Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge) (13 page)

“Since when?”

“Since this job was posted this morning,” Brianna answered, and I noticed the dejected set of her shoulders. “He liked it here…too much. Either he quit ’cause of an emergency or he was fired.”

A bout of silence stretched until
Nico’s gaze settled on Brianna. “I know you have to keep information confidential, but you really didn’t know, huh?”

I shook my head.

“Let’s not be negative. He may have gotten another job. It happens.” Nico gave us a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and then walked away from us.

“Thinking about checking up on him?” Brianna asked.

“Yes and no.” I took in a deep breath. “I am not speaking to him right now.”

Anxiety flooded through me. Pierce hadn’t promised me that he wouldn’t talk to Chase about what I
’d seen earlier today. I couldn’t convince him to do that, but I wanted him and Chase to be there for each other like they had been. It was tough on Pierce to be the second man of the house with Uncle Anton’s seemingly rigid standards for him and flexible standards for Cassidy. However, I knew that despite being wrong about Chase’s intentions with me that his friendship with Pierce meant a lot to him.

“I am not gonna ask why
. Maybe you guys can talk again. I mean, you two looked really happy together the other day and no, I don’t just mean you guys were about to jump each other’s bones.”

I remembered how my body tingled from being with him that day all too well.

“Drink your morir soñado before we head out,” Brianna told me, her deep green eyes flitting over me. “Nico will think he didn’t make your drink right, and then we’ll be here till midnight.”

Glancing around the room, some patrons left. The bright lights dimmed. More people trickled in, ranging in age across
a lifespan, and what they had in common was that they were not here for the family dinner.

***

Chase

“Now that’s a sick bitch move right there,” Joel said, referring to Cassidy using Beth’s shampoo to fuck with me.

Seamus just started cutting off chunks from Joel’s copper hair.
His hair grew back two or three inches a month. Pierce, Rylan, and I had been here many times for this very reason, and also because Seamus was the best barber in town. There were a few other ones, but they were pricey and notorious for doing rush jobs. There was no way they could handle my hair when it grew out and became unruly. Back home in Vermont, I’d resorted to cutting my hair myself because my hair had looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. I’d seen many of the females come to Seamus to cut and style their hair. He liked to give classic haircuts the best. He’d been in business for twenty years.

By now, everyone knew I was out on my ass. Joel had known that I was angry and frustrated when he
’d seen me coming out of the post office after I’d gotten my mail from my PO box. I’d just told him that I’d moved out and what Cassidy had done after he asked me why I wasn’t staying at the Pruitts’ anymore. It hadn’t surprised him, and it had been cool to talk to him. Joel had asked me to accompany him to Seamus’s Barber Shop. I walked with him ten blocks from the post office to here.

“Chase, do I even wanna know what you’ve got yourself rolled up in?” Seamus asked with a hint of a smile in his voice.

“Doubt it,” I answered.

“Hmm,” Seamus grunted.

“I’ll have a word with the other girl if you want me to,” Joel offered, not using Beth or Cassidy’s names. “I think she’s taken a liking to me.” He shot me a long look as Seamus shaped his hair.

“
We’ll resolve this ourselves. I’ll leave her be for now.”

Joel
bobbed his head.

I cleared my throat. “Where’s your partner in crime?”

Joel chuckled. “Rylan is with his dad, visiting his alma mater in Pittsburgh. Again.”

“I gather he’s not enthused about it,” I said dryly.

“Mr. Harding thinks he’ll get Rylan to go to his undergraduate and graduate schools. And his mom wants him to go to her alma mater in Texas. Rylan wants to take a year off before he goes to college. He’d have the whole year to think about it.”

Seamus interjected, “Then he’ll keep putting it off. He might not ever go.”

“He could mess up his GPA ’cause his heart isn’t into it, and end up taking a year to think things over anyway,” Joel respectfully pointed out.

I motioned my head in agreement and Seamus rolled his eyes. “When he’s coming back?”
I asked.

“Tomorrow night.”

“Is he looking forward to it?”

“Hell yeah, he is.”

Seamus turned on his blow dryer and brushed the hair off Joel. The floor looked like a sea of red.

Joel
and I looked at Gavin as came into the shop.

“What’s good, guys?” He inclined his
head to Seamus. “Hey, Seamus.”

I stood up and we
bumped fists.

“We still on for tonight?”
Joel asked.

“I cooked dinner an hour ago and Bri started on the dessert when I left the house.”

