Page 49 of Bad Intentions

“You bitch. You lied to me!”

I winced. You think you know your teenagers well until you hear them talk to another teenager when they think no one is listening.

“Are! You! Kidding me! You slept with him!… Don’t lie, bitch. You did! You did, didn’t you, you fucking slut!”

I cringed.

“You seriously thought that I wouldn’t find out? You are dead to me, you bitch. Dead! And if I see you around him again, I’ll kill you, I swear!”

I couldn’t bear listening to all the trash coming out of my daughter’s mouth. I left for the bar angry, simmering with hate. It takes years of meeting all sorts of people at a bar and seeing them at their worst to know how to read them, recognize them for what they are.

Alysha and Victoria didn’t have that experience. And Derek? If I ever saw him, I would call the cops, accuse him of something, have him put away for anything, even if I had to make it up.

It was barely eight in the evening, and the bar was full already. I helped serve food, checked the patrons out at the cash register. We were swamped. Summer heat wafted through the door, which was constantly opening. No AC helped. Those drinking downed ice-cold drinks like water. Business was booming.

I was on my third refill of ice, only two hours after I’d arrived. Cherry, Katie, and Birdie were running behind the bar counter like chickens, smiles on their faces—days like those were their big paydays.

I liked doing what I did, running this place, even being behind the counter, serving. Most of the year, the bar was quieter, not like the old days when my grandmother Shirley ran the place. When the factories were booming, Ma Shirley’s Tavern was the hotspot.

I hummed under my breath, forgetting about the trouble that was brewing in my life.

Until I saw him.

Derek Sickler was by himself. That was an odd sight, considering every girl I knew talked about him. He slowly walked through the crowded bar, a drink in his hand—how about it? One of my girls had already served him, and that annoyed me.

He said hi to one person, then another, and then his eyes met mine. Like he knew where I stood. Like he knew I was watching. He didn’t look away, his lips curling in that arrogant smile I wanted to wipe off his face.

Cherry missed the sink and dropped half a bag of ice on the floor, the cubes flying everywhere.

I sucked my teeth and went to help her.

“I’m so clumsy, sorry, sorry,” she kept mumbling.

“Birdie, grab a bag,” I ordered the other girl. And while they were cleaning up, I served several beers, an old fashioned, and some appetizers, forgetting about Derek for a second.

Until I saw him at the cash register. Katie flitted up to him, setting a fresh drink in front of him, laughing at his joke.

No. Nuh-uh. That won’t do.

I made my way to the cash register and nudged Katie aside.

“Did he pay?” I asked.

“Not for this drink, no,” she started explaining, but I waved her to step away and leaned toward Derek. His smug eyes narrowed at me. He knew he was getting under my skin.

“You are not welcome here,” I told him, took the drink, and dumped it in the trash. “And stay away from the girls in this town,” I added. “Unless you want to deal with the cops. Go on, now. Out.”

“Is that how you treat your customers, Ma?” he asked, not moving.

“That’s Mrs. Boots to you. And I make sure that my customers don’t bring trouble with them. You? You should stop by the local precinct and have a little chat about your wife from Ohio. They are looking for you. Or you can stay here, and I’ll call the cops to come get you.”

His face changed, his handsome features hardening into a spiteful mask. I looked at the young man behind him. “What can I do for you, hun?”

Derek moved aside, and I had to make an effort not to watch him all the way to the door. I knew he’d leave. Nothing like a threat to call the cops, especially if his hands were dirty.

I took the next customer’s order, then picked up my tumbler and walked to the beer coolers. I brought the tumbler to my lips—I needed a whole bag of ice to cool myself after seeing Derek here again.

Cherry swung the cooler door next to me open, pulled out several bottles, then slipped and ran into me, sending the tumbler from my hands down to the floor.