AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What would you like to drink?” I checked the clock just below the counter. 1:45 a.m. Last call. I smiled.
The girls ordered lemon drop shots, and I took my time lining the rim of each shot glass with lemon juice and sugar before pouring the vodka. I individually passed out lemons, casually closing the girl’s tab and giving back her credit card. They took the shots and thanked me before I turned back to the man.
Impatience radiated off him like heat, and I was sure that if he didn’t want the drink so badly, he’d have already punched me. I chuckled. “Have you calmed down at all, bro? It’s time to go.”
“I want a drink.”
“Too late. You missed last call. Shouldn’t have been an asshole, hmm?” Auston laughed behind me, quickly stifling it and closing the register.
The stool clanged against the ground when he shot up, and his shout was clearly heard over the music. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
As his outroar broke out, the crowd behind him slowly thinned. Drunk girls in short dresses hung on their friends’ arms and slinked out of the bar, and the groups of people sitting at the tables stood to gather their things. The music faded as it always did at closing time, but the anger in the man’s face didn’t quiet at all.
“Sorry, man. That’s what happens when you come in here acting like an asshole. Better luck next time.”
His chest heaved with each infuriated breath, and the girl with the faux French 75 earlier grabbed onto his arm. “Let’s just go, baby,” she mumbled, winking at me. “I think they’re closed. We have more at home.”
He stiffened. “You’re lucky my girlfriend is hot, or I’d fucking rearrange your face in this bar.”
“Dude, what kind of threat is that? I can feel your words slurring. Get the hell out of my bar.” I pointed, and the man stumbled backwards while holding his head high. The door slammed shut behind him, and I dragged a wet rag across the counter, laughing.
“What an idiot,” Auston said, joining me. He looked at the door, gathering the final empty glasses from the bar and adding them to the bin. He lifted it, ready to haul it to the dishwasher and run the last load. “That was kind of a wild night. Let’s get this cleaned up and get out of here.”
“Just a normal Saturday.” I laughed, my shoulders dropping when I realized I hadn’t stopped working since our first rush around seven. My back ached and my stomach growled. Usually I’d stop for dinner partway through a shift, but I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. I cringed, hating to admit he was right. “Okay, okay. We need to hire someone else.”
“I know.” My best friend was cocky, tossing his dirty rag in the bin behind him. “She starts on Tuesday.”
Chapter 2
Simone
The brick buildings were more run-down on this block than they were two blocks over. It was a quiet street with a few cars parked along the curb and a couple open shops or restaurants, but nothing was buzzing with much of a crowd. The sign above the door was made out of the same old, worn wood as the slab separating me from my new job.
Pour Decisions.
Tell me about it.
Moving from Detroit to Grand Rapids wasn’t something I’d had much time to plan. I really hadn’t thought it through much at all. All I knew was that I needed a change, and I needed it now. I was excited at first. Then I’d put in my two weeks’ notice and was packing the back seat full of my few belongings and heading out of town. I hadn’t thought any of it through.
I didn’t know why, but I had to get out of there. My cousin was happy to get me in touch with a friend of his that had a spare room, and she knew the manager of this bar. He seemed pretty desperate to hire me. Looking at the bar now, it was hard to imagine why.
I took another glance around the deserted street and tugged on the door. The sound of the old hinges creaking echoed off the overhang, and I stepped inside, letting it close heavily behind me with a loud thud. The inside of the bar was even quieter than the street it sat on. Music crackled quietly through speakers that clearly provided the soundtrack for a few wild nights, and a couple of tables of people talked quietly. With the high ceilings, you could hardly hear the hum of their conversations.
“This is definitely different from the bar back home,” I mumbled to myself, slowly scanning the tables.
A group of three girls sat tucked away and giggling in the booth in the corner, wearing suits that didn’t match the run-down furniture. Next to them, a group of bikers stood around a table. It looked like they were asleep until I saw one of them hug a Bible to his chest.
Okay, this place is weird.
Raising an eyebrow, I turned towards the bar. Next to the old counter was another small group sitting around a table with what appeared to be a pile of doll clothes. I squinted when one woman picked up a purple polka-dotted dress and something that most definitely wasn’t a doll.
“Did she just put a dress on a… dead rat? Okay, I’m not so sure…” I muttered to myself, deciding it wasn’t too late to change my mind and go back to Detroit. I could liven things up at home and make a new friend that influenced some bad decisions. At least he wouldn’t be putting dresses on dead animals.
“You must be Simone!”
Fuck.
The voice that stopped me was friendly and chipper, and I was instantly more at ease. I spun around in time to see the man behind the bar grab onto the counter and hoist himself over it. Behind him, the other bartender shook his head and rested his forehead against his palm. When he did, his hair fell over his brow. He looked moody, a large contrast to the bouncy redhead in front of me.
