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“Hey there, Tweety. How was the wedding?”
Birdie had many nicknames, ranging from Birdshit to Birdshot and a lot in between. She just rolled with them. In school, her classmates called her Tweety mainly. The woman now pouring drinks beside her was one of those.
“It was great thanks, Dee. Really nice, and the bride looked so lovely, as they always do.”
Birdie measured tequila, bourbon, peach jam, lime juice, and light syrup into the blender, then turned it on. Once it was done, she poured it into a cocktail glass and added some garnish. She then made the Pina Colada.
“I didn’t look good,” Dee said. “My mom made me wear white satin with bows and frills. My hair was so high it was a struggle to walk through doors.”
Delores Heckler married her high school sweetheart, Red, and pretty much everyone said it would end in disaster. They’d be wrong. Five kids later, they were both now owners of The Roll Away, and lived in a big two-story house that was full of clutter and noise in Lyntacky. They spent their weekends running kids around and watching sports or dance.
“You stick to your guns, Tweety,” Dee said, loading the tray on the bar with the cocktails.
“About what?”
“When Sawyer proposes.”
Birdie had just lifted the soda nozzle to wipe it. Her finger hit a button, and soda shot out, covering the bar.
“What? Why would you say that, Dee?”
Birdie was in the Roll Away uniform of anything denim and a white shirt with the bar logo. The boss, however, wore tight jeans that Birdie was fairly sure had been sprayed onto her lean legs. Her white shirt had several buttons open, exposing her red lace bra. Her hair was long, and she dyed it black. This Birdie knew as she came into The Gnat to get it done.
“He took you to the wedding, didn’t he? That man never dates or takes a woman anywhere. Well, he hasn’t since that J Bitch broke his heart.”
This town defended their own no matter if they were innocent or guilty.
The locals loved nothing better than making up a good story if they didn’t have the facts about what had hurt a local or returned them from traveling. Point of fact, Sawyer arrived on his mother’s doorstep with the name of a woman on his arm. No information was forthcoming, so they created some.
“That Jolena was a rich bitch who broke his heart for no reason other than it was fun,” Dee added. “She better not show her face in this town, or I’ll break it for her.”
“You don’t know what her face looks like, Dee,” Birdie felt compelled to add.
“I’ll know.”
“You go on and take those drinks to table four, Birdie,” Dee said. “And all I’m saying is that I think you and Sawyer could have something good.”
“Friends,” Birdie said. “Not anything else.”
Dee snapped her gum. “If you say so.”
Birdie picked up the tray. It had often amused her the stories some interfering locals came up with. She wasn’t laughing now.
Two hours into her shift and she knew it was going to be a loud and late one.
“Hey, Tweety, how about you and me get to know each other better?”
“Lloyd, you ask me that every time you and Kimi take a break,” Birdie said to the man leering at her. “I’ve known you since my first day of school, and friends are all we’ll ever be.”
The Roll Away had two pool tables at one end and an enormous screen to watch games at the other. Birdie was clearing glasses from the pool table area.
“I think we could be more.” Lloyd grabbed her around the waist.
He was one of those guys that got all handsy when they were drinking and seemed to think a woman should like it. Birdie didn’t, but before she could tell him to let her go, someone else stepped in.
“Let her go now, Lloyd.”
Birdie stared into the angry face of Sawyer Duke. At his side were all his siblings.
