Page 15 of Bountiful
“Your man spends a lot of time at that car dealership,” Jimmy said loudly, pulling me out of my reverie. He was taunting Jill again. “Fondling those new cars instead of your titties. Bad call onhispart.”
My famous temperflared.
“Shut. It,” I demanded, abandoning Dave to move down the bar. “You harass people in my joint, you will never come back in here. Think about that. You’ll have to drive to Montpelier for a beer. It’s notworthit.”
“Don’t push me, honey. It’s not worth it,” he echoed. The asshole looked up at me with a sneer on his face. He was wearing a Ted Nugent T-shirt with an AK-47onit.
Now I’d had it. “You know what? Wearing an assault rifle on your shirt will not make your dick any bigger.” Everyone in the bar laughed, but I wasn’t even done. “Now get out of here or I’m calling OfficerBrown.”
Jimmy went white, and then red. And then everything began to happen at once. Dave got off his bar stool and moved around behind the girls. Jimmy grabbed his beer glass in one fist. Then he swung. Dave let out a shout of warning, and my stomach lurched, but I didn’t move. I don’t know whether it was fear or foolish defiance that kept me rooted in place.Maybeboth.
But for his own reasons—human decency or self-preservation, I’ll never know—Jimmy didn’t bludgeon me with the pint glass. He threw it instead. It landed with a deafening crash against the wall behind me, taking out several of the liquor bottles lined upthere.
And then, even before the scent of leaking brandy and the sound of broken glass began to pierce my frozen senses, he bolted towardthedoor.
“You want me to catch him?” Dave asked, hands in angry fists at hissides.
“No,” I said firmly. He was gone, and I wanted him to staythatway.
For a long beat, no one else said a word. I took in the sight of my stunned customers. “Show’s over, guys. Sorryaboutthat.”
“Sorry, Zara,” Jill and her friend murmured in turn. “We can help withthemess.”
“I got it,” I said. “Need me to call you a cab?” It was always better to make the offer early. It was a reminder to them of how inconvenient it would be if they did need one an hourfromnow.
“No,” Jill’s pal said. “Can you pour us another Coke, though? We need to level out before Idrivehome.”
“Sure thing.” I got their sodas and then went in back to find a broom and a dustpan. I kicked off my heels and put on a pair of muck boots I kept formessyjobs.
“Can I help you with that?” Dave asked when I began to sweep the space behindthebar.
“No.” That’s when I realized I’d never gotten him another drink. “Shit. Can I pour you something before I get tooinvolvedhere?”
“Another Lawson’s. Or I’ll wait. It’s really okay.” I poured the beer, and he tucked his chin in one hand and gave me an appraising glance. “Pretty exciting nightinhere.”
“Ugh, I know. I’ve been looking for a good excuse to kick him out,anyway.”
Dave smiled, and his almost-dimple showed. “Are you sure you don’t want a hand? I can’t believe that fucker left a mess for you tocleanup.”
“Just like a man,” I teased. “I probably had it coming, though. You can’t insult someone’s T-shirtandhis dick and expect noreaction.”
Dave winked at me, and I felt it everywhere. “Good thing he didn’t pull out his equipment to prove youwrong.”
I surveyed the mess on my bar. “That would have required less clean-up,though.”
His laugh was a bark. “Want me to hold thedustpan?”
“Nah. This really won’t take long. Shame about the good bottle of cognac.” I clicked mytongue.
An hour later the mess was long since gone. So were almost all the customers. I’d restocked the bottles Jimmy hadbroken.
All that remained of the incident was the faint smell of brandy and my shaking hands. I was unnerved. Jill had gotten weepy on her bar stool, and the sounds of her sniffles weren’t helping. All while Dave watched me withheatedeyes.
Then, finally, Jill and her friend left, leaving me and Dave alone again. And I did something completely out of character. I took two shot glasses off the rack and popped them onto the bar. Then I took the bottle of Jose Cuervo and poured two shots, pushing one of themtowardDave.
He watched me with gleaming eyes. “Roughnight?”
“Theroughest.”
