the same healthy dose of charisma, but he also had a hot body, great features, and long black curly hair. His smile and wicked dark eyes made him mighty popular with the ladies. Avery wondered if Nicole was into him as she watched her sneak a peek at the bar.

  “Thank you, thank you. Up next we have Dave and Nick, singing a classic Men At Work tune,” Sean proclaimed in his best ringmaster voice. They hurried up to the microphone. Lauren and Jules began to cheer them on when the music began. Three sentences in, it was painfully obvious that neither man could carry a tune in a bucket. Nicole fidgeted next to Avery.

  “I can’t take it anymore. I need a breath of fresh air,” Nicole announced to Shilah and Avery as she headed out
the front door.

  “Smoke break?” Shilah asked. Avery shook her head.

  “She doesn’t smoke, she just has fragile ears. So I hear you asked Jack for my number…”

  Shilah tilted his head and smiled at her.

  “News travels fast.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I didn’t have your number. I guess I could have just opened a window and yelled out.”

  “Avery, you have my number.” Shilah smirked at her. His perfect features made it hard for her to focus on the conversation.

  “No, I don’t.” Avery picked up the phone from her purse. His light eyes danced with amusement as he plucked it from her hand. He typed two letters and showed her the screen. There was a picture of him making a duck face, obviously taken in the camper. His phone began to ring on his belt.

  “Oh, okay.” Avery hid her face. Foolish didn’t begin to describe how she felt.

  “You really don’t remember much of that night, do you?” He taunted her.

  “Not really.” Her cheeks felt like fire.

  “Well, you talked about Jason until you passed out. Then you were gone in the morning. I wasn’t sure if you were interested.” He took a sip of his beer and sat back, waiting for a response.

  “Oh my God. I can’t believe I laid all that stuff about Jason on you. That chapter of my life is closed. I guess I was just trying to explain it all.”

  “I especially enjoyed the story about you knotting a cherry stem with your tongue for him on your first date.” Shilah leaned closer, and Avery shivered as his knee touched hers. “So why’d you ditch me? I was gonna buy you breakfast?”

  “I didn’t want to wake your bunkmate.” She felt the blush spread across her exposed chest.

  “Can I get a rain check, say, for tomorrow morning?”

  Avery’s dark eyes took in his splendor and she felt her temperature rising.

  “Hmm. Well, we’ll just have to see how the night goes.”

  The bitter cold stung, but Nicole was committed to escaping the heinous sounds coming from inside the bar. Her teeth were chattering and thanks to the full moon she could see her own breath.