Page 3 of Cast in Shadow
Aggie put a circular tray on top of the bar and filled it with drafts. Sam took one for himself and let Rochelle carry the rest to the table where the others had settled. Instead of heading over with them, he hung back at the bar.
Aggie didn’t mind. The tavern wasn’t busy, and Sam was a nice guy. They’d even gone out a few times, but Aggie had made it clear Parryville was just a temporary stop on her personal journey, and she wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship. He seemed okay with that. He’d even told her once that it simplified things, though it was hard to imagine life in Parryville getting much simpler than it already was. People were born here, lived and worked here, had families, and then died here.
“Rough night?” Aggie asked, noticing he looked wearier than usual.
Stress lines pulled at his handsome, if somewhat rugged, face.
He exhaled. “Yeah.”
She glanced over at the table. None of the other guys seemed to have anything heavy weighing on their minds.
“Want to talk about it? Bartenders are great listeners, you know, and I’m better than most.”
“Yes, you are.” He smiled, but it faded quickly. “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Do you ever feel like you’re in over your head?”
Such a simple question on the surface, but so much unspoken beneath it.
“Sometimes,” she answered honestly. “But it’s different for me. When things get to be too much, I just move on.”
He nodded and lifted the mug to his lips. “Maybe I should take a page out of your book.”
“No reason why you can’t.”
“My whole life is here.”
She shrugged. Unlike her, most people had roots or, at the very least, connections that kept them in one place. Walking away from that could be scary, she supposed. She wouldn’t know.
“Your life is wherever you make it. Doesn’t have to be static.”
He thought about that for a moment. Considered the possibilities, then asked, “Would you go with me if I did?”
She crossed her arms and leaned forward on the bar. His eyes dipped to her cleavage.
“Maybe. Depends on when and where.”
His eyes rose again to meet hers, and that was when she saw it. A momentary flash of fear. The sense of foreboding she’d been feeling all evening grew stronger.
“Are you in some kind of trouble, Sam?” she asked softly. When he didn’t answer right away, she prompted, “Anything I can help with?”
“Yeah. Another beer would be great.”
“You got it.”
Aggie poured him another draft, then moved to the far side of the bar to take care of the customers down there. Rochelle approached with orders for more rounds, and Sam joined his coworkers and shot a few games of pool. The rest of the evening passed without incident, and Sam said nothing more about what was bothering him. Before long, Aggie was making last call.
“Can I walk you home?” Sam asked.
“Sure. But I’m not going to invite you up when we get there.”
He grinned. While their relationship had been strictly platonic up to this point, Aggie suspected Sam would be amenable to something more if she suggested it.
“One of these days, you’re going to change your mind and decide to live on the edge.”
She laughed. He had no idea how edgy her life really was. “Maybe. But it won’t be tonight.”
