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"When exactly can I go?" I asked.
"They have a family calendar, and he put you down on it from the end of May through mid-August, I think. I'll text you the dates and the address. It's twelve weeks total. Is that going to be okay, Holland? Could we be square after that? I'm really sorry about all this. Thank you for being patient with me."
"Okay, I just hope I don't go down to Arkansas and find out that it's sketchy."
"It is so not sketchy. It's amazing. I promise, you're going to love it."
"And you know for sure they're not going to expect me to pay for the room?"
"I promise they're not. I told him the whole thing. I worked it out with Beau. I told him the story about Garrett and how you used your savings to bail us out. I think you're going to get a lot done in Arkansas. I'm serious. I was asking God to bail me out with this, and Arkansas… I just feel like Arkansas is a gift. It's going to be even better than any cabin you would rent here."
"I hope so," I said.
I was trying to stay positive and not make her feel guilty even though this wasnotwhat I wanted. I wanted to spend less than this on my summer place so that I could put down a deposit on an apartment when I got back to Chicago.
But I didn't say any of that to Sophia.
"Are you okay?" she asked after a long pause.
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about everything."
Chapter 4
Two months later
"What in the world are you doing here?" Jasper asked me from behind the bar. He started pouring me a Coca-Cola Classic because he figured that was what I wanted. He put it in a whiskey glass and added a cherry with a stem on top just to make it look fancy. I reached for a straw. The music was loud, and Jasper, the lead bartender at the Marble Inn, leaned over so he wouldn't have to yell. "I thought you quit the other day, what are you doing here?"
"I've been here since Sam went on."
"I didn't see you."
I smiled and took a sip of soda. "I just got thirsty," I said. "But I've been here—up by the stage."
"You're sweaty."
"I'm dancing," I said. I wiped my forehead with the back of my arm.
"I'm glad to see you. I thought you wouldn't be back so soon after you quit," he said.
"I had to come see Sam Wells."
"I hope you didn't pay to get in," he said.
"Na, Jerry was working the door. He knew I was coming."
"Good. Hey, when are you leaving town? We have to get together."
"Next week," I said. "But I'll be back in August. It's just twelve weeks."
"Are you going to be back on the schedule after that?"
"I don't know. I hope not. I hope my business is keeping me afloat by then, but maybe."
"You better come back, even if you're not working here anymore."
"I will, I promise. I can't stay away. Look at me tonight." I shrugged and smiled at him, and then waved and took off for the stage. I left money for the drink on the bar, and Jasper picked it up as I walked away.
That was the problem with servers—we tended to over tip. I paid way too much just now for a few sips of Coke, which I easily sipped down on my way across the floor. I was tempted to set my empty glass on a nearby unattended ledge, but I cut over and walked to the other end of the bar where I knew I'd find a bus pan.
