Page 10 of Hot and Bothered
I stared down at the tiny keyboard with my thumbs hovering over the screen for what might have been ten minutes or more. I tried to come up with something to say. Something that would explain why I had done what I had done. Something to mitigate the fallout, perhaps.
In the end, all I sent was a quick dozen words or so.
I’m okay, don’t try to find me, please just let me have some time.
I hit the send button, heard the pinging sound of the message being sent off, and immediately signed out of the app. I didn’t want to risk staying online long enough for my sister to catch me. If she saw my message she might not even take the time to read it before jumping all over me with angry objections.
Evan and Lizzy were still fighting with the cash register by the time I had turned off the phone and put it away. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to explore the bar and get used to the surroundings.
It was a large space, and although it was mostly one large open concept room, there was a hallway off to the side. As I walked down in, I found a coat room and what looked to be a utility closet. At the far end of the hallway was a door with no handle. It did have a metal box where the knob should have been.
Curious, I went over to inspect it. I poked and prodded at the metal box but couldn’t see what its purpose might have been. I took it with both hands and pulled on it, trying to see if I could get the door to open, but it was firmly locked.
Stymied, I took a step back and examined it. I wondered what sort of room would be so important it had to be locked without any easily identifiable way to open it.
“So, you found the secret door?” Evan asked, surprising me as he walked up behind me.
“Is it a secret?” I asked. “The door isn’t hidden at all. It’s right out in the open. The only thing is, I can’t open it.”
“Sin and Tonic is a little unusual,” Evan said. “On the surface, it’s a place to get a great drink and catch some live music a few times a week. But actually…” Evan leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “It’s a front for the secret bar at the back.”
My eyebrows rose high on my forehead.
“Are you hiding some kind of illegal speakeasy?” I asked.
Evan chuckled.
“Nothing like that,” he said. “The same guy owns both of these bars. He prefers one of them to have a little more privacy, that’s all.”
“Is there a reason for that?” I asked.
“Maybe if you stick around long enough you’ll find out,” Evan said.
Now I was truly intrigued. Maybe the only way to be let in on the secret was to prove I could be trusted.
I doubled my resolve to work hard. I wasn’t going to let Evan down. Not after he’d been so nice to me. I still had no idea why he had such a soft spot for a complete stranger, but I was grateful for it.
I was grateful for him.
Whatever luck made me decide to stop and drink at this particular bar, I took a moment to stop and appreciate it.
I just hoped that luck would hold.
5
“We’ll start you off nice and easy,” Evan said.
It was still early in the afternoon, so there were only a few customers in the bar.
“The place will be pretty slow for now,” he continued. “We can ease you into things before the rush hits. Why don’t you start by cleaning up a bit?”
A bead of nervous sweat trickled down my back. I had hoped to be given more instructions than justclean a bit.
Aside from moving all my stuffed animals from the floor to the toy box, I’d barely had to lift a finger for myself growing up.
“Where should I start?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t too much of a stupid question.
“How about you sweep the floors?” Lizzy suggested. “We make sure to mop them every night, but dust and dirt get kicked up when customers start coming in.”
