Page 73 of The Other Room

Me: Going to be a couple hours late. Need to cover for Hanson. Should be done by eight at the latest.

He texted back right away.

Matt: You’re killing me, Smalls. I’m dying over here. I miss you.

Me: I miss you, too. Where should I meet you? Home? Out?

Matt: I’m going to need all the drinks to numb the agony of waiting for you to get off. I’ll go to Stabbur and sit at the bar. Alone. Pouting. Sad. Devastated. Distraught.

Laughing, I shook my head.

Me: Quit being an ass. You’ll be fine.

Matt: Yeah, drinks will help. Maybe. Probably not :(

Me: Ass.

Matt: LOL. Kidding. Text when you’re done. I’ll save you a stool. We can have a drink then go to dinner.

I sent back a kiss emoji and set down my phone. Just two more hours. I could make it.

The door opened, and I heard the irritating sounds of high-pitched girly squeals flooding into the bar.

“Isn’t it the cutest?” a shrill voice asked, eliciting oohs and aahs.

“It is! Darling!” another voice said.

“See, I told you girls we had to come here. And the margaritas are the best!” the original voice said.

Wait.

I knew that voice.

The hair on the back of my neck rose as a snake of rage slithered down my spine.

Spinning around, I lowered my head while I searched the group of girls for the owner of that voice I never wanted to hear again. When I saw her step through the group of six over-dressed girls, my eyes narrowed into slits.

Red hair fell off her shoulders in soft waves. Red hair I wanted to grab and pull while I dragged her back outside. Pink lips pulled into a grin when she saw me. Pink lips I wanted to pummel with my fist. Her ivory skin was unmarked by so much as a blemish, and I wondered what it would look like swollen and covered in the bruises I’d like to paint it with.

“Oh. My. God!” she screeched when she saw me. “Jo! What are you doing here?”

“Fucking, Nikki,” I snarled under my breath, clenching my fists. What the hell is she doing here?

“You guys!” she waved in her friends. “This is my friend, Jo! We totally grew up together. I told you it was the smallest world up here. Didn’t I tell you?”

“Hi, Jo!” they mirrored, their sugar-sweet tones almost giving me a toothache.

Ugh. It was like Nikki had cloned herself in some apocalyptic plan to overrun the world with an army of shallow, pretentious, shitty people.

“I just can’t believe you’re working here!” She climbed into a stool, and her minions followed suit, stretching the length of the bar. Just a minute ago I’d have been thrilled for the bodies, but now I would have killed for every stool to be empty. “I didn’t know you left the Blue Ox. I mean, I didn’t go back there this weekend because, well, you know.” She faked an oopsie face and dissolved into giggles. “Figured Jake wouldn’t want to see me.”

“He’s not the only one,” I growled through clenched teeth.

“Oh, Jo! You’re so funny.” Her cackle made me crave the delightful melody of fingernails on a chalkboard.

“What are you doing here, Nikki?” Stiffening my jaw, I leveled her with a glare.

“Oh, you know. Me and the girl squad needed to get out of Chicago for a little getaway. I told them about Door County, and they just had to come. Didn’t you girls?”