“I’ll catch up with you,” I said, waving her off.
Ten minutes later I walked into the front lobby of the hotel, nodding to the girl at the reception desk. “I’m just meeting my cousin at the restaurant,” I smiled. I found my way to the bathroom and paused when I pulled the door open. The sound of retching assailed my ears.
“Hey. Whoever’s in here. Are you okay?”
More retching. Then a flush and the door to the bathroom stall opened. My mouth dropped open when Plenty emerged.
“Were you upchucking your dinner?” I asked.
She was quiet.
“Were you?” I pressed.
“I ate too much. I need to look slim.” She pulled a toothbrush and toothpaste out of her purse and began brushing her teeth.
“I’m the one who ate too much for dinner,” I murmured.
She paused and pointed toward one of the stalls. “Then go ahead. I recommend using your middle finger.”
“What? So I can say eff you to all the money I just drank and ate? No way.”
“I’m amazed you’re as small as you are, considering what you polished away,” she said through a mouth full of foam and toothbrush.
“Well, I don’t always eat like that.”
“I would hope not.”
She spat out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth, then pulled out a cosmetics bag and a travel-sized straightening iron. She plugged it in as she began touching up her makeup, reapplying eyeliner and undereye concealer. By the time she had refreshed her lip liner and gloss, I had already plopped down on the sofa and was watching her. Then she went at her locks with the straightening iron. With her regimen showing no signs of ending, I decided to kill time by texting Roger. I told him I was tagging along for a spell as Plenty headed to the Towne Tavern to meet Wyatt. I added that I thought this Mike fellow’s brother was coming for the grand that Wyatt owed him.
“I’m sure lots of men named Mike have brothers who are owed money from Wyatt” was his tart reply. “I’ll see you there. I’ll buy you a drink,” he wrote, adding a smiley face.
“Ha. It’s ladies night. It’s a cheap date for u.” I added my own smiley face. “I’ll warn you now I had onions on my fajitas.”
“That’s OK. I had garlic linguine for dinner.”
“Smell u later.”
“How do I look?” Plenty asked, fifteen minutes later. At that point I was fighting the urge to nap.
“Huh? Oh, you’re finished? What day is it?”
She rolled her eyes in response.
“You look nice,” I murmured. “But you looked nice before, too.”
“Do you want me to use some of my expertise on you?” she asked, her eyes hopeful. “A quick contour, perhaps?”
“Maybe some other day. Today I’m a lost cause,” I yawned.
She shrugged and put her things away and continued preening while I went to use the restroom. It’s a nicer bathroom than at the Towne, I guarantee that. The tavern is not a bad place, but they don’t have a couch in their bathroom or complimentary hand lotions and Tampax by the sink.
“Don’t forget to dab on more of your Compel potion,” I teased from behind the stall.
Five minutes later, after I went wild with my own primping – I went all harlot and applied tinted lip balm – we made our way to the bar.
26
IT WAS DEFINITELY Ladies Night, as the Towne boasted a good crowd. Several men looked us over with interest as we squeezed our way through the ranks to claim a spot closer to the bar. A fair number of college-age women checked us out, too, mostly assessing the competition, was my guess. Just seeing the swarms of people made me feel tired. As a business owner, I like to see someone enjoying good crowds, but – as a woman who turned thirty this year – the meat market was exhausting. Plenty, on the other hand, looked thrilled with the bustling state. She stood out, too, as she was blonder and taller than nearly all the women in the place, not to mention a good deal of the men.
As we got closer to the bar a couple tall, lumberjack types made room for us, nodding and smiling as we brushed against them and ordered drinks.
“A blonde and a redhead,” the burlier one commented. “You two would make a nice strawberry-and-cream sandwich.” He fluffed my curls, giving me a lascivious wink. “Wanna tug my beard, red?”
I gave him an empty stare. I don’t like uninvited physical contact, but it was Ladies Night, so I decided to keep my retort verbal. “What’ll that get me? Are you some novelty bank? Will money come out?”
