“Cash. Now,” he growled. I looked to the band, giving me a short nod, letting them know they could resume. Once the music began again, a swinging jazz number, the crowd returned to their private conversations and dances. I grabbed a white towel and began cleaning the bar top.
A moment later, my brother landed beside me, cash in hand.
“You don’t have to do that,” he noted, “I know you have homework.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know you had that much trouble holding down the fort in my absence,” I teased, bumping his shoulder. He pushed my head away lightly with the palm of his hand.
“Shut up, Kay. I did have it handled.”
I tipped my head to the baseball bat. “Were you planning on beating them with that?”
He twisted the bat in his hand, twirling it a few times, earning a few giggles from the group of girls opposite the bar. “It isn’t just for hitting baseballs.”
“Uh huh,” I said, looking at the group of girls. “Your fan club is back.”
He turned to them, and I knew he flashed his “good boy” smile. I rolled my eyes when he looked back to me, and he laughed. “Don’t judge me, sis.”
I raised my hands. “Did I say anything?”
“Your face did it for you,” he said, shooting me a look.
I couldn’t control my face, but I was working on controlling my mouth. I shrugged and got back to work. The bar didn’t close for another few hours, and I needed the money to make rent. Even though my uncle was a powerful man, a wealthy man, I still held my own. I wanted to make something of myself; I didn’t want to hide in the shadow of someone else.
I wanted to make my own shadow.
Which was why I worked two jobs while taking a full load of online courses.
Next semester, I would go down to part-time, but right now, I needed to push through.
My brother and I got to work, manning the bar and tables as people began to trickle out. Jer’s fan club, however, stayed until closing, and he was more than happy to entertain them. As I was cleaning tables, they all laughed at something he said. His chuckle echoed throughout the almost empty space. I was envious of him too, the way he could just move past his trauma and live his life.
I seemed to be stuck in no man’s land, unable to move forward, forced to relive my nightmares over and over.
The only solution?
Staying busy.
Working and studying until my body gave out from exhaustion. When your body was drained of energy, it didn’t have the strength to dream. It had been months since that voice haunted my dreams, forcing me awake, my body drenched in a cold sweat.
When you were busy, your demons couldn’t haunt you.
Around one in the morning, Jer finally got those women to leave. “Thank God,” I grumbled as he locked the door.
“What’s your issue, sis?” my brother chuckled.
I held my hands up in innocence. “Nothing, nothing.” Reaching down, I swiped my cleaning towel off the table before heading back to the bar. I could feel my brother’s eyes on me, but he remained silent.
My brother was protective of me, always had been, ever since the day that Ty was murdered. However, there were some things even family couldn't protect you from.
“Are you okay?”
I turned to face him; he was sitting on the bar top, his eyes fixed on me as I nodded. Concern shadowed his face. “Don’t lie to me, Kay,” he softly said.
“I’m okay, I promise. Just a little stressed out about this exam coming up.”
“I can cover for you this weekend if you need the extra time to study.”
I yanked my hair out of my ponytail, my scalp sighing in relief as my hair fell around me. “Nah, that’s okay. I need to make rent.”
