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I claim, “We need to get him alone first.”
“We’ll leave soon, hide our bikes, return on foot and wait him out,” Leo concludes.
With a plan in place, we all stand to leave after JJ’s finished his breakfast and throws down enough cash to cover the bill. Holly offers a small smile on my way out and I look forward to seeing her later.
Chapter Six
Holly
My shift ended thirty minutes ago. My feet ache, and I desperately need a shower. I smell of coffee and grease, the scents clinging to me like a second skin. I could shower at home and listen to another lecture from my dad, or I could drive to the club, use Tal’s shower, and have some fun in the process. Decision made, I head for the club. I’m bone tired, so I blast the music during the drive to keep my eyes from drifting closed.
The same guy from the night before is at the gate when I arrive. Seeing that it’s me, he smiles and waves me through. Parking in the end bay, I lock up and head into the bar, looking for Tal everywhere. Searching for his number on my phone, I press it to my ear just as he answers, sounding out of breath.
“Where are you? I’m at the club and I can’t find you.”
“Shit. Sorry, but I’m a little busy at the moment.”
Why is he so breathless? Is he with someone else while on the phone with me?
“You should probably go home. I’ll come by the diner and see you tomorrow.”
I go to offer to wait, but he’s already hung up, leaving me feeling rejected.
“Hey, girl. I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight,” Zara says, appearing out of nowhere.
“I was meeting someone, but he just cancelled.”
“Wouldn’t happen to be Tal, would it?”
Slamming her palm on the bar top, she orders two beers.
“Why do you spend so much time here?”
Chuckling, she sweeps her hand out.
“Look around, Hols. I can be whoever I want to be. I’ve never felt so free.”
I understand what she’s saying; I felt it the first time I came here. I was nervous when Zara asked me to tag along, but knowing her since first grade, I knew she wouldn’t put me in a situation I couldn’t handle.
Zara and I are two different sides of a coin. She’s lively, mouthy, and content to make the best out of staying in this town, whereas I’m none of those things. Yet there’s something that keeps our friendship tight.
“So who do you like here?”
Swigging her beer, her shoulders tense briefly before she shrugs it off.
“It doesn’t matter. He hasn’t been available for a long time.”
This is the first time I’ve seen her down over a guy. “Is he with someone?”
“He was, but she’s gone now, and I doubt he’ll ever see me again. All he saw was her, and still does.”
“I’m sorry, Zar.”
“It is what it is. I won’t be like my mom, spending my life chasing a man who doesn’t see me, especially one grieving for his dead love.”
A commotion by the door gets everyone’s attention. The twins I saw at the diner earlier have hold of a guy who’s trying to get away from them. Tal and the other guys who were also at the diner follow close behind.
The mood changes, and tension ripples through the bar like a comb with broken teeth.