He laughed. “If you tug something else, it will grow and something will come out.” He gave me another wink.
“I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” I told him point blank.
He chuckled. “The offer still stands.”
“What about you, Blondie?” his friend said. He had no beard, just a stubbled chin and he wore a woolen cap over his head, his face ruddy with drink.
Plenty gave him a dazzling grin. “We’re just out and about, boys.” She tilted her head toward the bar. “Can you reach our drinks? You’re so much taller than either of us. It should be a breeze for you. My name is Plenty, by the way, and this is my cousin Poppy.”
The bearded man introduced himself as Jacob; his hatted friend was Tony.
“You girls solo, or are you meeting someone?” Jacob asked.
I started to answer that Plenty was meeting a date, but she quickly clapped a hand over my mouth. “Wouldn’t you gents like to know?”
“I’ve seen Red around town before. That hair stands out,” Tony said, “but I’ve never seen you in these parts.”
“I’m visiting my aunt and cousin,” Plenty explained, her hand dropping from my mouth but she kept it firmly fixed on my shoulder, giving me a warning squeeze when I started to open it to say something.
The men saw someone they knew and, while they were distracted, I asked Plenty why she was keeping quiet about her date.
“Just keeping my options open,” she said through a wide grin.
I shrugged. I guess if Wyatt was a no-show, that made sense.
I looked around the bar and nodded at a couple familiar faces. One or two were regular customers, and others were folks I spotted here and there around town. One girl, a college student, made her way to me. I’d done readings for her a handful of times. Her name was Lisa and she was obsessed with finding her one true love.
“Hi Poppy!” she said. Her blue eyes were shiny, probably due to cocktails. She held a drink with an umbrella and pineapple garnish.
“Hello, Lisa. Nice to see you. Is that a piña colada?”
She nodded. “It’s so good. And free. I’m on my third.” She giggled, clearly feeling the rum. I turned toward the bar and saw Merritt behind it. He tended to make strong drinks, so I had no doubt that Lisa was feeling no pain. “So, do you see anyone?” she asked.
I gave her a curious look. “Oh, do I see a potential love connection for you?” I clarified.
She nodded eagerly. “You said the best way for me to meet someone was to put myself out there. So, I’ve been doing that. I’ve been going to hockey games, festivals, the bars, study groups. I’m putting myself out there.” She pumped a fist in the air.
“That’s good,” I said. “Keep it up.”
“But when will it work?” she pressed.
“Have you met anyone?”
“I meet guys, but I haven’t met the one.”
For a moment her buzz evaporated a bit and she looked lost. I put my hand on her shoulder, feeling sympathy. She was a good kid who just wanted to feel less alone. “You’re getting out there and trying to meet people. That’s a good thing. You’re still young. And while I’m at it, slow down on Merritt’s drinks. He makes them potent. You want a clearer head so you’re able to see when something good is on the horizon.”
She gave me a look, slurping the last of her cocktail down. “But these are so good.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that. Just be careful. You’re still young. Have
fun. Hell, I’m thirty and am still single.”
“Ew.”
“Ew?”
“Sorry. That came out wrong,” Lisa said. “I just didn’t think you were thirty.”
“I hope you thought I was younger,” I joked.
“I did. I just … don’t hate me for saying this, but I don’t want to be thirty and all alone.”
I rolled my eyes a bit. “I don’t exactly see myself as some decrepit old …” My words were cut off as she turned and told me goodbye. “My friends are going dancing up the street. I’ll see you later! I hope you meet someone, too.”
“Well, thanks… Make sure your next drink is non-alcoholic!”
I turned back to the bar and saw Plenty chattering with Jacob and Tony.
“Did you devote enough time to the pipsqueak,” she teased.
“Lisa’s a nice kid,” I said. “She gets readings done at my shop now and then.”
“Oh, well, you need to be nice to a customer, I guess,” Plenty said.
“She just is a hopeful romantic, wanting to meet a nice guy is all. Maybe I should have introduced her to one of you two,” I said, my gaze darting between our two lumberjack types.
