Chapter Eight
Eric must have checked his watch at least a dozen times, waiting for Anya to show up at the Crystal Rock Tap.
He’d been impressed at what was obviously a new ventilation system that had been installed when he’d walked into the Tap an hour earlier. Small exhaust fans were in place near the ceiling around the entire perimeter of the room. There was quite a bit of distancing between the booths and the tables, and it looked like they were keeping a head count because they were still offering entertainment, a tall plexiglass panel surrounding the stage.
The hostess who’d seated him at the table had looked vaguely familiar. He’d probably gone to school with her but didn’t remember her name. He’d asked a few questions about the seating, and she said she wouldn’t work anywhere in town except for here or the Dragonfly Pointe Inn because they were the only places she felt safe.
Eric had downed a couple of beers by the time Anya walked into the entrance of the Tap. The waitress had just appeared at the table and asked if he wanted another beer.
“Sure. I’ll take one more. Hang on for a minute. Let me see if Anya wants something too,” Eric replied, standing to greet Anya as she approached the table.
“Hi,” he said gruffly.
Smiling, the waitress apparently knew Anya. “I’m glad you made it. He’s been staring at the door ever since he got here.”
Obviously startled, Anya smiled.
Eric snorted, smiling from ear to ear. “You look great.” And geez, when she smiled, she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Anya’s dark silky hair was loose over her shoulders and her violet blue eyes were more intense than he remembered them being. If he wasn’t mistaken, wearing a red suede skirt and tall black boots, she’d even dressed a little snazzier today.
Slipping out from the booth, he assisted with removing her coat, hanging it over the hook attached to the edge of the booth.
“Would you like something to drink, Anya?”
Anya looked at the bottle of beer that was resting on the table. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, Allie. How about one of those white wine spritzers?”
Allie smiled. “You’ve got it. I’ll be back shortly.”
Still standing, Eric motioned for Anya to be seated. “Busy day today?”
“Not too bad. We didn’t have a lot of walk-in customers, which made it easier to keep up with the orders,” she replied, glancing around the bar. “I haven’t been in here for a while. Although I do pick up carry out quite a bit.”
“They’ve got a top-of-the-line ventilation system. Your waitress friend said she wouldn’t work anywhere in town except for here or the Dragonfly Pointe Inn,” he said.
“I have a mask in my purse, but since we’re going to be eating and drinking, putting it on seemed to be defeating the purpose. We’ve had some COVID deaths here in town. Although it didn’t seem to scare too many people out of their bad habits,” she replied.
“A buddy of mine’s father was killed by COVID after having a family reunion. Ten people died,” Eric admitted, frowning.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she replied, sighing. “I think I heard about that.”
They seemed to be struggling to converse so when Allie returned to the table with their drinks, Eric scooted a little closer to Anya while she was thanking her.
Allie raised a brow, grinning at Eric. “When would you like to order?”
Eric turned to Anya, who was definitely startled to find his face so close to hers as her eyes met his. “How about we wait until after we finish these drinks? I see the band is ready to play again.”
“They’ll be here until midnight,” Allie said. “We find that we get a lot of late-night stragglers during the holiday season.”
After Allie left, Eric and Anya remained silent until finally, Eric said quietly, “I’m having a hard time trying to apologize to you for not keeping in touch. At first, it was because we weren’t allowed to for the family’s safety. Apparently, Brian saw some of the local traffickers’ faces and they came after him. But as time went on and it became safer, I thought it would be better for you if I just let you go.”
Anya blinked, looking puzzled. “I don’t understand. I thought your family left because of the scandal concerning your mom. What’s this about the traffickers? How would Brian have come into contact with them?”
It was then that Eric realized that not many people knew the real reason why the Mitchums and Ashfords as well as his own family had left town. “I guess that the real story isn’t supposed to get out. I didn’t even know about the traffickers being involved until Brian and Ashley told me about them yesterday.”
Anya pursed her lips. “What about your mother and Ashley’s father? I thought you were ashamed about their affair, and maybe that had something to do with me not hearing from you afterwards.”
Eric groaned. “Geez, Anya. There’s so much you don’t know. We’ll get it all out in the open. I promise. Brian and Ashley wanted me to invite you over for Christmas, and we can talk about everything then. There are things you should be aware of if you’re actually looking into your sister’s disappearance.”
She cocked her head, looking a lot like the Anya that he used to know. “Christmas?”
“Sure. Christmas Eve too, if you don’t have anything else going on.”
She gave him a slow smile. “Ask me again before we leave here tonight. Let’s see if we can manage to get along for the few hours that we’re here.”
“Alright,” he replied, smiling widely. “How about dancing with me?”
She looked nervous as I’ll be Home for Christmas echoed through the air.
“I promise I won’t bite,” he said softly.
Hesitant, she finally answered, “Alright.”