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RHYS
Monday afternoons at my bar are always dead, especially after a festival weekend. The tourists and weekend visitors have all gone back to the mainland, and the locals are usually still hungover from two days before. Thank God, because it took me most of yesterday to clean up the mess from when Archer was stabbed.
I bought Paul’s Tavern from the man himself a few years ago. I started working at Paul’s when I was eighteen. From my very first shift, Paul complained nonstop that he was too old to run the bar and needed to retire. When I turned twenty-four, I had saved up enough money for a down payment. I made Paul an offer and got myself a loan. Then I drove by the sheriff’s office and flipped my dad the bird. For all the times he told me I was a waste of air, a failure straight from the womb, a piece of shit that would never amount to anything.
At the grand opening, the worthless scum had sauntered inside the bar and said, “You’re welcome.”
When I asked him why in the hell I’d thank him, he said it was all that tough love that motivated me to be better. I told him to leave and never set foot in my bar again. He must have seen death in my eyes because he’s never passed my threshold ever again. His words sat like a rock in my gut for days before Lena finally told me to snap out of it.
“Do I owe the fact that I put myself through college to him? Does he deserve the recognition for my hard work?”
“Fuck no.”
“How is this any different?”
It’s different because Lena is driven. I’ve never had a doubt she’d do things with her life. I didn’t go to college. I’ve left Wild Haven Island, but I haven’t seen much of the world, and I don’t need to. This place is my home.
Regardless, owning Paul’s is my proudest accomplishment to date. I don’t count surviving living in my fucked-up house growing up, because that was frankly a miracle.
Sal is sitting belly up to the bar, slowly working his way through a beer. He’s the only person currently here and likely to be for the rest of the afternoon. Which is why I asked everyone to stop over. There should be minimal interruptions and Sal’s deaf as a post. Even if he wanted to listen in on our conversation, he wouldn’t be able to hear it. Not that it matters. We could be talking about flying mermaids and he still wouldn’t give a shit.
Lena and Archer walk in first, with Miri and Davis at their heels. Lena doesn’t sit down but moves behind the bar and starts filling up glasses of water for everyone, including Sal. She slides the water in front of him and he winks at her.
Ruby and Ezra are arguing when they push the door open. Big surprise.
“Why couldn’t you call it soup?” Ruby is shielding her eyes to look up at Ezra, the change of light from the bright outdoors to the dimly lit bar interior drastic. She blinks up at him like she’s clearing her eyes.
“One, because it’s cold.”
“Vichyssoise and gazpacho. Ha! Both are dishes best served cold. Just like my revenge.”
“What the hell does that even mean?” Ezra snarls at Ruby, but holds the door open for Zara, who sneaks around him and Ruby like she’s afraid of getting caught in the crosshairs.
“As if I’d ever reveal my plans.” Ruby snorts and holds out her hand for a high five to Sal. Sal, used to Ruby’s randomness, slaps her hand without looking at her, continuing to watch a baseball game on TV. Ruby smirks like she’s proved a point and moves over to the long table in the middle of the bar. Ezra sits across from her, ostensibly so they can keep arguing. I meet Zara halfway between the door and the table.
She looks adorable in a ridiculous way. I know she’s been raiding Ruby’s closet because she has nothing of her own, but I can tell Ruby’s style choices would not be Zara’s. Today she’s wearing a pair of overalls with a loose-fitting long-sleeved t-shirt that barely hits below her chest. It has a picture of the band No Doubt on it. Her golden hair is down, and so long she winds it in a makeshift bun while I watch.
“Have they been arguing long?”
Zara turns her wide hazel eyes toward me. “He met us at Ruby’s, and they’ve been fighting the entire way.”
I laugh, ignoring the looks that get thrown our way. “That’s their foreplay. One day, the two of them are going to rip each other’s clothes off and it’ll be like a bomb exploded. Or they’ll kill each other.”
“They haven’t slept together?” Zara’s cheeks turn bright pink, but she doesn’t look away. I like that. A lot.
“If they have, they’ve kept that secret locked down tight. What are they arguing about, anyway?”
“Uh, whether cereal can be considered soup.”
“Huh. And Ruby says it is?”
“Actually, I think Ruby started out saying it isn’t soup, but when Ezra started to agree with her, she changed her mind and started arguing the other side.”
I roll my eyes. “Sounds about right. Let’s go sit down.”
Zara takes a seat next to Ruby and I sit down across from her next to Ezra. Lena and Archer make up the rest of my side of the table, while Miri and Davis take spots on the opposite side. Lena has glasses of water already set down in front of everyone.
Ezra sighs at something Ruby says and then turns to look at me. “What’s up? You called us all here for something?”