“Nah. Not interested,” Jacob waved my comment off.
“Of course. Why aim low when you’ve got the cream of the crop right here,” Plenty said.
“Oh, it’s not that,” Tony said. “She’s cute and all, but all she wants to do is get married, and she’s too young.”
Jacob nodded. “We like our women a bit more seasoned.”
Plenty’s face fell. “Excuse me?”
He explained. “You two are somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty, so you know more what you want. Older women tend to be more confident and more established. They don’t expect us to pay for everything and usually don’t kick up a fuss if we forget to buy them flowers for Valentine’s Day.”
Charming. “You are nothing if not practical,” I told them. I wasn’t enchanted with the comments, but I was amused by their frankness and logic. Those things definitely weren’t as big a concern to me today as they would have been a decade earlier.
Plenty wasn’t so tickled. She had been leaning close to Tony but linked her arm with mine and jerked me away. “We’re leaving. And for the record, I am not thirty!”
I waved a meek goodbye as she pulled me to the other side of the bar. I was close to Merritt at this point. He nodded hello. “Your friend isn’t too happy there, I see.”
“No, she isn’t,” I agreed.
“Did Tony and Jacob say something inappropriate?”
I shook my head. “They correctly guessed our ages. Make of that what you will.”
“Ah. They’re drunk enough where they’re honest, but not quite painfully honest,” Merritt chuckled as he poured some shots.
“What happens when they hit the painfully drunk stage?”
Merritt turned his head in the duo’s direction. Tony was slowly swaying with a much larger woman than Plenty. She had to be nearly three hundred pounds, and he had his hands cupped beneath her ample bottom.
“I guess you could say the types of girls he’ll go home with expands as the liquor flows,” I murmured into my beer. I glanced at Plenty to see if she’d noticed who Tony was dancing with now. Fortunately, she hadn’t. If she’d had I knew she would have been insulted to see him show as much interest in a “fat” woman as he had shown her moments before.
As I watched the two dance, Jacob lifted his beer in my direction and gave me a wink.
I was about to raise my bottle to him and grace him with a small smile when I felt a large hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned and was pleasantly surprised to see Roger’s familiar face.
“Out on the hunt?” he teased.
“Only for tall, hot mechanics,” I replied.
He glanced in Jacob’s direction. “I guess I made it in the nick of time.” He craned his head down and gave me a warm kiss on the lips.
“That is the best thing that’s happened to me this whole night,” I murmured into his neck as he hugged me close.
“And that’s the best thing I’ve heard this whole night.”
He leaned against a bar stool and pulled me near so I could lean my hip against his thigh.
“Did you come here with Wyatt?” I asked.
“No. He came on his own. I don’t think he plans to leave that way.”
I turned to look for Plenty. She and Wyatt were chattering away happily. He went to the bar to fetch her another drink, nodding at me as he passed.
“You know,” I started, “I’m not sure she’s realized ladies drink free tonight.”
“Don’t worry. Wyatt knows.”
I told Roger I’d run into Trish and her date earlier that night, and Mike had brought up that same detail.
“Is this Mike Milligan?” Roger asked.
“I’m not sure. Trish met him when her car stalled on Trunk Road. You remember that night,” I said, thinking back to when Roger had revisited the spot where his sister lost her life in a car crash and seen her ghost. I wasn’t sure it was something I should bring up,
He gave a curt nod, his expression serious for a moment, but then he pulled me closer. I relaxed a bit.
“You can bring that up. It’s never going to be easy for me, but it’s a lot better now than it was a month ago,” he reassured me. “Mike is the guy who gave her car a jump?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s Mike Milligan.”
“Mike said something about Wyatt owing his brother a thousand dollars.”
“Is that all Carl is owed?” Roger asked.
“All?”
“Wyatt owes money all over the place.”
“I’m getting that impression.”
“And Plenty wasn’t bothered by that detail?”
“She was in the restroom when Mike disclosed that information,” I explained.
