Treading Water

Chapter One

The wind off the Pacific—cold, damp, and salty-tasting—cut through his clothes, and Darren Butterfield pulled his shoulders in, lowered his head, and walked toward the center of Mendocino.

He had thought of taking the old, barely-passed-inspection car, but it was only a few blocks, gasoline was expensive, and his legs were free.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and picked up the pace, keeping the wind at his back against the small drops of rain it carried.

Darren sighed to himself as he trudged on.

He had left his tiny house in plenty of time and stayed well off the side of the road in case a car came by.

He didn’t want to end up caked in mud. That was not the way to start work, and his boss would not like that at all.

He needed this job, just like he needed the two others he had in order to keep the lights on and the tax man at bay.

It was nearly impossible to make ends meet, and if something didn’t change, he was going to have to sell the house his grandma had left him in her will.

He wasn’t sentimental or anything. The fact was, he was too poor for that.

His childhood had been shit sandwiched between two rotten pieces of bread.

His mother spent most of the money they had at bars and on guys who showed her a good time, and left Darren with a younger brother and sister to take care of.

His biological father had been the only guy his mother had married, or who was fool enough to walk down the aisle with her—Darren was still trying to figure out which.

But after his parents had split up, his father’s mother had invited him to come visit her for part of the summer when he was a teenager.

It had been like the sun coming out after forty days of rain.

Gramma Grace didn’t yell; she didn’t drink.

She made good food that Darren ate until he thought he was going to bust. She also didn’t treat him like a slave and expect him to take care of everything while she went out and had a good time.

So, when he was seventeen, he squirreled enough money together for a cross-country bus ticket and ran away.

He spent days in a cramped seat, eating the little he could afford, and at the end of it all, knocked on his grandmother’s door.

“Darren, thank goodness,” Lilly called, pulling him back to the present as he reached the front door of The Pub and went inside.

“It’s packed inside, and I need your help.

” She was the owner’s daughter and a nice enough person.

At least here, everyone acted decently and didn’t stab each other in the back.

“Can you take the patio area? We just started sending people out there.”

Without thinking, he simply nodded. He was already tired.

“Let me get this wet stuff off, and I’ll take care of it.

” He went through to the back and into the small employee area, where he hung up his coat and checked himself in the mirror.

His light brown hair went everywhere, and he hadn’t cut it in a while, so it had gotten curly and a little floppy.

Using his fingers, he smoothed it into something that didn’t resemble a mop.

He also made sure the rest of him was okay before grabbing a soda from the fountain and downing it.

Caffeine was the only way he was going to get through the evening.

Then he checked that he had everything and headed out to the patio.

There was a group of four that looked like they had just sat down, so he got to work.

The rest of the tables were empty, but he knew that would change eventually, especially once he turned on the patio heaters.

Plastering on his best smile, he went over to the table, introduced himself, and took drink orders.

The hours passed quickly since he was really busy.

His tables turned relatively fast. One thing Darren knew how to do was wait tables, especially at The Pub.

He had been doing it since he first arrived in town ten years ago.

Darren knew the menu by heart and had eaten everything on it more than once.

He was the kind of server who could help the fussiest eater find something they would love.

“Is that a skunk?” a diner asked.

Darren turned to where they were looking.

“Yes, that’s Paddy. He has a burrow off in those shrubs and comes to visit quite often.

Don’t worry. He isn’t aggressive or anything.

He’s sort of part of the cleaning crew. Any food that falls on the ground, he eats or carries away.

” Paddy had become an unofficial mascot.

“But doesn’t he spray?” a lady at the next table asked.

“The only time was when a dog tried to go after him. We leave him alone, but if he’s bothering you, I can move him on.

” Darren had a way with the creature, and when he shooed him toward the shrubs, Paddy scampered through them and off home.

Not that he’d stay away for very long, but that was fine.

Darren had scared away the big bad skunk.

“Thank you,” the lady said as Darren took her order with a smile.

