Page 6 of Embers of Torment

Josie's face flushed. "Oh, you did. I'm so sorry. Today is only my second time working here, and I'm still learning the ropes. I'll get you a margarita." She reached for the mai tai.

"That's all right. I'll drink it." I pushed my glass toward Charlene and took hers.

Josie peered at me appreciatively, her shoulders relaxing. She took our dinner order.

Our evening went into a rocky freefall from there.

Between Charlene's complaints that the oysters were too salty, her steak undercooked, and her dessert having whipped cream when she had asked for none, I had had enough. The kicker was when Charlene called Josie stupid, almost making her cry. That was when I told Charlene I was ending our date and skipping the dance club we planned to go to next. Of course, I followed that ugly conversation with a profuse apology to Josie for my date's inexcusable manners.

And now Charlene glared at me. "How dare you apologize for my behavior. I did nothing inappropriate. That girl is inept."

"You're right. How dare I because you should have been the one apologizing. Getting the wrong drink was no big deal, and I ate the same oysters as you. They were perfect, and your steak looked beautiful. You could have scraped the whipped cream off your chocolate torte. Hell, you didn't even need to do that since the kitchen staff piled it beside your cake. You may have had a rotten day at work based on the description you gave me, but that didn't make it okay to treat Josie like shit. After I settle the bill, I'll escort you back to our building."

"Don't bother. My girlfriends are at the bar. I'll join them and save you the walk." Charlene scowled at the two couples next to us and stormed off.

Josie returned, her expression pained. "I'm so sorry." She put the check by my glass and appeared ready to cry again. "I didn't mean to cause a fight. Oh God, please don't tell my manager. I'll get fired, and I need this job."

"You're fine. Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes." I glanced at the bill and pulled my wallet from my back pocket. Grabbing some cash, I placed it in the tray—enough to pay for dinner and give Josie double my standard tip. "Thank you, andtry to have a good night." I pushed my chair back and left the restaurant, ignoring the three women laughing at me from the bar.

I walked toward my office building, passing groups of people along the way, and then stopped.Why am I calling it a night because my date was a flop?Turning around, I headed back the way I came, thinking I preferred to join up with Adam and Della than go home.

Reaching the complex where Adam said they'd be, I followed the signs and took the escalator to the second floor. Opening the wood-trimmed glass doors to the tavern, I stepped inside, finding the place noisy and packed. My eyes darted back and forth as I casually walked past the U-shaped bar and continued checking each gaming nook for Adam. I spotted Della stepping up to throw a dart in a semi-private area with two electronic boards. Adam and Della were playing on the board on the left. A group of people played on the one on the right.

I sat on the dark green tufted-leather booth seat behind them, silently enjoying their game until Adam saw me.

"Hey! What are you doing here? I thought you had a date." Adam smiled, his eyes widening in surprise. His comments caused Della to lower her arm and pivot in place.

"He came to see me kick your butt," Della said, snickering. She turned back around and threw her dart. As soon as it landed, she flung her arms into a goalpost position and jumped up and down, her ponytail bobbing wildly. She followed that up with a weird little dance, her upper body moving in a circular motion as if she were stirring a pot.

I couldn't help laughing at Della's antics. Besides being hilarious, her moves were cute—even more so in her neon green pair of pants and that darn barnyard animal blouse.

"How did you do that?" Adam whined.

"Skill. It's all skill." Della grinned while she retrieved her darts. She approached the table in front of me and sipped one of the cocktails sitting there.

Adam rolled his eyes. "She's an expert at this. We're playing Demolition. I need thirty-one to zero out, and Della needs seventeen." Adam stepped to the line marked on the floor, raised his arm, and concentrated on the board. He threw, and his dart landed on the five, the scoreboard automatically deducting those points from his score. "Man, I was aiming for the twenty. I need twenty-six now." He threw again, this time hitting a double twenty. "Shoot, I went bust." He pulled his darts from the board, grumbling as he joined us.

Della snickered again.

I chuckled and got up from my seat, giving Adam a clap on the shoulder. "Better luck next throw."

"If I even get one."

Gloating, Della sashayed to the line. She raised her arm, pursed her lips, and threw her dart. It hit the two. Now, she needed fifteen to zero out. She rolled her shoulder, got in her stance, and threw her second of three darts.

It landed on fifteen.

"Yes! I won again!" Della did a little jig while Adam groaned. She pulled her darts and smirked at Adam.

He snatched the darts from her and glared. "I'll get you next time."

"Dream on," she laughed.

I shook my head at the two of them. Their banter and rivalry were doing wonders at making me feel better after my messed-up date.

Adam left to turn in their equipment while Della picked up their glasses. I grabbed the platter of what looked like the remnants of a flatbread pizza and followed Della to a nearbytable. She slipped onto a barstool, and I sat on the one across from her.

"That was fun. Do you and Adam come here a lot?"

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