Page 7 of Betrayal & New Beginnings

ELLIE

I’d only been working at the pub for a little more than a week, butIhad already started to recognize the regulars from everyone else.Thepub was packed, and while my current shift had only started about two hours ago, it already felt like it had been closer to eight.Butthis place was great.Ithad someIrishpub vibes, with a rustic, cozy atmosphere to it.

Due to the proximity to theDobbingtonAirReserveBasedown the street, there was a strong military theme.Vintagemilitary uniforms and equipment like helmets and canteens decorated the walls.Justabove the bar, aWorldWarIIparachute canopy hung from the ceiling.Itdefinitely gave it a unique setting.

TheIrishpub vibes came more from the old, worn hardwood floors, the warm but dim lighting, and exposed wood beams and posts.Allthe tables and the bar top were made of dark wood and many of them had names of soldiers who had been killed or lost overseas carved into them.Thevarious military logos or slogans were also carved into some of the tables, some even scratched out and written over in a bit of a friendly rivalry sort of thing.

I hadn’t seenWadesince that first day.Tammysaid he spent most of his time holed up in the back office or up on the second floor, helpingArcherandVincewith security stuff.Icouldn’t help but feel he might also be avoiding me.

One person who was not avoiding me wasRuthie.SheandIchatted almost every day asIwent to and from the building.Shealways asked about the pub.Howmy shifts were going.Whatit was like working forWade.Thatlast question was hard since we didn’t work much together, but he was always friendly.RuthieandIhad planned to actually go out after work today on theChattahoocheeRiverfor a hike, andIwas looking forward to it.

I rotated between shifts behind the bar or out on the floor waiting tablesIliked working behind the bar more becauseIgot to work withTammy, and she was a hoot.Shebantered just as easily with new customers as she did with regulars.Shewas the perfect combination of friendly and sassy.Shehad an easy charm to her, but also had no problem cutting people off who’d had too much to drink or started getting too rowdy.

I’d met all the other employees by now, too.Chuck, the main cook in the evenings, was a big, burly dude, who apparently had worked here almost as long asTammy.Hewas a great chef, but not great with people, so staying in the kitchen,I’dlearned, was perfect for him.

I’d only metSambriefly, but fully planned to pick his brain as much as possible about the colleges here soIcould get back to that goal as soon as possible.

Several of the wait staff were also students around my age and all seemed very friendly, includingBeth, whomI’dbeen chatty with during the last few shifts.Therewere also two other waitresses who had been here for more than a decade.

Tammy andIhad just finished the lunch rush and were trying to clean things up a bit and get ahead before the happy hour crowd came in.

The phone rang, andIgrabbed it sinceIwas closer.

“Hello, this is theWateringHole.HowcanIhelp you?”Isaid, but there was just silence.

I sworeIcould hear someone breathing, but there were no words.

“Hello?Isanybody there?”Iasked again.Stillnothing, soIhung it up, figuring someone probably had the wrong number and went back to cleaning.

“Please tell me that wasn’t somebody else calling in sick,”Tammyinquired.

“No,Ithink it was a butt dial,”Itold her. “Whocalled in sick?”

“Sam is out tonight, so the boss-man is comin’ in to do bar duty for the late shift,” she said as she took out clean glasses and filled the shelves with them.

I found myself a little nervous, knowing thatWadewas coming in.SinceI’dworked the mid-day shift,Iwould only work with him for about two hours, but there was just something aboutWadethat brought a sensation to my body thatIhad never felt before.Sure, he was attractive, but it felt like more than that.Likelyit was just his connection toJack, or at least that’s whatIwas telling myself.

“SinceI’mabout to clock out, why don’t you take the group that just sat down at the end of the bar, andI’llfinish outHank’stab,”Tammysaid.

Hank was one of our regulars.Inhis late sixties, he flirted endlessly with every female employee who served him, but he was super sweet and tipped very well.

I nodded toTammyand walked over to the far end of the bar to what appeared to be three guys in their military fatigues.Wetended to get a lot of military men and women here.Infact, the base usually brought us about half our clientele.

“Hey guys, what canIget you?”Iasked asIslid some coasters in front of them.

“How about aCokeand your phone number, gorgeous,” the first one said with a wink.

Internally,Igroaned, but this was part of the job.

“Gentlemen,Isaw her first,”Hankpiped in, looking straight at the man who just asked for my number. “I’vebeen asking her for two weeks and knowin’ how sexyIam–” he paused and rubbed his beer belly, “–if she won’t give her number tome, she probably won’t give it to you,” he said with a wink back at me.

All three of them chuckled, andIwinked back atHank, knowing he was doing it just soIwouldn’t have to turn the man down awkwardly.

“Sorry.Apparently, my number belongs toHank,”Isaid, smiling at the three guys in front of me.

I got their drink and appetizer orders and then turned around and typed the order into the computer.

“Those guys giving you a hard time?” a low voice rumbled in my ear.

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