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I send Fiona on her way and stand outside the doorway of the bar. I’m not a worrier by nature. I’ve always been the kind of guy who goes with the flow and doesn’t think about the terrible things that tomorrow could bring. But right now, I can’t help it.
I decide to seal the edges of the windows with heavy duty tape. One article online suggests doing that, just in case a window breaks despite the wood covering it. So, out comes the ladder again. I climb up and get the tape in place quickly. Fiona is just returning with a trunk full of groceries when I climb down.
As I bring the groceries inside, the bar is eerily quiet, the usual background chatter replaced by the howling of the wind outside.
It’s just opening time now, but I’m not sure if we’ll have any customers. I finally find my phone where I left it under the counter and find that Jerry has already called out, saying he doesn’t want to be out in the kind of weather we’re having tonight. Another waitress has too. It will just be Fiona, Violet, and me, assuming Violet is planning to show up. Oddly enough, I don’t have any messages from her.
I’m just about to text Violet to let her know she doesn’t have to come to work if she doesn’t want to when the lights flicker. “Great. Let’s make sure we’ve got flashlights and batteries handy.”
Despite the fact that it’s the middle of the afternoon, without the lights on inside, it’s going to be pretty dark.
Fiona follows me to the storage room, where we start rummaging through shelves. The storm seems to be moving faster than predicted. Maybe it’s going to hit here at five rather than seven. The other alternative is that we aren’t even close to the worst of it yet. Fiona and I find a couple of flashlights and a stash of batteries, which I place on the counter for easy access.
“I think we’re as ready as we can be,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel.
“Let’s just hope it passes quickly,” Fiona agrees. I can tell that she’s feeling some of the same worry that I’m feeling.
We head back to the bar area, and she starts organizing some of the supplies for better access in case we end up working with flashlights.
I usually have a customer or two wandering in by now, but no one has come. Maybe trying to keep The Rusty Oak open despite everything was a bad idea. I check my phone for updates and see a text from Violet, letting me know she’s on her way. I’m relieved; having her here makes me feel more secure somehow.
I just want to know that she’s okay, and I want her to arrive and be out of the storm before it really starts.
The wind outside is growing louder, rattling the windows despite my efforts to secure them. I turn to Fiona, who’s standing close by, and we both jump when the front door suddenly swings open, blown by a gust of wind.
Fiona practically leaps into my arms, and I put my arm around her shoulders, squeezing her to my chest.
But then, I realize that the door didn’t just blow open. There’s someone standing there. Her red hair is whipping in the wind, despite her best effort to put it in a ponytail. She stares at us with wide green eyes, and I smile at her, glad to see that Violet has made it safely.
But why is she just standing there? “Come in. Close the door!” I call, the wind taking my voice and throwing it in the opposite direction.
Her eyes widen at the sight of us, and I realize how it must look. Fiona and I are pressed close together, both of us a little disheveled from the preparations.
I step back as casually as I can from Fiona, trying to put a little distance between us. “Violet, hey. We were just securing the place against the storm. I think we’re ready for business though.”
Violet’s eyes flicker between the two of us, and I can’t quite read her expression. There’s a mixture of surprise, maybe even hurt, but I don’t get a chance to address it before she turns her attention to the bar.
“Not sure what kind of business you’re ready for. I just came to work, but it looks like there isn’t anything that needs to be done.”
I hesitate, feeling a sudden awkwardness in the air. “We’re just waiting for customers now. The windows are taken care of. We have light and supplies. Come sit with us!” My invitation is overly loud and overly eager.
Fiona and I weren’t doing anything, but I could understand how Violet might think we were messing around. At the same time, we just agreed to a no-strings-attached relationship, so doesn’t that mean that Violet gave up her right to be jealous?
I feel a pang of guilt. I hadn’t meant for Violet to walk in on a situation that could be easily misunderstood. Fiona gives me a sympathetic look as she sits across the bar from where I stand.
I want to talk to Violet, but there’s something about her face that says I shouldn’t dare.
CHAPTER 22
VIOLET
As I walk into The Rusty Oak, my eyes instantly lock onto Jay and Fiona, standing way too close for my comfort.
Fiona is in Jay’s arms, and while I don’t see their lips locked, that doesn’t mean they weren’t kissing just moments before. Anyone walking in could easily assume they are more than friends, judging by the position I caught them in.
My stomach churns angrily. Emotions I thought I had under control given our no-strings-attached agreement are surfacing. Seeing them like that, so intimate, makes my blood boil.
I take a deep breath, trying to remind myself of the terms Jay and I agreed on. No strings attached. Just sex, no emotions, no commitments. But there’s a limit, right? If he’s going to play around with other women, does he have to flaunt it right in front of me?
