Page 18 of Lucifer's Hounds

"Nice to meet you," I say, offering him a soft smile.

"You too, beautiful," he says, smiling at me.

Great. He’s flirting with me. Mindy and her fucking schemes. Darren isn’t a bad looking man. His short brown hair and chin strap give him an edge and his light blue eyes are beautiful. His teeth are a little crooked, but it works for him. The only thingwrong with him is the fact that he doesn’t have a blue Harley, his arms are not nearly big enough, and his name isn’t Cass.

"I hear my best friend here has set up some kind of double date. Is that right?" I inquire, fidgeting with a sticky spot on top of the cooler in front of me.

"Yes ma'am. But only if it's okay with you," Darren says.

“Yeah, it's fine.” My answer isn’t welcoming, but I can’t help it. It’s not fine. I don’t want to go. I don’t have it in me to fake it.

"Lilly, can I talk to you for a second? We need to go over some of the changes before you take shift," Mindy scolds, giving me a look of disapproval.

"Yeah."

Mindy drags me to the back. "What are you doing? Be nice. He's cute and he's really interested in you."

"I don't want him. He's just...He's so little."

"What? Have you lost your mind? He's as tall as half the guys out there and he's not tiny. He's a normal looking guy. What's wrong with that?" Mindy asks, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You said it. He's a normal looking guy. I'm just not into him."

"Lilly, you're being unreasonable. Would you at least give the man a chance? Please? For me?" Mindy asks, her tone borderline begging.

"Okay, okay. But only for you," I say, then turn and walk out.

As soon as I walk out, there are four guys at the bar waiting to be served.

"Hey bartender!" one of the guys shouts.

"I'm coming. What can I get ya?" I ask with my best fake smile.

"I need three Bud Lights and two dollars in quarters. Kyle over here isn't done getting his ass kicked in pool yet," the guy says, laughing and pointing at his friend who is shorter than everyone else.

"All right, John. You won two games. So, what!" he says, laughing. Everyone seems to already have a buzz, and I have a feeling I’m in for a long night.

The night, surprisingly, goes by fast, filled with men enjoying their time off work and small talk between Darren and I whenever I get stuck by him. He talks about how he’s interested in basketball and rap music, and I listen, half bored to death. When I mention my interest in photography, he’s quick to change the subject and ignore the fact that I even spoke.

The more he speaks, the more I realize we have absolutely zero in common. He comes off as arrogant, boasting about the money he makes and everything he could buy for me. I fight the urge to roll my eyes out of the back of my head. By the time the night is over and everyone is leaving, Darren stays to help me close the bar, against my wishes.

"When you get done, do you want to ride with me to meet Mindy and Kyle, or would you rather drive yourself?" Darren asks. Evidently, this double date is tonight. Beautiful. Just fucking beautiful.

I’ve had a long day and the last thing I want to do is entertain some arrogant construction worker.

"I'm going to drive. I don't like leaving my car."

"Sure thing," Darren says cheerfully, but his face says he’s disappointed in that choice.

"Where are we all meeting at?" I don’t know what we’re doing or where we’re going. It’s already almost eleven.

"Mindy said something about a dive bar downtown that was open twenty-four hours and serves food.”

"Oh, okay. Then you can just follow me."

It doesn’t take long to finish cleaning and closing the bar. Darren walks me out and thankfully doesn’t try to kiss me when we get to my car. I would have hated to explain to Mindy why his nose was busted, but I would’ve gladly told her exactly why. Thethought makes me warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe I’m holding onto a little bit of rage.

I'm only doing this for Mindy. She owes mebigtime. I drive down the highway, heading to Daisy’s Sports Bar and Grill. Darren follows behind me and I tone down my driving so he doesn’t get lost, although I would like nothing more than for him to literally disappear.

---