Chapter 12 No Reason To Say Hello
Chapter twelve
No Reason To Say Hello
Roxy
I checked on the family sitting at one of my tables before heading back to the kitchen to grab the next round of food.
The tourists wanted an Old West experience.
The food was good, but that wasn’t enough.
They wanted the pictures, the atmosphere, and every nuance that came with the saloon.
It never stopped, making most of the days feel the same—corset, shorts, and the same questions asking how to get a picture with the actors.
I had heard the other waitresses on the street were bitching about us. Most of the clientele chose the Blue Angel, leaving not much for anyone else. The customers they got weren’t very nice. They wanted to grab a quick meal and go, often not leaving a tip.
“They can bitch all they want,” Lulu had said the first time one of them had tried to start trouble.
The low-cut saloon corset fit all our curves, but I swore Lulu had altered hers.
She didn’t spill over the top, but I often wondered how she kept it all locked down when she was one good bounce from disaster.
Angelica shook her head, telling Lulu she’d pay the fine for indecency if there was one.
I couldn’t help but laugh, offering my usual service and saving the money in a plastic bag in my suitcase.
“Don’t look now, but your buddy is about to walk through the door.” Lulu sidled up to me, hooking her arm around mine for a second. “I don’t know how you did it, but damn, girl. This is one of the best summers we’ve ever had.”
“You told me to stay away from the cowboys.” I chuckled at her antics, putting celery garnishes on the sandwiches I was getting ready to serve.
“Don’t get used to it. I won’t be here next year, and you’ll have to figure something else out.
” I quickly wondered where I would be at this time next year, but my vision went blank.
“Aces will never call you back, and you haven’t gone to the garage to check on your car.
I figure you’re avoiding a certain biker, or you want to stay.
Either way, I don’t see you leaving Tombstone soon.
” She pulled away, bumping me with her hip before she went to greet the men.
Doc was in his usual spot, Marshal Wyatt Earp beside him.
The excitement was contagious as it buzzed throughout the room. The circus was back in town.
“I give it twenty minutes before every tourist is waiting for a table.” Francene laughed. “Girl, I wish I had seen you.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I whispered to her, grabbing the plates and heading for one table in the window.
Francene wasn’t exaggerating. The front door was opening every two seconds, and Bri was doing her best to get everyone on a waitlist. I had to give her credit.
She was a sweet kid, but she didn’t let anyone try to bully their way around her.
We also watched out for her when any of us were near the front door.
“Lunch is served,” I said, approaching the family sitting at the table. “Chicken tenders. Cook made them specially for you.” I always said something directly to the kids. They were innocent, and I enjoyed watching them light up with joy while they still believed in something real.
“Ma’am?” the little boy asked. He still needed to use a booster chair to reach the table.
“Yes, cowboy?” I smiled back at him, laying the cheeseburger in front of his father, before moving around the table.
“Is that Mr. Holliday?” His little voice quivered as if he were in awe.
I served the rest of the food before I circled back around to him.
Crouching to make sure we were on the same level, I gave him my full attention.
“Yes, that is Mr. Holliday, and he’s sitting next to Marshal Earp.
” I hadn’t realized the saloon had gone quiet, listening in on my conversation with this little boy.
“Miss Roxy, would you do me a kindness?” Doc drawled, turning in his chair to face my general direction. I wasn’t sure if he could see me, but it really didn’t matter. This was about the little boy’s curiosity.
“If you expect me to be nice to the Clantons, I will have to decline.” I let my voice take the airy tone I’d used outside.
There had already been two shows at the O.K.
Corral, so I was pretty sure these people knew who I was talking about.
“He forgets to pay his bill and snores at the bar.” The room lit up with laughter.
“I would never subject a lady to such…poor standards.” He smirked, clearly having fun playing to the crowd.
The men who played the Clantons stayed out on the street until it was time for their show, so I had no clue if that statement was even true. However, the room exploded, and I saw a few cell phones recording. It was family-friendly entertainment, and they were just making memories.
“I should probably be the one doing you a favor then.” He smirked. “Would you be so kind as to bring that little cowboy over here? He needs to be deputized, as the marshal is getting old and senile.” Doc knocked the actor playing Wyatt Earp in the arm with his cane.
“Do you want to meet Mr. Holliday and Marshal Earp?” I asked the little boy.
If he was afraid, I’d figure something else out.
I didn’t want to see him traumatized on a family vacation.
He said nothing, but he was old enough to unbuckle the strap of the booster chair, waiting for someone to lift him up.
“Do you have your phone with you so I can take a picture?” I whispered to his mother.
She was stunned—half shocked, half trying not to cry.
“If his food is cold, I’ll take care of it when we get back.
” Reaching for the little boy, I set him down on the floor and held my hand out for him to hold.
“Ready, cowboy?” He pulled me forward, knowing exactly how to get to the bar.
He stood between the men, waiting to see what was going to happen, but I took a few steps back to snap a few pictures for his mother.
I’d been in Tombstone long enough to know they hadn’t planned this, but it must have been a possibility because the marshal opened his suit coat, pulling out gold marshal stickers.
They both stood from their bar stools, kneeling in front of the boy.
The marshal said a few general words and stuck the sticker on his chest. They had officially deputized the kid.
It was a cute moment, but it opened up the floodgates.
“What about my kid?” a mother snipped from near the side of the room. “We had to wait to be seated.” She stood, pushing her kid towards the men, but she didn’t see Lulu coming with a stack of plates. Lulu had to sidestep them, twirling to make sure the woman didn’t knock all of them to the floor.
I hadn’t meant for any of this to happen.
I froze, standing there like a deer in headlights, until Angelica took over.
She’d been standing in the hallway between her office and the dining room.
“I’m sorry for your wait,” she told the mother.
“We do our best to be accommodating, but we never know when a visitor or two will drop in. I’m sure the men won’t mind deputizing each kid who’s currently in the room.
There are way too many red sashes on the street. ”
The men each tipped their heads in her direction.
She spoke a few more words to the mother before calling me over.
“Hey,” she said, completely in control. I tried to apologize, but she waved me off.
“It’s alright, I’ll grab an apron from my office and take over your tables.
You’re in charge of making sure each kid gets a few minutes with them.
The food will be cold by the time they’re done, but we can either remake it or send fresh with them.
” Angelica winked at me as she pivoted down the hallway.
For the next forty-five minutes, I led kid after kid up to be deputized. It was fun, but each time I saw Angelica with plates, my stomach crumbled. I should have been serving, not adding myself to the circus.
I tried to help Lulu for a second between kids, but she scolded me. “We’re going to have a good day,” she said, winking at me before rushing off.
I was walking the last kid back to their parents when the back of a motorcycle club cut caught my attention. Saint’s Outlaws. Tombstone. My breath hitched as Cactus walked out the door. I hadn’t even known he was here.
The door swung shut behind him, and I waited to see if he’d look through the windows. Nothing.
He could have said hello.
The thought slipped through the cracks, pulsing at the forefront of my mind.
There had been plenty of people blocking the front of the saloon, and yet, I’d been able to see his patch clearly.
It could have been any of them, but I had known immediately.
The broad span of his back emanated the power he wielded.
The control as the sea of people parted for him, knowing he wasn’t a man they wanted to cross.
I should have followed their example. He had no reason to say anything, and there was no expectation that he would single me out. It still hurt, like a pinprick.
I took over my tables, but in the quiet moments, I kept asking myself what the fuck I was thinking. Every interaction I had had with him ended in suspicion. He’d accused me of bringing harm to the town, and I had refused to ease his mind—going in circles until the next time he asked for my story.