Joel rubbed his stomach. “Damn straight. She knows I like my apple pies and my flan made from scratch.”

Gavin
shook his head and sat down another chair. “Correction: she likes her desserts baked from scratch.” Gavin’s green eyes darted over to me. “We’re just all gonna benefit from it!” He notched his chin to me. “I heard that you moved out and that you were gonna stay at the Oren Inn, which costs a pretty penny, since they’re nothing like the Paloma Hotel. How about the same rent, and you can have most of your meals like we discussed when you were thinking about staying with us? You’d be responsible for all of your guests. And you can’t have more than one overnight guest. Bri and I will take the rent for the next two months by the end of next week in cash. This month doesn’t count. Deal?”

I nodded.
“Deal. I’ll have it for you and Bri by tomorrow morning.” I paused for a second and Gavin’s thick eyebrows drew together. “Is Bri really cool with this?”

“It was her idea to have you stay with us if you were still in town. I took a little longer to get here because I
was waiting on her. Bri drove Beth to her uncle’s. When Bri got home, we talked about it.”

I’d planned on taking Beth home today.
Now, I wasn’t sure that she’d hear me out.

“Al
l right, ’cause I know she’s not used to male guests sleeping over.”

“
She’s most definitely not!” Joel gave a short laugh. “But every guy ’round here knows that Gavin wouldn’t think twice about breaking their necks if they came at Bri wrong.”

Gavin’s chin firmed to second Joel’s statement.

“Flat top, high and tight?” Seamus asked.

“Nah, let me get a real low top, tapered at the
nape,” Gavin replied.

Bethany

“The arcade is behind the black curtain,” Brianna told me as she hopped on the worn wooden chair.

La Flo
ridita looked like many other bar/restaurant establishments I’d seen on my drive to or from one of my cleaning jobs when Betsy had been fully functional. It was located in the eastern part of town, far from the fancy houses and most of the small businesses I’d seen. It was isolated. The walls were filled with pictures of people, who I assumed were famous or had been important figures here. Signatures were written on the walls with Sharpies, along with the names of couples and the year they’d written their names. From the first couples’ names and years, I’d say La Floridita had been in business for thirty-four years. I liked the square tables and the plastic flowers in the Perrier bottles by the salt and pepper shakers. It reminded me a lot of Luigi’s; the patrons looked happy to be here. This low-key scene was definitely a place I could see Tainted Virtue performing in.

“Why is there a curtain there?”

“During the day it’s open, but some of the customers said that it gave the bar a childish feel.”

“And sometimes we have performers here and the arcade is a distraction from the main event
,” a man, about six feet, with liquid brown eyes and inky hair combed back, added. He was dressed in a nice-button down shirt and jeans. He had a carnivorous expression and his ocean-breeze cologne wafted in the small section of the bar we were in. It was pleasant, but after a while, it could be overwhelming. He had a well-proportioned face and body that would appeal to a lot of females—probably me too before I laid eyes on Chase. “I am Emilio.”

I returned his warm expression. “I am Bethany, Pierce’s cousin.”

Emilio stepped in closer to me. “It’s great to meet you.” He paced back and glanced at an average-height female with a shiny bald head with a red and orange dragon tattoo starting from the front of her head all the way down the nape of her neck. The woman’s tattoo was the first thing I’d noticed when we walked in here. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties like Emilio.

“Hey, Millie, drinks are free for them tonight,” he told her
, and she smiled at us.

“Thanks, Emilio,” Brianna said.

“Thank you,” I told him.

He
canted his head and headed toward a rowdy group of people, who got even louder when they saw him.

“I’m g
onna go to the lady’s room,” Brianna told me. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll order for you.” She sped to the restroom.

“What can I get you?” Millie asked with a corner of her lips quirked up. She was very pretty and had a soft, yet raspy voice I wouldn’t have understood if it were already loud in here.

“A
Sprite, please.”

“Do you know what Bri wants?”

“A virgin piña colada.” The corners of her mouth tugged up. “That may change over the course of the night.”

“Coming right up.”

Uncle Anton had taken me to the Paloma today. It was a really quiet ride. Aunt Deborah was very unhappy with him. In the kitchen, he’d tried to touch her arm but she moved away from him. Pierce hadn’t spent the night. And Chase had been gone. No one had said his name last night or today at all. I’d had a very weak moment hours after we’d had dinner; I’d gone into his room and had been surprised that it’d been locked. He’d clearly moved out. I’d thought that he’d hung out with one of the boys or had gone on a date and would have returned. It’d been an unnerving experience for me to digest when Brianna had told me that Chase was staying with she and Gavin. She was surprised that I hadn’t known. I was happy that he was still in Paloma’s Edge, and yet I was angry with him at the same time.

