Page 6 of Monsters in the Dark

“You’re running a combo ticket,” I drawled out.

The fucker just laughed, making me wish for another pour of whiskey.

Chapter 4

Keavy~

I walked into Miller’s Brewery & Tap right at six o’clock, the beginning of my shift. I got off at two-thirty in the morning, but the night crew was also good about making sure that everyone was out by two, making clean-up quick and easy. Honestly, the bar manager, Tilly, had it the worst because she couldn’t leave until all the registers were balanced, or until everything was locked away securely in the safe.

Now, when I had first applied to work here as a bartender, I hadn’t been that impressed. All bars had seemed the same to me, so I hadn’t thought of Miller’s as anything special. However, I’d been quickly proven wrong when Tilly had shown me around, astounding me with the back room set up. For whatever reason, the owner had invested in his employees by building one hell of a break room, giving us a place to relax and secure our belongings without worry.

Heading straight to the back to put my stuff away, I grinned over at Casey, one of the day-shift bartenders. “Hey, Casey,” I greeted.

“Hey, Keavy,” she greeted back. “Glad to see you, girl.”

That was her way of saying that she had to get home, so I hurried to go put my stuff away. Casey was a new mom, and even though her husband, Milo, did his best to shoulder the burden, they were two new parents trying to balance life with a newborn.

As soon as I put my stuff away, I grabbed a black apron with Miller’s logo on it, then wrapped it around my waist. Tonight, I was dressed in a plain white t-shirt, black jeans, black ankle boots, with my hair thrown up, my hoop earrings dangling away, and my makeup subtle but apparent. I’d learned a bit from watching some tutorials, but makeup still felt kind of foreign to me sometimes. Plus, most of my wardrobe consisted of white t-shirts, so it hadn’t been like I’d dressed up or anything.

Once I was behind the bar, I said, “You’ve been paroled, ma’am. You’re free to go.”

Casey smiled, already taking off her apron. “You’re a godsend.”

“I’m something,” I muttered, making her laugh.

Just then, Porgy came walking into the bar, noticed me, then pointed his finger my way. “You’ve got me tonight, babe.”

“Did Charolette call in sick?”

“Claims that she’s got the stomach flu, but I think she’s pregnant,” he answered.

“What makes you think that?”

“She’s been catching the flu about once a week for like a month.” He walked behind the bar, high-fiving Casey on her way out, then grabbed an apron. “I keep telling her to go pee on a stick already.”

“Why doesn’t she?”

His face grimaced a bit. “Apparently, she and Scott are having some issues, so I think she’s afraid to find out.” He sighed as he shook his head. “Bad situation.”

“Ouch,” I winced. “That does suck.”

Porgy nodded as he let out another sigh. “Being an adult isn’t the glamorous shit that we always think as kids. If I knew then what I knew now, I would have appreciated my childhood a lot more.”

I grinned. “What’s not glamorous about making horrible mistakes with no one else to take responsibility for them?”

The man grinned back. “There’s also the ability to purchase alcohol legally and really fuck up our lives.”

“That’s what makes you my kindred spirit,” I quipped.

“Speaking of kindred spirits,” he drawled out. “Minnie mentioned the wedding again.”

I eyed him quickly as a new patron sat at the bar. “I thought you told her that you had to work?”

“I did,” he replied. “She doesn’t understand why I can’t trade shifts with someone.”

Ignoring that, I went over to the newcomer. Smiling, I asked, “What can I get you?”

“Do you have something that can erase this past week?” he asked, and that’s when I noticed how tired his hazel eyes looked.

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