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Palmer
I leave early for the cabin, and because it’s a little warmer today, some fog has settled in, and it’s harder to find, but I manage. When I get in, I slip off my boots, take off my jacket, and sit on the couch before pulling out my laptop, ready to get as many words in as I can.
The email from my editor is sitting unanswered until I see how much I can get done today. My mom is going to pick up Adley from school even though it’s Hudson’s day because he has to work.
I sit on the couch, the same side I’ve sat on every day since the words started flowing and open my manuscript. And just like every other time, the words are on the tips of my fingers, waiting for me to type them.
Bea was shaken. The hot bartender understood sign language. The bar had been way too loud for her talk, not that she enjoyed using her voice much anyway, so it was perfect.
And then, people were leaving and the bar had become emptier. Nia came up and asked if Bea wanted Trek to drive her home, but Bea politely shook her head. She’d figure something out—get an Uber or something. But she wasn’t going to sit in the back seat while Nia and Trek wanted to be alone.
Nia glanced at the bartender and turned so only Bea could see her lips. “He’s a cutie. Go home with him.”
Although he had been giving Bea a lot of attention and a few free drinks, she thought he was just being nice because she was sitting alone in a bar filled with groups. This wasn’t a townie bar where people just came in by themselves for a drink. It was a club where people, especially women, came in groups.
Bea pulled Nia down so she could say into her ear, “That’s not how it works. Go have fun with the drummer.”
“Hopefully he knows how to use his stick.” She laughed and kissed Bea on the cheek.
Bea’s eyes followed Nia as she hooked her arm through Trek’s, and they left the bar.
The bartender, Pete, came over and wiped down the spot where two guys had spilled a beer. “She’s going to regret that decision.”
Bea shrugged. Nia rarely regretted anything. She had the motto that you only lived life once, so you might as well do what you want, when you want. Bea admired Nia to a certain extent. Although when Bea had left her small hometown in Idaho, all she’d wanted to do was travel and see the world. She wasn’t as carefree as Nia.
She lifted her hands and signed, She won’t. He might.
Pete laughed, and his eyes sparkled. She was really starting to like this guy. He leaned over the bar, arms crossed and resting on the bar top, and all she could do was focus on his lips. Which was a great excuse to stare at them since she was always reading lips.
“I’m off in five, let me give you a ride.”
What did she really know about this guy? Her mom would kill her if she found out Bea had gotten in the car with some stranger. All those crime stories Bea watched on TV played out in her head as she debated what to do.
Pete reached into his back pocket and placed his license in front of her on the bar. Take a picture, send it to whoever you want. Tell them I’m driving you home. If you go missing, they’ll be able to track me down.
How do I know this is even you? Bea raised her eyebrows.
You don’t, but…he dropped his wallet in front of her. Go ahead.
Bea shook her head. She wasn’t one to pry into someone else’s life. Pete had been nice to her all night which she took as pity, but maybe he was interested in her.
Look through it. He pushed his wallet closer to her.
The brown leather was worn along the edges, and Bea opened the fold, unsure if she should or not, but she knew it would put her mind at ease.
Inside were two credit cards with the same name as the license. There was a voter’s registration card, which made her laugh. When Pete leaned in to see, she pulled it out. He just didn’t seem the type to keep up with politics. She didn’t bother to look at the cash he had—that would be another level of nosy. Satisfied, she shut the wallet and slid it over to him.
That’s it? I offer you my entire life, and you barely look?
Bea contemplated her reply carefully, not wanting to be too forward, but she really liked him and wanted something to happen between them. I’d rather get to know you by talking with you some more rather than finding out that way.
He smiled, and even though she was sitting, her knees felt weak. A ride home then?
She looked up through her dark eyelashes, bit her lip, and nodded.
He went over to the other bartender and told him something, then grabbed his coat from a cubby behind the bar. Bea thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest as Pete walked the length of space behind the bar toward her, his smile permanently in place as if he felt lucky that she’d accepted his ride home.
He lifted the bar top and walked through the opening. She slid off her stool and realized how short she was compared to him once he was closer.
