Page 79 of Forget Me Not

“I know,” I whisper softly.

Whatever I thought might have been there between Tyler and me is gone. I’ve ensured that after getting caught kissing Alaric. It’s best this way, though. Tyler and I connect on a friendship level and it’s actually really nice to have someone I can call a friend, if he even wants that.

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” He laughs, grabbing the bottle of liquor from my hand. “That’s a rare and expensive bottle. Did someone specifically order that?”

“No.” I shrug. “They ordered a whiskey sour so I just found a bottle that said whiskey on it. Is that wrong?”

He chuckles again, turning around and putting back the bottle and retrieving a different one. “Little secret. Mixed drinks get the cheapest booze.”

“Well, that’s a little devious.” I feel some of our usual banter coming back and he starts to relax. Maybe he will be okay with us just being friends.

“That’s business.” He waggles his brows and grabs the drink he just poured. “Stephanie will be here in five, then we can clock out. You’re still coming tonight, right?”

I look around the room, subconsciously looking for Alaric. “Um. Yeah. Of course.”

As much as I know I shouldn’t do this, I can’t blow Tyler off again. He is my friend now, after all. I don’t have many and I certainly don’t want to lose the one I’ve got.

“Good,” he quips. “Because I invited someone to go with us.”

“Oh, really? Who’s that?” I ask as I put the whisky sour in front of the man who ordered it.

“Heather. I think you know her. She’s staying over at Gladys’s guesthouse.”

“Yeah. I know Heather. Well, sort of. We’ve met but never really talked.”

“She’s a cool girl. Same age as us. I think you two would get along great.”

It’s strange to me that Tyler thinks we’d get along great because from what I've seen of Heather, she’s very quiet and reserved, whereas I’m boisterous and loud.

“Oh, look.” His voice lifts and he’s grinning from ear to ear. “She’s here now.” Tyler stretches his hand in the air and waves. I follow his line of sight and see Heather with her hands clasped in front of her, wearing a navy blue down coat that reaches her knees, a pair of blue jeans, and black ankle boots.

She looks cute…and warm.

Tyler walks away, likely going to say hi, and I can’t help but feel hopeful for him, and a little nervous too. He’s such a good guy and deserves to find someone who makes his heart skip a beat. Someone he searches the crowd for and thinks about first thing in the morning. Maybe Heather could be that girl.

Another man orders and I’m able to fill it without having to ask Tyler for help, which makes me feel like I’m actually getting the hang of this. I hand the man his drink and he lays down a five-dollar bill with a smile. “Thank you very much.” I tuck the bill into my apron pocket then check the time.

Stephanie is behind the bar now, which means it’s time for me and Tyler to clock out. Excitement buzzes through me as I untie my apron and fold it up, keeping my tips intact.

As I’m walking toward the kitchen to the time clock machine, I find myself looking for Alaric again. Not only am I curious what he’s doing and where he’s at, I sort of need to know. There is no way he’s going to let me walk out of this bar with Tyler and go to a party with a bunch of strangers.

“Hey,” I tell Tyler when he comes into the kitchen with Heather right behind him. “I’m gonna go out the back kitchen door, run my tips home really quick, and grab a coat. Wanna meet in the back parking lot in ten?”

“Works for me.”

I do as I said and pass through the kitchen, right behind Jerry the cook. “Have a good night,” I tell him.

“You, too, Rhea.”

I slip out the back door, the cold air hitting me hard in the face. It’s definitely a coat and hat sort of night. The young crowd in Lockhaven are savages—throwing parties outdoors when it’s only forty degrees out. I guess that makes me savage, too, since I’m attending.

I’m not even sure why I’m going tonight. I think part of me didn’t want to let Tyler down again after standing him up last week. But he has Heather now and they looked cozy together in the kitchen. I doubt he’d care if I bailed.

Creeping slowly, taking in all my surroundings, I go around the building to Gladys’s front door. I look left, then right, before pushing it open and going inside quickly. Once I’m in, I breathe a sigh of relief, a devilish grin on my face.

“Gladys,” I call out as I turn down the hall to my room. “It’s just me. I’m heading out again. Just grabbing my—” My words are cut short when I crash into someone in the dimly lit hall. “Oh, shit. Sorry…” I look up and see that it’s Alaric and my shoulders drop in defeat.

His hand lands on my hip as he peers down at me. “Going somewhere?”

---