“Are you listening, sugar?” she cooed. I’d caught the tail end of her saying something about the paparazzi.?
My phone buzzed again with a text from Ryan.?
RYAN: Turns out, this bar I’m at is owned by a gorgeous redhead. She looks crazy familiar. You should stop by.?
I glanced down at the message, and a knot tightened in my stomach. He was at O’Malley’s. And Lord only knew what was going to come out of his mouth.?
“Janelle, I have to run. My momma needs some help cleaning up after the party. I’ll call you later,” I said, hopping off the picnic bench and moving as fast as my feet would take me toward Magnolia’s bar.?
“Love you,” she said, for the first time in our quick courtship.
“Same, bye.” I didn’t know what possessed me to say it, but I did.?
And it was obvious that I didn’t feel it, so saying it was stupid. I’d probably just opened a door I wouldn’t be able to shut without a major fight. It felt uncomfortable. Guilty. A flicker of regret passed through me as I imagined the hope on her face just before I hung up on her.?
But that feeling was short-lived because I moved briskly through the darkened streets of Savannah toward that old bar on McDonough Street. I stopped by Sixpence Pub quickly for a bourbon in a to-go cup, trying to appear like I had been out on the town instead of sulking down by the river.
I’d been up in the apartment earlier, but pushing open the door to the bar felt surreal. Back in high school, the bar was like our unofficial hangout spot—a common room for the five of us. Cole let Charlie, Dane, and me hook up a video game system to the big TV while the girls did homework—or secretly plotted our demise. We’d all munch on pizza from Vinnie Van Go Go’s and sip cold sodas from the fountain behind the bar, the place buzzing with the kind of energy only teenagers can bring.
I stepped into the dark barroom, surveying the empty pub before me. Ryan sat at the long wooden bar to my right, and the tables that peppered the length of the room were empty. As was the stage.?
When Cole was running things and the bar was in its prime, local acts from all over Georgia would come to sing at O’Malley’s. I remember begging Cole to let me grace the stage.?
“Welcome to O’Malley’s,” a short, voluptuous bartender called as I let myself in. Her hair was tied up in space-knots on the top of her head, and she had her O’Malley’s t-shirt cut to reveal her ample cleavage and tied tightly in the back to show off her abs. At first glance, she looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
I scanned the bar for Maggie and found her doing busy work on the other side of the room.?
“What’s up, my man!” Ryan hollered, and Maggie, who was busily washing dishes, finally looked up. Her face fell.?
I took a seat next to Ryan, and Maggie quietly fixed me a Jack and Coke, setting it in front of me after finishing what she was doing.?
“Thought I got rid of you today.” Her tone was aggressive, but I saw the small trace of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
“Well, we can’t let this clown out on the loose unattended, can we?” I patted Ryan’s back, and then leaned into my drink and took a generous sip.?
“It’s nice to see you in here again,” Maggie said. She looked a little more relaxed, as she normally did when she was behind the bar, and it was as if the moment that passed between us less than an hour ago hadn’t even happened.?She leaned over the bar and shot a quick, sideways glance at Ryan. “Your friend is very, very drunk.”?
As if on cue, Ryan shot his head up. “Hey, where’s the chef? She’s smoking hot.”?
Maggie and I both scoffed and rolled our eyes.?
“Well, she should be gracing us with her presence momentarily. She’s just finishing things up at the Wilder house.” Maggie vigorously wiped at nothing on the bar, shooting glances at the door every now and again.?
“Is my brother stopping by? Maybe we should go,” I offered when I caught on.?
“I don’t think so. I haven’t heard from him since, well, the incident.” She let out a long sigh and topped off her own glass with some Diet Coke.?
“Oh snap, did I miss some drama today?” Ryan perked up, and thefamiliar-looking bartender slowly made her way down to our end of the bar so she didn’t miss any of the good gossip.
“Nope. No drama, just a good ole fashioned Savannah shindig.” Magnolia shot daggers at her employee, who scooted back toward the opposite end of the bar to continue her side work.?
“I’m sorry,” was all I could offer, and Magnolia shrugged, locking eyes with me while sipping her drink.?
“Stop apologizing,” she said quietly. For the first time, I noticed how tired she looked. It had to be a lot, juggling the bar, a boyfriend, her social life, and the contributions to Savannah society that my mother had roped her into.?
I shot her a sly smile. “I just can’t think of anything better to say, I guess.”?
“Kasey here has itbadfor your brother. Let’s not give her any more ammunition.” Magnolia turned to busy herself by the register, and I studied Kasey a bit.?
