It was strange how quickly everything shifted. Maybe I wouldn’t be calling this placehomeexactly, but for now…it’d have to do.
Chapter Five
Andi
“Oh,you have got to be kidding me.” I took in the appearance of the building and grimaced. This place looked more like an old shack than the local beer joint. With its weather-beaten tin roof and worn wood siding, there was absolutely no way that this was the place Belle was talking about. My eyes trailed up to the darkened neon sign that read “The Rusty Spur, Bar and Grill” and I scoffed.
“You got the rusty part right.”
I was baffled and bemused, and not just from the appearance of the building, but more for the fact that I was actually going to be asking to work there. It was a far cry from the upscale bistro I used to wait tables at on the weekends back in Northview. That was before Heath, though, when I still had a life that was my own. Back then, the weekends were mine to earn a little “mad money,” as my mom liked to call it, and a welcome break from my full-time job during the week. Now, though? This dusty dive bar was where I’d have to start over. A slight fluttering motion stirred in my stomach, and I wondered if it was nerves about getting the job or whether the building would collapse on me.
I let out a long sigh and fell back against the driver’s seat of my newly acquired pickup truck—thanks to Belle calling inyet another favor for me with Willy. The faded blue Chevy was at least twenty years older than me and, in my opinion, had seen better days. Rust covered the bumper and surrounded the bottom edge of the doors. The dark blue vinyl on the bench seat was cracked in places, exposing the foam interior. But the radio worked—that was a plus.
“Well, here goes nothing.” I turned off the ignition, only for the truck to let out a loud, horrifying sputter followed by a backfire. I jumped, letting out a startled squeak. Heart racing, I pressed a hand to my chest. “Damn…I hope I didn’t just kill it.” A light knock on the driver’s side window made me spin in my seat. I gasped at the sight of an older man with ginger, gray-streaked hair peeking out of a worn cowboy hat standing there, peering in at me. I cautiously rolled the window down halfway. “Yes?”
“You need help with something?” he asked kindly.
“No, I’m good. Thank you,” I replied, already reaching for the handle to roll the window back up.
“You sure? If it’s the truck, I can take a look. I’ve seen my share of stubborn engines.”
I hesitated. This had to be small-town normal—everyone knowing everyone and not minding their own business. I sighed. “No, I think it's fine. I’m just waiting to get into the bar.”
His gaze flicked to the building, then back to me. “Bar doesn’t open for another hour.”
“I know. I’m here to see Red. Belle said he might be looking for a waitress.”
He studied me for a beat. “You must be the one Belle called me about. Andi, right?”
I nodded slowly, still not quite ready to get out of the truck.
“Harland Jennings, but everyone calls me Red,” he said, offering his hand and adding when I hesitated, “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”
His easy smile and weathered face eased some of my tension. I reached out through the open window and shook his hand before stepping out and shutting the door behind me. Rust flaked off the truck and scattered across the dirt and gravel like confetti.
“Belle mentioned you’re new in town,” Red said, walking alongside me toward the front door.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“You got family here?”
“No, sir.”
“What brought you to Tarnation, then?”
I let out a small, humorless huff of air. “Poor navigation skills,” I said honestly. “I was on my way to Heaven when my GPS lost signal.”
Red just chuckled. “Folks always think those little robots in their pockets are smarter than they are…until they steer you the wrong way and you end up in a cow pasture.”
“Thankfully nothing like that happened,” I responded with a soft laugh.
“What’s in Heaven, then? You got family there?”
It was a simple question, but it caught me off guard—the double meaning behind it.
I hope so, I thought as a soft ache bloomed in my chest.
“I just…needed a temporary change of pace,” I replied with a nonchalant shrug. “Plus, it’s far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where I’m from. I figured a smaller town might be quieter.”
