“Fine, I’ll work with you,” Riley sighed
“This is gonna be so awesome. We’re gonna feel so protected now that you’re with us!”
Riley scowled. “Protected? What, do you think I’ll fight everyone there?”
“No, but if they come back, you would, right? Defend us, I mean,” Paige asked with hesitation.
“Listen, Paige. I didn’t come here to start an ongoing quarrel with anyone. I don’t wanna fight, it’s not my thing. I just came here to fix some issues with my family,” Riley explained.
That was a lie. Fighting was her thing and had been for a while, but no one was supposed to know that.
“But it’s their thing. They–” Paige stopped mid-sentence, just to get a bit closer to Riley and whisper in her ear. “They’re not good people.”
“Why are you whispering?” Riley asked. Lily moved away, an uncomfortable look on her face.
“This place has ears, you know? Everywhere. One has to be mindful of everything they say.”
“So, if they come, I have to fight them?” Riley asked.
“Only if necessary.”
“What do you want me to work as? A bouncer?”
“No! Of course not. A waitress, but if someone misbehaves–”
“I kick his ass,” Riley concluded. “Don’t you need my resume or something?”
“Nah, I trust you!” Paige said, waving a quick goodbye and bouncing across the street.
Chapter Three
“I got a job.”
Riley’s words echoed through the room, followed by an uncomfortable silence.
Lydia frowned. “Did you really?”
“I know you hoped I wouldn’t, but tough on you, my lil sis. There’s no reason for you to kick me out, not now.”
“Well, I’m glad. Now let’s see how long you’re going to last. Don’t tell me Eaton hired you?”
“How did you know about Mr. Eaton?”
“This is a small town, Riley. People know everything about everybody. Half of our neighbors know you got into a fight at Mr. Eaton’s and that he’s looking for someone since the last poor soul quit,” Lydia explained, reminding Riley why she hated small towns—they had zero privacy.
“Well, I did get a job, at Mr. Eaton’s Bar.”
Cackling, Lydia replied, “Well, that noisy, filthy place is right for you. I’m certain you’ll fit right in.”
“Thank you. It’s always so nice to have your vote of confidence. And now that I have a job, let’s just be clear that I’m not going anywhere.”
“Why don’t you let me decide that? Don’t you forget this is my house–”
“Our house, Lydia. My father paid for it, even if he died first and your mother kicked me out. I have just as much right to be here now that she’s gone.”
“According to who? You? I’ve taken care of this house for years, long before you ran away. This house should, and will always, belong to me. You should have stayed were you belonged. No one wanted you here,” Lydia added.
It wasn’t the first time Riley had heard those words. There had always been a part of her that wanted to believe her sister was wrong about their mother’s feeling toward her. But then Riley remembered their mother’s harsh words, and the unpleasant treatment she received, and everything fell into place. She’d almost hoped Lydia had changed, and Riley had wanted to give Lydia a chance to redeem herself, to care about her sister, to perhaps love her, but her words were like a knife through Riley’s heart. She knew she’d been guarded, but it wasn’t without reason. The last time she’d seen her sister, Lydia had halfheartedly tried to protect her, but that couldn’t undo a lifetime of torment.
And Lydia seemed to hate her more now than when they were children.
“All right,” Riley swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, “as much as I would love to stay here and chat with you, I have to get ready for work. You can stay and hate me while I’m gone, I guess.”
Riley moved away from her sister’s view with tightness in her chest. She didn’t want the hatred to hurt her, but it was impossible to feel anything but broken, like a piece of her heart would always be missing.
Somehow, the smelly, suffocating air of Mr. Eaton’s bar didn’t bother her now. It might have been the fact that the place had already stuck in her subconscious as something familiar, like when she met Santino and the bar he used to take her to. Once she was familiarized with it, including the people that worked there, not even the noise or the smell bothered her.
Her shift started at nine o’clock in the morning, a strange schedule for a bar, but she didn’t complain. Riley walked past a tall, muscular man standing by the door who she hadn’t seen the last time she was there. The bouncer glared at her from head to toe as she moved toward Paige, waiting behind the counter with another wide, giddy smile on her face.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” Paige squealed.
“I promised I would be.”
Paige walked toward her, grabbing her hand. “Let me show you around. Okay, so this is where the magic happens. I make the drinks; you grab them and take them to the customers. You won’t be alone. Dad hired another waitress last week so you’re gonna have support.”
“I know how this works. I told you I’ve worked as a waitress before.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m just so excited to have you here. This is gonna be so awesome.”
Mr. Eaton emerged from a room behind them and the excitement and eagerness faded from Paige’s face. The man looked at Riley with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Mr. Eaton,” Riley
