Page 4 of Wild Valentine
No problem. I won’t tell boss man :)
At least Andreas has my back.
2
MARCUS
The warbly notes of Celine Dion blast through the speaker behind the bar as Davis preps for the morning shift.
I usually don’t mind that he has the radio turned up way too loud. The poor kid lost half his hearing, but why the fuck does every station have to play sappy love songs just because it’s fucking Valentine’s Day next week?
“Can you turn that shit off?”
Davis gives a wide grin. “What’s the matter, Wood, not a fan of Celine?”
Not a fan of love more like it, but I’m not going to get into that with Davis. He’s young. He’ll learn in his own time that love is an illusion, and women can’t be trusted.
Davis turns the volume down, thank God, just as Calvin strides in, or Badge as we call him on the road.
His Sheriff’s uniform is crumpled, and there’s dark stubble on his usually smooth jaw.
“Double expresso,” he says to Davis as he leans on the bar with his head in his hands.
“Trouble in town, Sheriff?”
Badge lets out a long sigh. “Just another bachelorette party.”
Davis raises his eyebrows as he slides the steaming expresso cup toward Badge.
“Doesn’t sound too bad, Sheriff.”
Badge eyes the younger man warily. I’m sure to a twenty-something year old breaking up unruly bachelorette parties sounds like a wild time, but Badge is about the same age as me, thirty-four, and just as weary of women.
“They’re wilder than the men some of them,” he says. “And when you’re responsible for the safety of those women on the mountain, it’s no fun at all. Not when half of them are determined to get themselves into some kind of trouble.”
“What was it this time?” I ask with mild amusement.
“They were getting rowdy by the lake. There were complaints from guests at The Lodge. They were so drunk on fruity cocktails not one of them would listen to me.”
I chuckle despite myself, imagining Badge trying to tame a group of drunk women. He’s a good looking guy and probably got propositioned by more than one.
“Had to get Axel to help me escort them back to their rooms. One of them was missing, and we spent the entire goddamn night looking for her. Turned out she’d fallen asleep in a batch of poison ivy. I’ve just come back from dropping her at the medical center in Hope. Goddamn bachelorette parties shouldn’t be allowed.”
I chuckle at my friend and MC brother, but he takes his job seriously. He really does feel responsible for those women.
“Is Prez in?” he asks.
I shake my head. We haven’t seen much of the Prez since his honeymoon. Poor man’s gotten all pussy whipped.
“I’m gonna take a shower upstairs and grab a few hours’ sleep.”
Badge heads off upstairs to the rooms above the bar. Anyone can use them as needed, and for Badge it means not having to trek home between shifts.
I pull out my phone and check the arrival time on the Airbnb sight. Someone called Andreas is arriving in about an hour.
I’ve been renting out the small cabin on my land for the past few months. I don’t need the income, but I like the company every now and again. I wonder what this Andreas is into. I like being there when my guests arrive so I can show them where to go for the good fishing spots, or hunting, or just walking if that’s what they’re here for.
The sound of heels clacking on tiles gets my attention.