“No morir soñado tonight?” I slid my gaze to the side
, and Rylan took Brianna’s seat. His dark hair shone from the lights and he flashed me a wide smile as another bartender placed our drinks on the counter.

“No. How’d you know that was my drink?”

“I pay attention.”

“You’re back so soon?” Brianna asked
, and sat on the available stool next to me.

Rylan grimaced. “Hey, Bri. Yeah, Dad was trying to make me stay for the whole weekend but it
was just so he could show me around. His new girl was like a fucking second skin. We hadn’t had the chance to talk one on one. She’d been bitching about her feet hurting when we’d visited his alma mater. I hadn’t wanted her with us, but I’d told her that if she’s gonna walk around with us she couldn’t wear six-inch heels. But did the silly girl listen? Nope. She’d been trying to look cute. ”

“He’s still dating girls our age?”

It looked like Rylan ground his teeth. “I’d suck it up and be happy for him if I knew it was something real. Maybe age is just a number. But Dad’s, what? Sixty-six now. His mid-life crisis should’ve passed by now. The admissions counselors thought his girl and I were a couple.”

“Yikes,” Brianna said.

“And how’d your dad react to that?” I asked.

“He pulled her to his side and squeezed her ass. Real embarrassing. And offensive.”

“You do have some tacky girls with you most of the time,” Brianna said drolly.

“Bri, this girl was in another class of tacky.
My dad’s new girl doesn’t compare to the girls Joel and I hang with.”

Brianna put her thumb up sarcastically and Millie came down the other side of the counter.

“Oh, shit!” Rylan said, jerking his shoulders back. “You finally did it.” He made a gesture for her to move around and she complied. “Millie, that’s hot.”

Her face broke out into a smile.
“I went to Lasting Impressions Tattoo Studio in Little Havana. The guy who designed this tattoo was gonna do it for me, but he was booked. It looks like I’ll never meet him and thank him for designing it. When I saw it, I knew this was the one I wanted.”

“And the way
, the end of the dragon’s trail is in a swirl at the nape of your neck is perfection.”

“Mom
didn’t think so.”

Rylan chuckled.
“Most moms wouldn’t. Other girls couldn’t pull off the tat like you do. ”

“
It doesn’t overwhelm you,” I agreed.

A deep flush stained her face. “Thank you
, guys. You compliment me as much as Jared does. Now, I’ll refill your drinks. What can I do you for, Rylan?”

Rylan heaved in a sigh. “A
Long Island ice tea.”

“And, uh, can I get a regular
piña colada?”

Mille tittered at Brianna and
started on our drinks at the middle of the bar.

Joel and
some girls strolled towards us. I recognized Maude and Amberlynn from earlier in the week. Amberlynn was in a silverfish latex dress that she clearly couldn’t breathe in, and Maude’s legs looked like they never ended in her stilettos and short, sparkling gold dress. Maude kissed Brianna and I on the sides of our faces and Amberlynn ignored us.

“Wh
y’d she fuck up herself with that tattoo?” one girl with badly done eyelashes said, and the rest of the group looked at Millie. “She used to be pretty.”

Joel’s smile
faded. “No one asked you for your opinion. Everyone in my family kills it.” He popped up his collar. “People would be staying the same shit about you underneath that cake of makeup on your face.” He brought his hand around Maude’s waist and walked towards the middle of the bar, where Millie was making drinks and talking with other patrons.

Amberlyn
n pivoted. “Eleni! Milagros is his cousin,” she barked. “You’re lucky he didn’t tell you to leave.”

“Yu
p,” Rylan concurred.

“How was I suppose
d to know? You can’t tell me she doesn’t look like a—”

Rylan stood up as he cut Eleni off and took twenty dollars out of his pocket
. “The guards up front will get you a cab.

The girl blinked repeatedly. “B-but—”

“Nothing,” Amberlynn interrupted, and the other bartender put our drinks on the counter. “I’ll wait for a cab with you.” Eleni followed Amberlynn up front.

A minute later, Joel and Maude stood by Brianna with tall glasses of beer in their hands.

