Keeping Promises
My heels echoed through the parking lot as I approached the deserted bar.
It was time for my first opening shift, which would hopefully be more fun than closing.
I’d woken up happy and cheerful this morning, much to Ari’s relief.
And mine and my uncle’s. After two full days of sleeping, crying, and isolation, I was thankfully back to normal.
Better than normal—I’d almost died of excitement the second time Ari said Aunt Helen was coming to visit.
“Hi, Emy.” Sean looked up as I strode inside. “Ready for your first real shift?”
“Yes! I’m a real bartender now. A free bird, if you will. Hi, Nate.” I smiled brightly and nestled between them. “What’re you doing?”
“Setting up,” Nate said.
“Looks boring.” I hopped on a counter instead of helping and crossed a leg over the other, careful not to flash them in my short skirt.
The background noise was easy to tune out as I hummed and tapped away at my phone, logging into Ari’s socials to stalk people for funsies.
“Hey Sean,” I looked up to see him preparing a well, “do you have one?” I waved my phone to show what I meant. “Ari should add you.”
“Yeah, but I never go on it. You can search Sean Aoki if you wanna add me. Do you have one?”
“No. I have no one to add,” I said. “I don’t have any friends, remember?
” Both guys stared at me. “No one in life likes me. Except people here, and I don’t really know why.
This is the first time people haven’t disliked me since I was fifteen.
It’s weird. I guess my coworkers at the strip club were nice, but we never actually hung out.
I was kind of a mess when I worked there. ”
“I think you’re great,” Nate said. “Perfect.” He had just finished setting up his well and was starting on mine.
“Thanks.” I went back to stalking. I’d already found Sean and added him.
“You’re not being any help at all, by the way,” Sean said.
“I know, right? You’re welcome.” I grinned and uncrossed my legs to swing them.
“You’re lucky you’re you, because I don’t think we’d let anyone else do this.”
I looked up, confused about what Nate meant by that. But then I decided to go flirty with it instead of being confused. “Aw, really? That’s so sweet.”
“Yeah.” Nate half smiled.
Sean glanced between us but didn’t say anything.
“I can finish mine, if you want,” I said. Nate smiled fully at the garnish he was slicing but didn’t say anything. I waited, but still no response. “Are you okay?”
“What? Yeah. It’s nothing.”
“Ooh, is it something exciting?” I perked up as he laughed. “I wanna know.”
“It’s nothing important.”
“Okay.” I stopped swinging my legs. I was kinda sad now.
“You really wanna know?”
“Yes! Oops.” I’d dropped my phone in my eagerness to learn. I slid off the counter to grab it, then stuffed it in my shallow pocket and hopped back up. “Yes,” I repeated.
“I just think you’re really sweet. You’re not what you come across as.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re obviously beautiful. Everyone knows that. But your personality is so…” he trailed off, still smiling to himself. He was very focused on what he was doing.
“I’m guessing that’s good?”
“Yeah, it’s good,” he said, still not looking at me. “That’s why I like you.”
“I like you, too.”
“No, I like you. As in, I’m interested in maybe trying more than friends?”
I was super confused now. “You like me? As in actually…?” I made a face when he nodded.
“I haven’t said anything because I know Dennis would kill me. Sean might, too. For Dennis.”
“I won’t,” Sean said. “Dennis might.”
“Yeah,” Nate paused thoughtfully. “Well, I figure it never hurts to try. Even though we’re coworkers now, so that’s a complication. But it could work out, right? People have done it before.” He was still going and I was still bewildered.
“Wait.” I held up a hand for him to stop rambling. “You’re serious?” He nodded. “I don’t believe you. You’re lying.”
“Trust me, I wouldn’t lie to you. I really do like you. A lot.”
“No, you don’t. Nobody likes me. No one’s ever liked me.”
“What makes you think that?” He was the confused one now. “I can tell you right now, that’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not. I’m not worth it,” I said nonchalantly. “Anyway, stop talking ‘cause you’re confused.” I slid off the counter and motioned for him to scoot over so I could finish setting up my own station.
“You really don’t think anyone’s ever liked you?”
“No, I know no one ever has. They’ve liked the way I dress or the way I act or how easy I am, but never me.
They’ve wanted to fuck me and that’s it.
That’s probably what you want,” I realized.
He wanted sex and was mixing it up with feelings.
“I’m gonna go grab a new vodka.” I lifted mine to see it was mostly full.
“I think you’re good,” Sean said.
“No, I need more tequila. Rum. Damn it, why is everything full? Um. I need lime juice. Nope, that’s full too. I’m gonna go see what Richard’s doing. Or Michael. Whoever’s in charge today.” I escaped to the back.
