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The news of Inez’s return spread quickly. Now the town has turned out at The North Node in numbers, bombarding her with questions about her experience on the reality show.
For the most part, Inez remains tight-lipped. She just smiles at all the nosy patrons and expertly skirts around the topic.
“Oh you know, I couldn’t stay away from you too long, Larry.”
“Nah, it was just too warm in Hollywood for my blood.”
“Come on now. Didn’t you guys miss me?”
All of her responses dance around anything to do with the show. She naturally uses her wit and charm to deflect everyone’s blunt curiosity.
She may be all carefree jokes and effortless smiles. But the way she’s handling the questions makes me think that she probably signed an NDA or something along those lines.
I don’t know a darned thing about Hollywood, but I imagine they have ridiculous rules limiting how and when information can get released. There will probably be hell to pay if Inez says the wrong thing before the powers that be are good and ready for it to be revealed to the public.
So, as the night wears on, I try to keep my head down. Whenever the rush of drink orders cools off, I work on completing the inventory forms I didn’t get to finish last night.
But every time Inez struts my way, my eyes helplessly follow the sway of her curvy hips in those tight dark wash jeans. She looks incredible.
When she stops to shake a cocktail, I find myself hypnotized by the way her perky breasts bounce in her stretchy baby blue tank top.
When she leans across the counter to hand a customer his change, the flowery sweetness of her perfume pulls me right along with her.
Shit—I’m not giving her her space at all, am I?
Eventually, the conversations in the air start going too far and I sense Inez becoming overwhelmed. She’s still trying to be a good sport about everything. But these nosy bastards are taking things into ‘invasion of privacy’ territory, in my non-expert legal opinion. It’s grating on my nerves.
Things come to a head when Suzy juts a hip against the ice bin, tilting her nose up in the air. “So you’re scared of a little mayonnaise? Psht. No offense, girl. But Vance Cavendish is H-O-T-T. Any woman with half a brain would have slathered up like a cheeseburger for a man like that. Mayo. Mustard. Ketchup. Hot sauce. Dill pickles. Horseradish dressing. All of it.”
What the actual fuck?
The town gossips huddled around the counter break into uproarious laughter, nodding and high-fiving Suzy in agreement. They’re pathetic.Every last one of them.
Inez’s responding laugh is tinged with bitterness, not the sweetness the sound usually carries. “What can I say? I chose my integrity over a big diamond ring.” She shrugs, eyes focused on scooping ice into a whiskey tumbler. “This is why famous people always think they’re better than the rest of us. We’re always ready to sell our souls for two seconds in the spotlight.”
Suzy tosses her head back and cackles up at the rafters. “Your integrity?! Honey, you walked away from a life of fame and luxury to come back and mix watered-down cocktails in this hellhole. Hope your integrity can pay the bills.”
I watch Inez’s eyes go narrow as she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. “You have a whole lot of audacity, don’t you? Let me remind you that you know nothing about my life.
Suzy rolls her eyes. “Look, honey. I know you think you’re special and all. But at the end of the day, you’re just another ‘hot chick’ with a ‘killer body’ that no one’s going to remember in a month from now.”
When she says that, my head snaps up just in time to see the forced smile slip from Inez’s face. Rage blooms on her cheekbones in a fiery shade of red.
I don’t wait for Inez to respond. I smack my clipboard against the counter. Hard. It causes the audience gathered around the bar to startle.
“You’re a big comedian, huh, Suzy? Did you check whether they’re hiring down at the comedy club? Because at the rate you’re going, you might need a new job by the end of this night.”
Although I know that Inez is perfectly capable of handling herself, I don’t like anyone getting in her face. I won’t stand by and watch it happen.
The new waitress tosses her head back and groans. “Oh, come on, boss. We’re all just joking around. And we’re curious. Don’t you want to know what—?”
“Inez doesn’t owe any of you an explanation!” My eyes pingpong over the crowd before zipping back to Suzy. “You are here to serve the beer and wipe down the sticky tables. You are not here to badger your coworkers about the goings-on of their private lives.”
I’m fully prepared to keep ripping into Suzy but Inez turns to me, shooting a fake, sugary smile my way. “Hey, Boss Man. I have a quick question about ‘the thing’.”
“The thing?” I squint at her. “What thing?”
“The, uh, the thing over there.” She randomly points to the short hallway past my shoulder.
