Page 28 of Halloween Hottie
“My in-laws are coming to town and wanting to stay in my guest room. How can I keep them out and in a hotel?”
I laugh. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, man. Have you met my mother- and father-in-law?”
I shake my head. “I mean, I was at your wedding, but I don’t remember much of it.”
“Lucky you. My father-in-law just walks around my house, looking at all the work I did and telling me how I should’ve done it differently. My mother-in-law slugs bottles of wine like it’s going out of style and bitches that my wife isn’t living up to her wifely duties. I mean, some of the shit she says I agree with, but then I get in trouble for agreeing. It’s a no-win situation here.”
I laugh and shake my head. “So, you want to get your in-laws to stay in a hotel but can’t tell them.”
“Exactly. Let’s start rapid-fire suggestions.”
I laugh. “Fire; set your house on fire,” I joke.
He shakes his head. “Renovations?” he suggests.
I nod. “That’ll work, right. You haven’t upgraded that room yet.”
“Yeah, but it might look a little fishy that I start it right before needing the room.”
“Flood the room. Maybe your upstairs bathroom has a busted pipe. Then you’ll also have an excuse to start your renovations.”
He laughs. “Genius. Now, what do I need to do to the pipes to flood the room?”
“I can’t believe you’re willing to go through all his trouble. Just book them a hotel room. If they don’t want it, give them the house and you and your wife go and have a little vacation. I mean, if she’s as horrible to your wife as you say, she’ll probably go for it.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” he says, taking a drink.
I tap my bottle again and hold up two fingers, but he finishes his off and pushes the bottle to the center of the table. “Nah, I gotta go run these options by the wife and let her decide.”
I laugh. “Well, good luck,” I say as he stands up and heads for the door.
“See ya, man,” he says, pulling the door open and stepping out.
Now that he’s gone, the place is quiet again, but I don’t feel as down as I did before. I know that everything he said was right. There is no guarantee when it comes to relationships. All I can do is explain my side of things to Elizabeth and let her decide if she wants to take a chance on me. Deep in my gut, I get a nervous feeling. What if she decides it isn’t worth it, that I’m not worth the possible pain I could cause her later?
I take a deep breath and finish my beer. That’s just a risk I have to take, I guess.
I push up out of the booth and toss my empty bottles into the recycling as I round the bar.
“Calling it a night?” Step asks, looking up from her phone.
“Yeah, and you should, too. No point in staying open when the place is this dead. That man over there is falling asleep,” I say, nodding at the guy across the bar.
I take a beer out of the cooler, open it, take a long drink, then tap it off the bar. “Last call!” I yell out and the man jumps. He shakes the sleep off his face, finishes his beer, and stands up to walk out.
“Paul, you good?” I ask.
He nods. “I’m good. I’m going to finish this and go home,” he says, taking a drink.
I help Step with closing. I set all the barstools on the bar and do the same with the chairs at the tables to make it easier to sweep and mop in the morning. While she counts down her register, I turn off the open sign and shut the blinds. Then I go behind the bar and start washing the glasses. I’ve just taken out the trash when she closes the register and hands me the envelope of money to drop.
Paul gets up and walks out with a wave and Step gathers her things to leave. “See you tomorrow,” she says, waving.
I follow her to the door and lock it behind her. I check the bathrooms, shut off the lights, and head upstairs. My stomach is growling, but I’m in no mood for cooking, so I make a sandwich and grab some chips to eat with my last beer for the evening. I sit on the couch and watch TV while I eat, even though my head is more focused on Elizabeth than whatever show is on. By ten I’m in bed and dead asleep, dreaming of Trish and Elizabeth, and trying to choose between them.
Chapter Fifteen
