Cassie had let me take the time off and make up for it by being her bitch on Saturday. She had a cocktail party at her house and needed someone to organize everything and help on the day. At least I was a passable party planner and didn’t mind the trade.
“I am. Hopefully he can tell me what’s going on with the will.”
We finished dinner and after I gave Josie a bath and put her to bed, I got ready to meet Cassie and her latest beau. They were already at the Shack, a bar that not only served the best burgers but also had an extensive cocktail list. A combination not easily found in Butler so people flocked to the place. It was always packed.
Oma reassured me a million times that they would be okay for a few hours. I was just down the road, and she wouldn’t open the door for anyone. Freddie promised to stay home as well and I finally left the house.
I had squeezed myself into skin-tight, black jeans and a dark purple top that showed cleavage without giving Oma a heart attack. I was also wearing a pair of Cassie’s black pumps that I planned to never return. They made my legs look a mile long and at the same time didn’t cut off the circulation to my toes. My hair was behaving and hanging in curly waves down my back and I had even put on makeup. This included having done more than my usual foundation and mascara, and putting on dark eyeshadow that made my eyes pop. Not even Cassie could complain I didn’t put any effort into my appearance.
I waved to Oma on my way out, still nervous about leaving her alone but knowing that I had to get out of the house at some point. At least I was close. Butler was small, most things were about a ten minute drive away. The Shack was no exception, and I made it to the big building without incident. There wasn’t much else around, so parking wasn’t an issue. The bar had started as a shack, hence the name, but was now a big double story building with a glass front overlooking Bonnie Lake.
I could hear the music once I opened my car door. It was good to get out. An additional bonus was the clean clothes I was wearing. No spew, food or poo anywhere in sight. I felt like a new person.
When I walked inside, the smell of fries and beer washed over me. I hadn’t been to the restaurant very often. We usually only went out for birthdays and funerals. My bar experience was limited, since I had done most of my drinking before I turned twenty-one. Then along came Josie and a hangover was double punishment when you had to take care of a toddler. In short, I didn’t go out much despite Cassie’s best efforts.
I was excited, more than I would ever admit.
I looked around the large room, trying to find Cassie. The huge bar to my right was heaving with people, but I couldn’t spot my friend’s black mane of hair. There was a dance floor in the middle that was already full of sweaty bodies and a stage was set up toward the back with the lake as a backdrop. Booths and tables lined the outside of the room, and I made my way toward the first row, hoping I didn’t have to fight my way to the back.
There was also a beautiful outside deck that would be next on my list of places to look for her. I sent her a message before I left, but she still hadn’t gotten back to me. Spotting a few familiar faces, I tried to keep my head down and go past unnoticed, which wasn’t all that hard to accomplish thanks to my height.
I made my way towards the patio, still unable to spot Cassie. My phone vibrated in my back pocket where I had stuffed it earlier, foregoing a bag.
The display showed it was Rhett calling.Please don’t make this be work related. What was I saying?Please don’t make this personal. Since I had decided to give the whole friendship thing a go, I answered the call, stepping out onto the patio that I had finally reached so I could hear him.
“Hello?” I answered and covered one of my ears.
“Emmi,” his deep voice came on the line.
“Hang on a second.” I walked to the edge of the huge stilted wooden deck, edging the lake.
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Why are you not at home?”
“How do you know I’m not sitting on my couch?”
“Turn around.”
I did and spotted Gunner, who stuck out in the young crowd like a palm in the desert. When did he even have time to work out? That much muscle would require some serious commitment. And how was he back? Nobody told me a thing around here.
“Are you serious? I thought you said he had better things to do.”
He emailed me late last night and said that Gunner had something else to do. I thought that meant I was free.
“I said he had something he needed to take care of. I would never leave you without him for long. And someone else was watching you while Gunner was away. Did you not see Peters? Dark hair, always wears a suit. He was sitting outside your house.”
And here I thought my paranoia was totally unfounded.
“Fine. So he’s still playing my shadow.” And it explained how Rhett knew where I was.
“So you just called to let me know?”
“No. I wanted to make sure you’re okay and Anna hasn’t contacted you again. But since you’ve gone out, I could have just guessed that everything is fine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
