Chapter 14 #2
With that, I stood, brushing the dirt and dried leaves off my jeans before heading back to my car.
I wasn’t sure if my visit would help burn away the rest of the hold that my earlier nightmare still had on me, but it had been worth a shot.
And I was glad I’d finally found the courage to make that visit.
Turning my car into the parking lot, I found a spot, pulled in, and shut off the engine.
The Tap Room might have been a bar, but they served a pretty decent lunch so the doors opened around eleven, and judging by the number of cars in the lot, it was easy to see that business was steady.
After the morning I’d had, I was in desperate need of some time with my best friend to shake off the dark cloud of melancholy still hovering over me.
I climbed out of the car and made my way to the front door of the attractive brick building. “Hey girl,” Rory greeted, smiling brightly the moment I stepped inside. Nona was sitting on a stool across from Rory who was standing behind the bar, and quickly swiveled around to wave at me.
Moving to the stool beside her, I hooked my purse and jacket on the back and took a seat.
“You okay, doll?” Nona asked, her face scrunching in worry. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
Propping my elbows on the counter, I rubbed at my cheeks and let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just been a rough morning.”
Rory rested her forearms on the bar top and leaned in. “Wanna talk about it?”
“I went and visited my families’ graves,” I admitted to my friends.
“I had this nightmare about my parents....” I stopped and gave my head a shake to clear it of the god-awful images from that terrible dream.
“It messed with my head, so I went to the cemetery to talk to them. It was good, but super emotional.” I looked to Rory, my expression dead serious as I said, “And now I need you to get me the biggest freakin’ cheeseburger you make, because emotional breakdowns require copious amounts of wine, but seeing as I can’t just sit around getting day drunk, the next best thing is grease and cheese. ”
She let out a laugh and replied, “Gimme just a sec and I can definitely do that for you,” before moving to the kitchen to put my order in.
“Does that happen often?” Nona asked, and I turned my head to look back at her. “The nightmares about your parents.”
“The nightmares, yes. They aren’t always about my folks, but they always have something to do with that night.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile and reached out to place her hand over the top of mine. I appreciated the gesture, and it just went to show how incredible these women were. “Have you talked to someone about them?”
“I saw someone for a while back in Chicago. She helped me learn to cope with them, but as far as getting them to go away....” I gave her a defeated shrug. “I don’t think there’s a cure for that.”
“All right, babe,” Rory broke in, rejoining out klatch. “Burger’s on the grill, and I added extra cheese, plus bacon, because I’m an awesome best friend. Shouldn’t be long, and we’ll get you all greased up and taken care of.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” I asked, my mouth watering and my stomach grumbling at the thought of my lunch to come.
The corner of her mouth kicked up in a smirk. “Not today, but I swear to god, if you bust out in Rod Stewart, I’m kickin’ your ass outta my bar.”
After that, the three of us fell into easy conversation, and as the minutes ticked by, I found myself relaxing more and more. This was exactly what I needed to pull me out of my funk so I could start feeling normal again.
Rory was in the middle of throwing her head back and laughing at something hilarious Nona had just said, and I was halfway through my burger when a rough, gravelly, “Rory,” was spoken from behind me.
Suddenly, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room as the color leached from my best friend’s face and her eyes went blank.
Nona gave me that wide-eyed eek look as I spun on my barstool to see a large, extremely good-looking man standing about a foot away.
I did a slow full-body scan, taking in everything about him, but what I noticed most was the fact that his unwavering, penetrating gaze was firmly pinned on Rory.
“Can we talk?” the sexy mountain man asked.
Nona and I jerked our head back to Rory, both of us fully engrossed by what was happening. That was when I saw that my friend’s eyes were no longer blank. They were filled with an incredible sadness she was trying to mask beneath a bland, emotionless expression.
“Now’s not a good time. I’m at work, Cord.”
Hmm. So mountain man’s name is Cord. Very fitting.
We swung our heads to Cord, “Well, when I call or text you never answer. Didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
Then back to Rory. “Then maybe you should take the hint,” she volleyed back.
Then to Cord. “I told you there was more that needed to be said, but you haven’t given me a chance.”
And to Rory again. Christ, it was like watching the most intriguing tennis match ever. “Again, another hint you’ve let go right over your head. You and I have absolutely nothing to talk about.”
“Honey, please.”
Oh my god! He called her honey? He called her honey while looking at her like she was a very large, very important piece that was missing from him, and he couldn’t function properly until she made him whole? What the hell had I missed during my time away?
Rory’s jaw clenched and her lips pulled into a tight line. I knew that look. I’d seen it a million times growing up. It was Rory’s stubborn look. It was the look she made when she was digging her heels in and refusing to budge on something.
“No,” she replied bluntly. “I’ve got tables to see to. You found your way in, I’m sure you can find it out.”
With that, she turned, grabbed a tray, and scurried from behind the bar.
The man aptly named Cord gave Nona and I a chin lift before exiting the bar the same way he came in, just as Rory had ordered.
I turned my attention back to Nona, and she gave me a shrug, seemingly as confused about the exchange we’d just witnessed as I was.
Rory returned to the bar a minute later. “Nope,” she said when I opened my mouth to begin grilling her. “That topic of conversation is most definitely not on the table, so don’t even ask.”
Well okay then.
Having been properly warned, Nona and I both worked to ease the tension until we got our sweet, easy-going Rory back a few minutes later.
But as I left The Tap Room shortly after, I couldn’t help but wonder about the mysterious Cord, and what he could have done to hurt my best friend.