“That makes sense. She probably wouldn’t like knowing he makes little but owes much.”
I shrugged. “She’s desperate, but not serious.”
Roger chuckled. “That’s an odd way to put it.”
“It’s the name of a song. I like the way it sounds.”
A moment later Plenty breezed by. “I’m in need of a visit to the ladies’ room,” she said as she turned toward Wyatt. “I’ll be right back.”
He followed her until she passed Roger and me, pausing with a beer in hand as he scoped out the bar and stood next to us. “Hey bro,” he began, turning his head low and murmuring to Roger. Roger leaned in and listened close, then gave him a look and shook his head in disgust. He reached into his wallet and pulled out two twenties.
“That’s it?” Wyatt said as he accepted the money.
“That’s it.” Roger was firm.
Wyatt’s gaze landed on me.
“Don’t even think of hitting her up for money,” Roger warned.
“I’m trying to give her cousin a good time,” Wyatt pleaded.
“I already took her out to dinner, so much of the heavy financial lifting has been handled,” I said.
Wyatt shrugged and wandered off.
“You’re welcome,” Roger said, loudly.
Wyatt turned, his expression bland. “Thanks.”
“Don’t ever lend him money,” Roger told me.
“I tend not to do that. My mom drilled that rule into me from an early age. Plus, he’s up by forty dollars. Got any more in there for me?” I teased.
“Oh, I have something in my pocket for you all right,” he teased. “I was going to show it to you the other night before your mom showed up.”
I laughed, then stilled. “Is my family giving you second thoughts?” I was aiming for a joking tone, but really I was a bit worried.
He smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. But I am glad that you plan to change your locks. And I’m hoping Fiona calms down once company leaves town.”
“I’ve only thought those thoughts about a million times in the last couple days mys
elf.”
Plenty returned from the ladies room with freshly applied makeup and fluffier hair. She had a determined look on her face as well.
She breezed past everyone, pausing in front Roger and me.
“All better now?” I teased. I caught a whiff of that sickly-sweet perfume. “I’m guessing you topped off your Compel.”
She smiled and nodded at me, continuing her way toward Wyatt. She stopped, pulled open the compact she’d wheedled out of my mother, and gazed inside. A flash of reflected light raced around the bar as she tilted the mirror this way and that while she peered at her reflection.
Suddenly Wyatt turned his full attention to her, his expression hungry. Another man made his way toward my cousin, his face focused and intense. He put his hand on her slight shoulder and gazed into her eyes, eagerly trying to talk her into something. Two other men approached, looking ready to claim a space next to the tall blonde.
“Something weird is going on,” I mused aloud. I felt Roger tense and as I turned to look at him, he rose and pushed me to the side as he stalked over to the gang clustering around Plenty.
“What’s happening here?” I asked. No response. “Roger?” I stepped in front of him and waved my hand in front of his eyes. “Roger?”
He grabbed my hand and jerked it away, ignoring me like I was an annoying bug. Soon he was there, right next to Plenty, trying to horn in and make his way to the front of the crowd of men thronging around her.
I followed and overheard him. “Forget about Wyatt. I’m the one with the real money. I own my own shop and I help run the family lumber mill.”
“He’s lying,” Wyatt laughed, uncomfortable. “Why would my brother run his own shop if he could run and co-own a lumber mill?”
“I’m lying?” Roger snapped. “Your whole life is a lie. You owe money to everyone. Dad demoted you because you’re such a mess.”
“He’s lying. He’s jealous,” Wyatt argued, pushing up against Roger. He turned to give Plenty a quick, pleading look. “I work full time at the mill and know all that’s going on. I make all the important decisions.”
Roger scoffed. “You don’t know anything. Not even what a loser you are.” His gaze was intense, trained on Plenty like no one else was there. My eyes were itching and watering because I suddenly was fighting the urge to cry. I only felt comforted when I saw all the other men standing around with the same hungry expressions, all trained like robots in heat on Plenty.
Plenty of Trouble Page 20