Page 60 of Elijah's Hope
One week later
Eli
“Check,” Ark said.
“Check,” Cal repeated.
“A hundred dollars,” I said, tossing a bill into the center of the table.
“Fuck me,” Ark said disgusted. “Is that how it’s going to be every hand? You’re going to bet like you’re insane.”
“You can always call me,” I growled. I reached for the whiskey in front of me. I was drunk, but not too drunk. A few more whiskeys would take care of that.
Cal arched his eyebrow at me even as he tossed in is his cards.
I knew he wanted to comment on my drinking, on the fact that I hadn’t quite fixed the Shelby situation, but I wasn’t on shift starting tomorrow and I planned to be good and drunk every day until I had to go back to work.
Maybe I could drink her out of my system.
The cabin outside of town was empty again. I could walk there from Bud’s, so I could get as drunk as I fucking wanted to.
I wondered if I would still smell her there.
That made me take another sip.
Ark cursed again then tossed his cards away. I heard the door to the bar open behind me and felt a draft blow in. I turned to see Eve and Zeke walk in, the baby, as always, attached to Zeke’s chest.
I lifted two fingers in greeting. “Hey, Eve, we’re down a man. Wanna play?”
Together, they walked up to the table.
“Look who is back in town finally. Gentlemen,” Eve said to Ark and Cal. “Would you mind if I had a private word with Eli?”
Both nodded and got up from the table, heading to the bar.
“Get me another,” I shouted to them.
“You’ve had enough as it is, son,” Cal muttered.
“Fuck you, Cal. And stop calling meson. You’re not my fucking father. You want to be a friend, buy me a fucking drink.”
He said nothing in return, but it didn’t matter. If he didn’t buy me one now, I would buy myself another later. And another. And another. Until I was ready to black out so hers wasn’t the last face I saw in my head before I fell asleep.
Eve sat, but Zeke stood behind her almost like he was her bodyguard. As if he was expecting trouble.
Shit. She was probably going to give me an earful over Shelby. It had only been two weeks, but in that time, they had become friends, sort of.
Jackson had told me that’s where Shelby had gone after I left her. He also told me about the clothes she’d left behind at Eve’s. I’d cursed Shelby’s stubbornness knowing that meant she had to freeze her ass off all the way to the Lower 48.
Then I realized Eve might have them with her waiting for me to show up in town.
I cursed my weakness because I had this thought that if Eve still had them, I could bury my face in Shelby’s coat just get a hint of her scent. The thing that made her uniquely Shelby.
But there was no bag, no coat in sight. Probably for the better. Hard to let someone go when you’re smelling their damn clothes.
And I needed to let Shelby go.
“If this is about, Shelby, I have nothing to say,” I said and reached for my drink. Only Eve got there faster. She took the glass in hand and threw it at one of the empty booths along the wall, so hard it shattered.
