Page 44 of Willow Vale

Every time I wandered back to get drinks, I found Amanda sitting on one of the stools, watching Travis work with this eager glint in her sparkly eyes. He wasn’t even paying attention to her. Why was I so upset?

Because you’re jealous, you fool.

The hours ticked by,and I’d done an amazing job of avoiding the bar where Travis and Jake busied themselves slinging drinks while I helped Desi with the remaining tables.

By the time the last of the stragglers finally left, I blew out a sigh of relief.

“Good job tonight.” Desi patted my back, alreadygathering up empty beer bottles and baskets of leftover fries. “You really held your own, I was impressed.”

“That I managed to not have a meltdown?” I teased, wiping down tables as I went. “You have a talent when it comes to waiting on customers. I don’t know how you’re not tired.” My cheeks hurt from the polite forced smiles I gave tipsy customers all night long. Desi didn’t bat an eyelash the entire time and then she even joined the band to sing her heart out. That only resulted in attracting more people into The Pint. And she did it all with a big smile. “You really love it here, don’t you?”

Desi paused before she could reach for the half empty pitcher of lukewarm beer and plop it onto her tray. She turned her emerald eyes on me and answered wistfully, “I do. This place gives me something to look forward to on a bad day, y’know? I used to have jobs I absolutely despised, like the local market next to the diner, remember that? God, I hated that place. The manager was a sour old gasbag too and never let me do anything other than stand behind the checkout counter until someone finally walked in to buy a couple of apples or a gallon of milk. I quit after two weeks and haven’t been back since.”

I grinned. “I remember it went down a bit differently. You threatened the old gasbag and got fired.”

“I take offense that you think I would do something without being provoked first! It was his fault for not letting me take a break to pee. He tried to take my rights. I said he was either going to let me go to the bathroom or I’d pluck the remaining five strands of hair off that bowling ball he considered a head.” Desi’s slow grin was wicked, and I loved every bit of her sassy take-no-bullshit attitude. She used to get into arguments with Irene for me, and for that I’d love her forever.Even if it didn’t change the way my mother treated me, I always had Desi watching my back.

“Anyway, I feel at home here. You ever get that feeling? That you’re exactly where you’ve always needed to be and it’s as easy as breathing? Not perfect by any means, but it’s enough to make you smile and get out the door to start a new day.”

I instantly thought about River, a tiny little bundle wrapped up in the blankie I’d bought for him in the hospital’s gift shop. The same one he still loved.

Before him, my dream had always been to go to college. But it was short lived. I couldn’t complain, though. Every time I looked into River’s eyes, I felt it in my bones that my love for that little boy surpassed all the hardships I’d experienced. His bright smile made me breathe a little easier every day.

River was mine, even if he wasn’t my son.

He was my purpose.

A gift I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Together, along with Jake, we made quick work of cleaning tables, stacking chairs, and sweeping crumpled up napkins off the dark wood floors.

Manny finished wiping down his kitchen until it was spotless before taking off with a grunt of a farewell, only to be followed by a chattering Jake. I really didn’t understand how they all had so much energy. I was sure once I got home, I’d only have energy to tuck River in for bed, shower, and pass out wherever I could lay down.

“We should be all set here. I just have to count the register and restock a few bottles behind the bar,” Desi said.

“I’ll do the restocking, you just focus on the register,” I volunteered, tugging on the strings of the apron wrapped around my waist and rolling it up to tuck it under the counter.

“I love you forever!” Desi called as she tossed a set of keys my way to unlock the stockroom, already busying herself with counting money behind the register.

I wandered down the hall, making sure not to eye Travis’s office door, which was luckily closed. With any luck, he was long gone, and I wouldn’t have to worry about avoiding him. I didn’t want to wonder if he was going to see Amanda tonight after all the hints she threw his way that suggested she would very much like for that to happen.

“You’re being ridiculous,” I muttered to myself.

Of course, Travis would meet someone. If it wasn’t Amanda, then it would have been someone else. I had no right to be jealous of anyone. I chose to break things off between us in the first place.

With a groan of frustration, I tugged on one of the keys to unlock the stockroom when I paused, finding the door already open.

Frowning I stepped in just in time to hear the clanging of metal.

“Son of a bitch,” I heard Travis mutter inside. I froze when I spotted him kneeling beside the line of beer kegs.

“Are you okay?” I asked, against my better judgment.

Travis’s head whipped up. He must not have heard me come in. I noticed it was a lot cooler in the stockroom than it was by the bar. Probably to keep the kegs and alcohol from getting too warm. It gave me an involuntary shiver. It definitely had nothing to do with the way Travis’s eyes trailed down my body, as if he was searching for something.

He sighed. “Yeah, my hand got caught between the kegs. What are you still doing here?”

“I just came to restock a few bottles up front.” I waved an awkward hand toward the metal shelving units to my left.

---