Page 10 of Flick

“Oh no, I’ll pay because this sounds like a fun evening with a buddy who can help me rile up the Nelson cousins. Hot dang, this will be fun.”

Beth chuckled along with Dex. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be quite so bad after all.

Beth sipped her rum and Coke while watching the bar. Being in surveillance, she couldn’t help but catalog who was there and what she thought they were doing.

They’d enjoyed a great supper that Crewe, the bar’s chef and one of the owners, had made. She’d never had any food here that she didn’t love, and tonight wasn’t any different. She’d thrown healthy eating out the window and had enjoyed bread with honey butter along with an appetizer tray of items Crewe was trying out. The bacon-wrapped dates had been scrumptious, and she’d had to fight with herself not to knock Dex’s hand away from his share.

Dex walked back over from the bar with their refills, handing Beth another rum and Coke. He’d already had his one beer he said he was limiting himself to at supper and had switched to a coke without the rum.

Dex sat down and scooted close to Beth in the booth.

“See the couple over near the jukebox?” he asked.

Beth nodded.

“When she was in the bathroom, he took a call from a significant other and said he was working late and she didn’t need to wait dinner on him. To just go ahead and feed the kids,” Dex whispered, then stared at her. He wouldn’t have told her if he hadn’t expected she couldn’t let it slide. The woman he was with looked on the younger side, and he was pushing his fifties. If the woman was aware, then Beth was okay to let it go, but if he was lying to the young woman, Beth considered it her duty to let the woman know.

“Hmm, I think I need to run to the ladies’ room and see what she knows in a completely non-suspicious way,” she said, getting up and heading for the bathroom. The grin on Dex’s face let her know that was exactly what he’d expected when he told her. Dex might be another good friend. She didn’t feel an ounce of attraction to him but friends she could do.

Passing the man and the Nelson’s jukebox, she turned down the hallway and pushed open the door to the ladies’ room. There were a couple of stalls as well as two barrel chairs to sit on if you needed a break. In front of a mirror over one of the sinks, the woman was washing her hands. Beth approached people all the time for surveillance, so she was comfortable starting a conversation.

She walked over and leaned close to the mirror, moving her eyelid around and squinting.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked.

Bingo! But having the person start the conversation themselves was so much better because people relaxed their defenses if they started the conversation.

“I feel like there’s an eyelash in this eye but can’t find it. I wore my contacts because it was a blind date. I wear glasses the majority of the time, but I guess those insecurities come out on a first date,” Beth said.

“Oh, I know what you mean. Lean this way and let me look,” the woman said, leaning closer. She had Beth look different ways to thoroughly check her eye. “I don’t see anything.”

Beth nodded. “Thanks, it’s feeling a little better. Maybe it was just a little flake of mascara that worked itself out. The things we do for dates, and a guy just brushes his teeth if you’re lucky.”

The woman chuckled. “Oh, I get that. I’m Savannah, but my friends call me Savi, and, girl, I think we could be friends,” Savi said.

“Beth. Nice to meet you. First date or dating the guy a while?” Beth asked.

“First date. He asked me out at the grocery store of all places. We’d met in line at the coffee shop a couple weeks ago, and then he was picking up something from the meat counter when I was. He asked me out two nights ago,” Savi said.

Beth stared at Savi and decided she was going to come clean.

“Okay, I have to tell you the truth. I followed you in here because my date heard your date on the phone, and I had to have another girl’s back,” Beth said, waiting to see how Savi took it.

Savi breathed deeply, looked toward the ceiling, then met Beth’s eyes. “Lay it on me. What did he say?”

“My date heard him tell a woman that he was working late and she didn’t need to hold dinner. She should go ahead and feed the kids.”

“Are you kidding me?” Savi said, her eyes widening and blazing.

“Nope. Now the question is, how do you want to handle it?” Beth asked.

“What do you mean?” Savi asked.

“There are so many options. Option one, you go back, tell him you know he’s married, and leave. Option two, you can have some type of food poured all over him. I’m friends with the owners, and I’m sure Crewe would do us a solid. How would he explain that to his wife? Option three, I snatch his phone, call his wife, and let her have a showdown with him. Or any other option that sounds good to you,” Beth finished and waited on Savi to decide.

“I’m not usually a person who wants to make a scene, but I am tired of predatory behavior. I like the food idea and the idea of his wife having a showdown. A combo, maybe,” Savi suggested.

“Oh, I like how you think. Let me text Crewe, who is the chef, about what we want. I can bump into him and take his phone if we arrive at the table at the same time. Dex will make the call to the wife. Then we can time it right if she’s agreeable,” Beth said.

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