Page 16 of Monsters in the Dark

The second that I was behind the bar, Casey was shooting me a regretful look. “Charlotte isn’t here yet.”

“It’s fine,” I assured her. “Get going. I’ve got this.”

Guilt registered in her pretty brown eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling to prove it. “If she doesn’t show, Tilly will get someone in here soon enough.”

“Thank you,” she rushed out. “Everyone’s topped off, so that should give you a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Now get out of here.”

She flashed me a quick smile before taking off her apron, then going about her business. Luckily for me, not two minutes later, Charolette was racing through the front door of the bar, and a part of me wanted to send her right back out. She looked horrible, but I also knew that the utility companies didn’t care if someone was sick, just had a baby, or had a death in the family. Bills were cold sonsofbitches, and they did not care what crisis that you had going on in your life.

Like having just killed two people?

Ignoring that nagging voice in my head, as soon as Charolette reached for her apron, I said, “Honey, are you sure you’re up to working tonight? You look like you need a doctor.”

She grimaced. “If it’s any consolation, what I have isn’t contagious unless you’re not on birth control.”

“Ouch.”

“Can you believe it?” she huffed sadly. “They’re not lying when they say that the pill is only ninety-nine percent effective.”

“What does Scott have to say about it?”

“I haven’t told him yet,” she admitted. “If I do…”

I looked behind her, and a cute guy was holding up his glass. “Meet me back here in two seconds.”

She turned to see the guy. “Oh, yeah…of course.”

I rushed over to the guy, then gave him my best customer service smile. “What can I get for you?”

His blue eyes raked me up and down before saying, “I’d ask if you were on the menu, but something tells me that you’re not.”

Forcing myself to act like the Keavy that everyone knew, I said, “I’m single, if that’s what you were trying to get at.”

His back straightened, and the man perked up like a happy puppy. “Most girls would think it was a tacky come on line.”

“It was,” I assured him, laughing. “You need to work on that.”

He grinned. “Duly noted.”

“Now, what can I get you that is on the menu?”

“A whiskey neat,” he answered, his smile genuine this time.

I left him to grab a bottle of whiskey, assuming that he was drinking well since he hadn’t specified a particular brand, then after refilling his glass, I checked on the other four customers on my side of the bar before heading back to meet Charlotte by the ice machine.

“So, you were telling me why you haven’t told Scott yet,” I reminded her.

“I’m just…I’m only twenty-seven and not sure if…if I’m ready for forever just yet,” she confessed. “Scott and I have been arguing a lot lately because he’s ready for marriage, and I’m just…I don’t know.” She shook her head tiredly. “I think I’m just stupid.”

“Well, decisions become easier to make once you simplify things,” I told her. “Do you know what you want to do about the pregnancy?”

“I’m going to keep it,” she said, and she sounded confident enough in her answer that I didn’t doubt her.

I nodded to let her know that I’d heard her. “Charlotte, my advice is to always do what’s in your heart,” I advised her. “However, there’s no greater commitment than becoming a parent, and that’s definitely a forever kind of decision.”

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