Page 8 of The Hometown Dilemma
“Wade, I’m not blind. I can see what’s going on with this place and how you’re struggling to keep it afloat. This place has a lot of history for me, and we’re tight. I’m not gonna let you go under if I can help it.” Austen slapped my upper arm and grinned.
I didn’t like the thought of my best friend paying extra just to help us all out. But if that’s what it took to keep the bar going, I’d have to swallow my pride and get on with it.
“Thanks,” I said, quietly. “I appreciate you doing that.”
“Are you going to say hi to Cami?” Austen asked.
“She looks like she’s busy with her sister, I wouldn’t want to interrupt.” Instinctively, my hand went to my bicep where the fixed tattoo was. Cami knew nothing about it and now that it was covered up, there probably wasn’t any reason to. Even if I did show it to her, she would never know the origin. I was pretty sure she’d be mortified to find out what had happened. “Let’s go and sit over there.” I pointed to one of the booths on the opposite side of the bar.
We took our beers and sat down, settling in for the evening.
“How are you getting on with that listing?” I asked, picking up a French fry and dragging it through the burger sauce before eating it.
Austen screwed up his face. “Not going well. She keeps nagging me to get someone in to stage it, but I don’t know where to start with that shit.”
“Surely you looked online? Searched for designers?”
“Yeah, I tried that. Do you know how many designers there are within twenty miles of Abbott Ridge?” he asked, and I shook my head in response. “Over one hundred. I don’t have time to look at one hundred websites and try to work out who fits my one client the best. I’d never sell any other houses if I did.”
I glanced over to where Cami and Jaime sat, deep in conversation. I hadn’t known Jaime was back in town and wondered whether she was here for a visit or longer. “Didn’t you say Jaime was a designer? Maybe she could steer you in the right direction or knows someone here who could help you out.”
He followed my gaze. “Could be worth a conversation. I’ll go over and chat with her after we’ve finished eating.”
We finished our burgers and got another round of beers. Even though being in Dempsey’s on my night off shouldn’t feel like much of a break, I still managed to chill out a bit. When I wasn’t worrying about Brad flirting with the customers that was. He did have a tendency to give out free drinks to the women he found attractive and sometimes that cost me. Tonight, however, it looked as if the only people he was bestowing freebies on were Cami and Jaime.
Shortly after nine, some of the college football team came in. There were about eight of them, as well as a few girlfriends and non-playing friends. A wave of nostalgia swept over me. I’d been part of the team in college too, until a knee injury forced me into early retirement. To be fair, I hadn’t been good enough to ever be drafted, but I enjoyed the game and the camaraderie that went with it. A couple of my college teammates went on to be stars in the league, and although I could have been jealous, I wished them well. It didn’t hurt when they came back to town and spent some money in my bar.
I watched them order at the bar, knowing that several of them were underage. To his credit, Brad checked their ID without my intervention and served them accordingly.
The group went over to the jukebox, which lay dormant most nights. The guy who seemed to be the captain stuffed a handful of quarters into the machine and before long, music blasted out. It had been a long while since the bar had seen action like this, and I was grateful to them for making an effort.
Austen and I had a couple more beers, chatting about work, sports, and girls. As we drank, I kept an eye on the college kids and their partying. I noticed one of the guys had approached Cami and appeared to be deep in conversation with her. Her sister sat at the table with them, sipping on her drink, not participating in the chatter going on around her.
“Come on.” I kicked Austen under the table. “Let’s go over.”
He frowned. “Really? You wanna go and hang out with a bunch of underage jocks? Or are you getting green eyed over Cami?”
That was far from the truth. I felt sorry for Jaime and thought she deserved better than being ignored on what was surely a quick trip back to Abbott Ridge.
“Go and get some more drinks. Check with Brad what Jaime and Cami are having and get them another round.” I stood up, raked a hand through my hair, and stalked across the room.
The general chatter seemed to lessen as I got closer. The party probably thought I was going to bawl them out for being too noisy. Ignoring the main group who stood by the jukebox, I went to the table where Cami, the footballer, and her sister sat.
“Cami,” I said. “Having a good night?”
She turned towards me, her eyes a little glassy from whatever cocktail she’d been drinking. “Sure am, Wade. Thanks for checking in.” As if to prove it, she placed her hand on the football player’s thigh and gave it a squeeze. He growled at her and pulled her towards him, whispering something in her ear which caused her to let out a high-pitched giggle.
Jaime winced and mumbled something under her breath, which I didn’t quite catch.
“Hey,” I asked. “How are you? Back for a visit?”
“Nope. Back for good.” She shook her head, her mahogany hair tumbling in waves around her shoulders.
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “What can Abbott Ridge offer that New York can’t?”
She let out a sigh. “Hopefully my own business. I decided it was time to branch out on my own.”
“Sounds good. Are you still doing interior design?”
