Page 2 of Shift Faced

“I don’t know, Billie.” Mac frowned. “With this guy still running around, he might come back.”

Billie’s eyes narrowed. “That would be a big mistake.” Billie Ann growled. “I know where Davey kept his shotgun and how to use it extremely well.”

Mac’s expression softened, his eyes steady on hers. “You don’t have to face this alone.”

“I know.” Billie’s chin trembled, and she blinked fast, refusing to let the tears fall. “You and Zelda… you were everything to Davey. He talked about you both like you hung the damn moon.”

“He was special,” Mac said quietly. Then he cleared his throat and held out the envelope again. “This is for you.”

Billie Ann hesitated, then took it slowly, its weight strangely heavy in her hands. “What is this?”

“The bar is yours, Billie.” Mac nodded toward the envelope. “Davey left everything to you. Shift Faced, the land, and the trailer.”

Her mouth fell open in shock. “What? Are you serious?”

Mac nodded solemnly. “All you have to do is sign the papers.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the key ring, which was thick, worn, and unmistakably familiar. He then held it out to her.

Billie Ann took it with trembling fingers, her breath catching as the keys pressed into her palm. She stared down at the ring, its weight familiar. She couldn’t remember a time Davey hadn’t had it clipped to his belt loop, the jangle of keys announcing his every step. He used to joke that they were magic...“Not for spells,” he’d say, “but for keeping the peace.”

Now they were hers. She blinked, her vision blurring with tears that welled too fast to stop.

Mac’s hand covered hers gently. “Billie, you don’t have to run the bar if you don’t want to,” he said, voice low and kind. “Youcan sell it. We’ll help you. Whatever you decide, we’ve got your back.”

She sniffed, trying to keep her chin from trembling. “You’re a good friend, Mac.”

Her eyes drifted around the bar. The dented jukebox sat in the corner like an old friend. The scarred wooden floor she once skidded across in socked feet brought back so many memories her heart hurt. This place was her childhood, teenage hideout, and refuge when things got too loud at school or too quiet at home. It was Davey’s heart, and part of hers.

“I love this place,” she whispered, almost to herself. “But... what if I’m not cut out for this? What if I fail?”

Mac’s gaze didn’t waver. “You won’t,” he said simply, firmly. “Because Davey didn’t choose you out of obligation. He chose you because he knew you could do it.”

Her throat tightened.

“You’ve got his fire, Billie Ann,” he added. “And your own kind of magic.”

She let out a soft, shaky laugh, her fingers tightening around the keys. Maybe she couldn’t hear Davey’s voice, but in that moment, she could feel him in the creak of the barstools and the scent of aged wood.

“I’ll do it,” she said finally, quiet but certain. “For him.”

And just like that, the keys were no longer heavy with grief. They were a promise for a future...her future.

CHAPTER 2

The funeral was over. The last handful of dirt had been tossed onto the casket, and the final words spoken beneath a sky too bright for grief. Billie Ann stood there longer than the others, her hands cold despite the sunshine and her heart aching with a hollowness she hadn’t known was possible. But now, like Davey always said, it was time to head back to the place that had been his home as much as anyone who walked through the doors of...Shift Faced.

He’d joked about it so many times over the years.“When I go, just put me in the ground and get your asses back here for a drink on me. That’s how I want it.”

And so, that’s exactly what they did.

The bar was full, the air thick with stories and laughter too loud for a day like this, but exactly how Davey would’ve wanted it. Everyone from Assjacket had shown up. They were elbow to elbow, raising glasses and telling tales.

Billie Ann stood behind the bar, her black shag-cut hair tucked behind one ear as she wiped a glass out of habit more than need.Her eyes scanned the room, her chest tight but full. It didn’t feel right, and yet... it did.

Mac gave her a slight nod from his spot near the jukebox, a beer in his hand. Radiantly and composed in a dark velvet dress, Zelda caught Billie’s eye and gave her a sad understanding wink.

Her eyes continued to sweep across the bar, taking in the familiar faces she’d grown up around, people who had laughed with Davey, fought with him, and even leaned on him. The place was packed, full of stories, memories, and quiet grief disguised with raised glasses.

Davey had been loved. Fiercely.

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