“You’re welcome. He’s harmless, really, and he gives folks something to talk about.

” He winked and knew, like always, that eating with a skunk would be talked about around their own dinner table.

He finished taking their orders as a group of four guys came in and took the last empty table.

He put in the order and gave the men menus.

Something about these guys made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, though he had no idea why.

“I’m Darren. Can I get you something from the bar?”

“Sure, Darren,” the dark-haired one said, lifting his gaze from the menu, sending a chill up his spine. This guy was a predator. His eyes were cold, and while he smiled, there was no warmth in it at all. “I’d like a whiskey, single-malt, neat. And bring a round for my friends.”

“Stop it, Larson,” another man said, and he turned toward Darren with the most beautiful eyes and hair like spun gold.

His broad shoulders and chiseled jaw were perfect.

“Bring him his whiskey, but I want a Guinness, please.” The others ordered beer, and Darren did his best to concentrate on them, not the serial killer in training.

He put in the drink orders, checked on his other tables, cleared dishes on his way inside, and filled drink orders on his way back.

“Do you know what you’d like to eat?” he asked, and nearly jumped as the serial killer guy grabbed his butt.

At first, he thought it might have been an accident, but he did it a second time.

Darren cleared his throat. “If you do that again, you’ll swallow those perfect teeth of yours.

” He glared at him. “Do you understand?”

“Larson,” the blond god snapped.

“He’s sort of cute in a puppy-dog kind of way, and he’s working here, so he could probably use a little extra money.” Larson leered, and Darren wanted to punch his lights out, but he needed to de-escalate this situation, or he’d be the one to get in trouble.

Darren took a step back. “I think someone needs to call an Uber for your friend or take him home.” He walked away.

“Jesus, Larson,” one of the others grumbled. “You were always a self-centered shit. Call an Uber and go home if you can’t behave. I’m hungry, and all you’ve done is drink for hours, and you’re a jackass when drunk.”

Larson stood and downed his drink. Then he lumbered out of the dining area, and Darren returned to the table.

“We’re sorry about him,” the blond said gently, glancing where their friend had gone. “We went to college with him, and he was an ass back then too. Some people never grow up.” He flashed a beatific smile. “Is it okay if we order?”

Darren was confused. “Aren’t you going to see that he gets home okay?”

“If I know Larson, he’ll get an Uber to another bar or something. Two days with him is more than enough as far as I’m concerned,” the third man at the table said, and they went ahead and placed their orders.

“I’ll check on him later,” the blond said as Darren went to put in their food orders.

“Was there some trouble?” Lilly asked an hour later. The tables outside were still full, and the three men were finishing their beers.

“The fourth at their table grabbed me. I handled it and suggested he get an Uber. His friends told him the same thing. They’re nice enough guys.” He watched as Paddy made a reappearance, checking around the edge of the tent for anything that might have been dropped.

“As long as you’re okay,” Lilly said.

Darren chuckled. “My backside can take a little pinching.” He shook his head. “Who does that sort of crap anyway?”

Lilly rolled her eyes. “Welcome to my world. I get hit on in one way or another almost every night. Maybe this is the universe giving equal-opportunity vibes.” He narrowed his eyes at her.

She’d never told him that before. Lilly was a beautiful woman, and Darren could see her getting hit on, but it wasn’t right…

for anyone. But he supposed it was a hazard of the job.

It just hadn’t happened to him in a while.

The three men got up from the table and headed for the exit, and he found himself following the blond god with his eyes.

“Jesus…,” Lilly whispered, following his gaze.

“Yeah, I know….” He looked like a television doctor on a soap opera.

Darren swallowed, and for a split second, he allowed his imagination to take off on a flight of fancy.

Then he came back down to earth and hurried over to clear away the dirty dishes.

He got the signed check folder and put it in his apron pocket before taking the dishes to the kitchen.

He handed the folder to Lilly to put in the register and seated a couple at the table, going through the greeting process all over again.