“How you girls doing tonight?” He batted his eyelashes at Brianna, who shook her hand, and Maude giggled.

“We’re doing good,” Brianna answered. “Emilio is holding the empty booth for you all.”

Joel turned his head and gestured “five minutes” to Emilio from across the room. “No rest from the flight, huh?”

“Nope. Pierce picked me up. I dropped my stuff off at home, and showered. He’s staying with me for the rest of the summer. By now, his essential possessions should be at my house.”

My mouth opened a little and I closed it. “Maude, can you take your friends to the table and introduce them to Emilio for me?” Joel asked her.

Nodding, she
gave him a light kiss on the check and gestured for her friends to go with her.

“Dang, Mr. Pruitt and him got into it?” Joel
asked.

“Pierce told me that Chase got kicked out and fired because of Cassidy. He told his
dad that he was in the wrong.”

Joel narrowed his eyes at me. “Yeah, Mr. Pruitt’s got it all wrong.”

My heart pounded in my chest. “Uncle Anton fired Chase because he found out that he was sleeping with Cassidy?” I asked.

“Chase says it
didn’t happen,” Joel answered.

Rylan lifted his shoulders. “But who knows if that’s really true?”

Joel grimaced at Rylan. “We gave into Cassidy like most guys, but you haven’t seen how she trips when she doesn’t get what she wants,” he responded to Rylan, and then he shot me a pointed look.

Rylan took his
Long Island ice tea and went by Joel’s side. Amberlynn headed to their table and signaled them over. “Come with us,” Rylan said.

“We’ll take a rain check. We’re gonna hit the arcade,” Brianna
replied.             

***

“You almost got the second highest score! Way to go, girl!” Brianna cheered as I hit the flippers aggressively.

I felt myself beam at the news. I didn’t look up at the scores from the display mounted on the wall above because it’d break my flow. I was feeling competitive tonight. I needed some kind of release from the events of today. My thoughts and feelings were all mixed up.

“You’ve got ten tokens left. I know you wanna give it another go.”

She handed me my five tokens and I slid them into the slot. All of the colors came on as I pressed the buttons on the side, but used the flippers to get the balls to strike every target possible. I wasn’t as fast as I’d been the first six times. My last ball hit the drain. I threw my hands up in defeat, but felt really good. I
’d played one game after another. Mariska and Jake would’ve been surprised that I’d hit most of my targets in my first two games in under forty seconds. Brianna had timed each of my games.

“Any other game you wanna play?” Brianna
asked me.

“How about we take a breather by the speed
-racer motorcycles and see in a few,” I answered.

“I know I acted weird when we first met at the thrift shop,” Brianna said. “And it wasn’t because
we were there, because many folks go there. I was surprised that you acknowledged me. But when we spent time together I learned that you’re not like Cassidy. You don’t have a stick up your ass.”

Many people didn’t like Cassidy. I’d seen it from Brianna’s and Rylan’s body language earlier. Joel had been very direct with me, but I’d come to expect that from him since our chat on the beach about Chase and I. I’d
spoken with Cassidy, but I hadn’t talked to Chase. Even when Cassidy and I had gone to the Paloma bar and restaurant, I’d talked less and had listened to her more. I’d had no intentions of talking to her about Cindy and how I ended up here. And fortunately she hadn’t brought it up, but I had a feeling that she had been eager to address it. I trusted Pierce and I really didn’t trust her, but I didn’t know why. What if Chase had been telling me the truth? And if so, why had  she made up a lie that’d resulted in Chase being kicked out and losing his job? Had he lost his friendship with Pierce as well?

“You’ve been dying to tell me that you don’t like her since we were at the thrift shop, huh?”

The corners of her lips tugged up. “Pretty much. I am gonna get another piña colada. Sprite, right?”

I nodded. “You’ve had four
piña coladas already. How hasn’t Millie noticed?”

“Millie stepped out for a smoke break. And the boys
haven’t been watching me.”

Brianna jumped off of the motorcycle and I went back to the pinball machine, running my hands against the metal flippers when Chase opened the curtain wider for
Brianna and they exchanged pleasantries. He was gorgeous in his navy blue t-shirt, light hoodie, and premium blue jeans that hung off his narrow hips and made his torso look wonderfully longer. The muscle on his hip that I knew lead to a V shape in his navel area was clear as day through the fit of his shirt. I knew how solid his chest and legs were. Last night, only harsh words and an interruption from outside could have broken the scant space between us that had crackled with ceaseless energy.