"I'm not looking to make excuses," I tell him, placing the keg down. "Honestly, I didn't know she was sixteen, and I held off for a while just thinking she was only eighteen."
"You know," Crow says, scratching at his beard. "There's another rumor too."
Can't wait to hear this one. "Yeah?"
"It came from word of mouth, so who knows who started it, but some people said you broke into the mayor's office earlier on the day you were arrested, and tried to steal some shit. Something about his money." He pauses, breaking up the rumor with a nervous, short laugh. "By the time I got wind of it, the story sounded like it had been changed a million times, so I didn't know what to believe." I'd like to tell Crow the truth, but it's not time yet. No one is going to find out about what the mayor did until I have my valid proof.
"I think you know me better than that," I tell him.
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Crow says.
"Don't worry about me crashing with you. I'll figure it out," I tell him, now knowing that every dime I make from this place will be going right to the motel. I won't have a chance to save much, but it is what it is.
"Kacee and I have been butting heads on this, and we've been fighting non-stop for the last three days," he admits.
"Sorry, bro, I never meant to cause any trouble between you two."
"Thanks for understanding," Crow says.
Our small talk turned awkward throughout the hour before the bar opened. I never expected any relationship I had to go back to the way it was before I was locked up, but I never imagined Crow being as wound up and whipped as he is. I guess that's what love does to a man.
I've managed to perfect several more mixed drink recipes tonight, and I'm finally able to get to all the patrons promptly.
"You're working here now?" a woman calls out from the other side of the bar.
I look toward the outstretched hand holding a ten-dollar bill. Her nails are painted royal blue tonight, with a top coating of glitter. It only took a second to register who I'm looking at, but memories of the other night assault me as I recall the horrible hours I had with this chick. "Crystal," I say with a lack of enthusiasm. "What can I get you?"
"Sex on the Beach," she says, touching the tip of her tongue along her top lip.
"Coming right up," I tell her, realizing what I said, and how it is likely being misconstrued by her.
"I hope so," she says. "When can I get you off?"
I glance over at the TV, finding the time at the bottom of the screen, wondering how much longer I’ll have to put up with her and her one-liners.
"Not happening," I say, glancing back at her.
She leans over the bar, her tits nearly falling out of her child-sized shirt, grabbing my hand as I uneasily look around at the patrons. "Come on, baby. We were good together," she says, bringing my hand close to her mouth.
"Were you?" another woman's voice speaks out from behind Crystal.Haven."I mean, yikes, that's not what I heard," Haven says to Crystal.
"Excuse me. Who the fuck are you?" Crystal looks Haven up and down, snarling at her like a sick dog would do. "A pretty little girl like you shouldn't be in this bar so late at night."
"And a skank like you should be paying more attention to your designated street corner this late at night." Holy fucking yes. Haven just made me fall head over heels for her all over again. It was a little harsh, but that was amazing.
Crystal looks from Haven over to me. "Right, I forgot, you have a thing for little girls, sicko." Crystal stands up and shoves her ten-dollar bill into her see-through, plastic purse before moving to the other end of the bar.Jokes on her, though. I'm working the whole bar tonight.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, laughing at Haven as she grabs a cocktail napkin and wipes down the stool where Crystal's most likely pantyless ass was just resting.
Haven sits down and reaches into her purse, handing over a five-dollar bill. "I'll have whatever she was having," she says, grinning.
"Sex on the Beach?" I ask with a raised brow.
"Sounds nice," she says, her eyebrow deviously perking up.
I push her hand away. "Put your money away." It's probably what's left over of the money I gave her last night anyway. As I mix her drink, I keep my stare locked on the curious look in her eyes. She's uncomfortable here, as she should have been years ago. When I place her drink down and plop a cherry in it, she smiles.
"You should keep the cherry," she says. Okay, I'm not going to make it through the night.What the hell.
