By six o'clock that night the shift was in full swing, the bar packed with boisterous men, cheering and yelling at the large flat screen on the wall.
I moved through the crowd, gathering empty glasses onto my tray and delivering food to the tables that had ordered it. A particularly drunk guy in a red shirt kept grabbing my ass whenever I walked close and so I went the long way around the tables each time to avoid him.
"Come on, gorgeous!" he yelled as I made my way back to the kitchen to drop the dirty glasses off to the dishwasher. "Bring that sweet little ass back over here."
"He giving you trouble, honey?" Brenda, an older waitress, pretty in a beat-down kind of way, who had been working at Al's forever, asked when I'd returned to the bar. She nodded her head in Red Shirt’s direction.
I glanced over at him. "I can handle it, Brenda," I said, giving her a small smile.
"You let me know if you need me to take over your section. I've got plenty of extra to grope. I don't mind sharing a little." She squeezed a handful of her generous backside and winked at me. I laughed.
I successfully avoided Red Shirt for the rest of my shift and he left with his group of friends as the game ended and the bar started clearing out a little bit.
As I wiped down a table near the back, Marlo came over to me. "Hey, Ten, I asked Brenda and she said she could give you a lift home."
I stopped wiping and looked up at her. She fidgeted slightly. "Why?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Uh," she glanced back to a guy sitting at a table near the door. I didn't recognize him—probably another guy in town on business. I narrowed my eyes, taking him in from across the room. "That's Corey. He asked if I wanted to go to dinner with him tonight and . . ."
Dinner? It was way too late for dinner. I moved to the side so her body was blocking me from Corey. "Do not go home with some guy you just met at this bar, Mar. Have you already forgotten how that turned out—"
She straightened her spine. "No, I haven't forgotten." She glanced over her shoulder at Corey and gave him a small smile. When she looked back at me she said, "I'm not stupid, Ten. I know what Corey wants. I don't have delusions that he's going to marry me and we're going to go riding off into the sunset. I just want some company, is that so bad?"
I sighed, my shoulders drooping. "What about Sam?"
Marlo bristled. "What about Sam? We're just friends. Sam doesn't own me."
"He'd care that you went home with Corey," I said.
"Well, he shouldn't. That would be stupid of him."
I sighed. "Yeah." I studied her pretty face for a moment. "Just be careful, okay? And stay in public with him, well-lit areas that—"
Marlo laughed and leaned forward, hugging me. "I will. I'll be home in a couple hours."
"Okay."
I went back to wiping the last of the tables off as Marlo clocked out and then waved at me as she and Corey walked out the front door of Al's.
I went to clock out and when I saw Brenda, she said, "Honey, I'm sorry. I just went out to warm my car up and it won't start. Dave's coming by in about an hour to pick me up. Do you mind waiting?"
I really didn't want to hang out in this smoky bar for another couple hours waiting for Brenda's husband. "That's okay, I'm used to walking and it's not cold."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." I smiled and after calling goodbye to everyone, I walked outside. It was a mild spring night, but I still pulled my sweater on and folded my arms over my chest. I was going to have to buy a few new things soon. Some of my clothes had actual holes in them. I'd talk to Marlo and see what we could afford.
Pine needles picked up and blew in the wind at my feet as I trudged through the dirt and leaves on the side of the highway. A breeze blew gently through my hair. I looked up at the moon, recalling what it'd looked like hanging over us in the meadow as Kyland moved above me, his skin damp with passion. I shivered in want, my steps speeding up. Maybe I'd stop at his house. Surely I had that right. I heard a car coming behind me and moved as far as I could away from the road. The car went whizzing by me and then I looked up as I heard it slow and pull to the side of the embankment.
My steps slowed and I squinted as I walked toward the silver car. Was that Jemma Clark's brother's car? As I got closer, I realized that, no, this car was in much better shape than his, still running, but no one getting out. Then the door opened and Red Shirt stepped out of the driver's seat, weaving slightly. "Hey, pretty girl, I've been waiting for you." He smiled a droopy-lidded smile and began walking toward where I now stood still, nerves assaulting me. I looked up and down the highway. It was deserted.
I started walking around his vehicle and called over to him, "My ride should be along any minute. Nice to see you, though."
As I walked along the passenger side of his car, he started coming around the front and I increased my speed, breaking into a jog when he increased his speed, too. Fear pounded through my blood as he took up chase behind me. I let out a small yelp as his hand made contact with my shoulder, but then I pulled ahead and for a brief second, I thought he'd give it up and walk back to his car. I dared to glance behind me and in that instant, his hand grabbed hold of my sweater and he yanked. I went flying backward, hitting his chest with my back as his arms went around me and he let out a loud half-laugh/half-victory cry. "Let me go!" I yelled, panic causing tears to spring to my eyes as I sucked in a sob.