“‘Morning, Emy,” Michael said as I walked in. “How’s it going?”
“Good. I’m just setting up my station. I need more salt.” I grabbed a container and went back out front. Sean and Nate were leaning against the counter talking. They’d already opened the door, but so far no customers had come in. “Found it.” I held up the salt.
“Didn’t you go to see what Michael’s doing?” Nate asked.
“No, I went to get lime. Talk to Michael. Same shit, I came back with salt. Who cares.” I put it at my station and went back to scrolling Sean’s profile.
My radar went up the second I noticed the same beautiful woman was in a good amount of his pictures.
“Hey Sean, who’s this?” I needed to know if Ari had competition.
“My sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“Yeah. She’s a few years older than me. We don’t really get along.”
“How come?”
“She’s an overachiever. Biomedical engineer. She constantly looks down on me for wanting to open my own bar instead of following a stable career path. She’s just snobby.” He shrugged. “She’s alright, I guess. You’ll probably never meet her.”
“Interesting. Okay. Carry on.” I waved a hand for him and Nate to continue the conversation I’d interrupted. “Her outfits are amazing,” I murmured, taking in her flawless getups. Her hair, makeup, and clothes were all perfection. She had an impeccable fashion sense.
“Emery?”
I turned to see Fiona at the bar. “Hi! What’re you doing here?”
“Getting a drink, if that’s okay with you.” She sat on the stool in front of me. “I didn’t know you work here.”
“I’m new,” I said. “This is like my…”
“Fourth shift,” Nate answered before I could.
“Yeah.” I gave him an odd look, to which he smiled sheepishly. It was weird he was counting. “Fourth day, I guess. I didn’t know you come in here. I’ve never seen you here, even before I worked here.”
“Oh, that’s ‘cause I’ve never been. I’m always stuck at home babysitting my sister.
I love her and we always have fun, but I basically raise her when she’s not at school.
” She bit her lip and looked past me. “I can’t decide what I want.
” Her eyes roamed the shelves while my eyes roamed her.
I caught myself and stopped dwelling before she noticed.
“What do you like?” I asked.
“Sweet, mostly. I think I’ll have a sex on the beach.”
“That’s one of my favorites.”
“The drink, or the real thing?”
“Both!”
“Same.” She grinned as I made the drink. “Is it okay if I keep you company? I got bored and my parents are home for once, so I don’t have to watch my little sister. I figured I may as well go out.” Her bright nails closed around the glass I set down. They matched today’s dress, too.
“Of course. If anyone wants a drink, they can handle it.” I waved toward Sean and Nate.
“Cool. Thanks.” She took a sip, then gave me her card and said, “You can leave it open.”
I started a tab before coming back to the conversation. “How old’s your sister?”
“Eight. Well, eight in a couple months. She’s pretty awesome,” Fiona bragged. “She takes after me.”
“Someone’s conceited,” I teased.
“I bet you are, too. You have every reason to be.”
Normally I’d have a witty response, but instead an awkward, “How’s your drink?” came out.
“Perfect. Yours is the best sex on the beach I’ve ever had.”
“So I’ve been told.” I giggled at my own funny, causing her to smile. “We should hang out sometime.”
“I’m so down. Maybe we can make a date of barhopping. Assuming this isn’t the only one.” She gestured toward our surroundings.
“It is,” I said. “Literally. There’s one other bar, but it doesn’t count. It’s like a gin bar with an older crowd. Mostly a gentlemen’s bar, if you know what I mean.”
Her nose scrunched. “Gross. I guess this one isn’t too bad if it’s the only choice. Especially since it has you.” She smiled before taking another sip and tilting her head. “I take it there are no gay bars around?”
“Like a lesbian one?” I rethought everything as she nodded. So she was flirting. Probably. Maybe? “Nope, there’s no specific place for us. I mean, not us, I’m not actually gay, but I—”
“Like girls?” She smirked. “Yeah, I know. I can tell.” She started to say something else, then glanced at her buzzing phone instead.
She read a text and frowned. “Shit. It’s my sister.
Our parents left her home alone without telling me.
I gotta go. I know she’s probably fine, but I get worried.
Especially since this town is overrun with vamps.
” She stood while I went to close out her tab.
Much to my surprise, she scribbled a phone number across the receipt with a small heart, then added cash for an extra tip.
“I don’t need change. But I do need to finish this.
” She downed her drink and set the glass down. “See you later, babe.”
“Bye, you.” I said it a few seconds too late; she was already gone. Thankfully, because that wasn’t the sentence I’d meant to come out.
“Bye, you?”
“Why’d you get so awkward?”