“So,” Matthew shrugged. “We can all be a bit difficult sometimes. I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”
I bit my lip uncertainly. “I hope so. Thanks for talking about this,” I said.
On the way back to my office, I checked on her parking-space. It was empty, the little VW with its marks from several accidents was long gone. I tried not to feel the surprising stab of sorrow I felt on seeing her empty parking space.
“She’ll be fine,” I told myself. I wished, with a fervency that surprised me, that I could have driven her home like I did yesterday. At least then I would know she was okay.
“You’re being ridiculous,” I told myself harshly.
But it wasn’t ridiculous. I was falling for her. I wanted to see her again, to know that she was safe.
10
Amelia
I stared. The door was open in front of me, the sign above it slightly askew, but not visible in the dark outside. It was Friday, and I was standing outside a bar that was known locally as The Midnight Fright, even though the signage said “The Midnight Flight.” It was not the place I wanted to be during the best of times. It was a local dive bar and always full even at closing time. It had a dingy atmosphere and too often a dingy crowd. The Midnight was not my favorite venue for anything.
All the same, I had let Tanya talk me into going there after work on Friday night. I had dressed hastily in jeans and a new, never-worn pale blue blouse, which was, currently, the only clean top I owned. It was a bit fancy, especially for the Midnight, but it had to do. I had thrown a jacket over the top. I stood in the doorway and surveyed the battlefield.
Bikers, clad in leather and big in size, leaned on the bar in the corner. The light came from several ceiling-lights, though it was still dark in there, especially in the corners. Several tables, wooden and sturdy, dotted the floor, and all were packed with people. The noise was deafening.
“I don’t think I can go in there,” I whispered.
“Hey!” Tanya ignored me and greeted a guy who looked like a wrestler—all muscles and bulk. He waved us over. I let her cheerfully drag me into the bar, ignoring everything I’d said.
“Tanya. Tex said you’d be coming over,” the guy said, taking her hand.
Tanya grinned. “He did?” She made a face over her shoulder. “I didn’t think I was forbidden to go to bars now?”
The big man laughed. “He didn’t say that. He just said that you’d be here, so I was to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh. That’s kind.” Tanya beamed. “Thanks, man.”
“Not at all,” he said. At that moment, somebody called him over from behind the bar, and he lumbered over. I sat down as Tanya waved us to a vacant table. She shrugged off her coat, laying it on the back of the chair, showing the white blouse she wore underneath—elegant and dangerous. She had her own style, which matched her vivacious personality. I liked it.
“What will you drink?” she asked. “I’m into beer now.”
“You are?” I said with a look of disgust. I had never enjoyed it. “I’ll have the house wine.”
“Great. Hey!” She waved at a guy who appeared to be taking orders from the tables. “A glass of red, a Black Label and… shall we eat something? Yeah. Pizza.”
Looking over my shoulder to where the guy took the order, I felt my head swim. Going out with Tanya was always like this—she was the boss of every situation, and she would drag me into all sorts of adventures just because she moved too fast for me to stop anything. She had once ordered my meal for me before I even had a chance to look at the menu. This was far from the first time that something like this had happened, and I watched as she gestured for the waiter to go and fetch our orders, as authoritatively as if she was commanding a platoon.
“Thanks,” I murmured, as the waiter headed off with an order I didn’t know I’d placed.
“Great,” Tanya beamed, leaning on the wooden surface that was stained here and there with the rings from the bottom of glasses and, I noticed with some discomfort, some very sticky patches. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Um…” I was about to try and reply when the waiter appeared with our drinks. I took a sip of mine, watching Tanya grin at him and then produce her wallet.
“Let me pay,” I said quickly.
She gave me a disapproving look. “Second round is yours.”
“Oh. Thanks,” I nodded.
“Sure,” she said.
The music was loud, but it didn’t really matter, as Tanya kept up a cheerful one-sided conversation about everything that happened at work and included the latest with Tex. I smiled and nodded, and if I couldn’t hear everything, it didn’t really matter too much. I sipped my drink and felt myself relax.
I did need this. She was right.
Ever since the incident with Creepy in the restaurant parking lot, I had felt disoriented. I hadn’t realized how badly the experience threw me. Tanya had noticed, though, and insisted I come out for some fun. I was glad she made it happen.
“We had to come out,” Tanya said, coming to an end of her speech. “We had to celebrate your new job! How’s it going?”
I shrugged. Work was the one thing I didn’t want to talk about. Since the incident with Luke, I’d felt strange. Carter had been so nice about it. It surprised me.
Carter isn’t nice. He’s an arrogant dickhead.
I felt my cheeks flush just thinking about insulting him. Somehow it felt naughty and good at the same time.
“So?” Tanya asked, leaning over the table. “Feeling any better?”
“I am,” I nodded, feeling relaxed. “Thanks, girlfriend.”
“No worries,” she said, leaning back in her seat. She, too, looked relaxed. Her long red hair, freshly combed, hung back glossily over her shoulders, and her face with the one wrinkle across her forehead looked relaxed too. She had a vibrant, lively appearance, and was more full of life and energy than anyone I’d ever known.
As I watched her glancing around the bar, I cast my eyes to the door. I went stiff.
It couldn’t be. But, then, who else had that dark hair and big shoulders?
On the other side of the bar, at the door, stood Carter. I stared.
It was Carter, all right. I felt my heart start to pound. I knew my hands were sweating, and my body was tense with excitement. I saw him look around the bar with that arrogant, I-am-the-greatest stare, and emotions and energy flowed through my body irrepressibly. It was a reaction of attraction, and I now knew that I was completely attracted to him. It was impossible to deny it.
He was wearing a blue button-down shirt, a dark blue that brought out the color of his eyes. His hair was clean and shiny, and his jeans were tight enough to reveal his strong thigh-muscles. When he turned around, I could see his tight butt, showcased by the jeans. I wanted to die, he was so hot.
“Tanya,” I whispered urgently, as my body felt the desperate need to flee before I died of embarrassment or shyness. “Can we…”
“Oh, look! Mark! Hello!” she waved, and my heart stopped. Mark had come in just before him, and he was standing by the bar. He saw Tanya wave and came over.