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1. LARA: THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

Lara

“Why did I agree to this?”

“Because you love me and you want me to be happy.” Andrea smiled widely at me. “Besides, you owe me for covering two of your shifts.”

“I was sick so that doesn’t count,” I muttered as I pulled on my black pants. “You just had to choose the busiest night to change shifts.”

“Sorry babe.”

Andrea shrugged and blinked her eyes at me. She looked anything but sorry. If it was anyone else, I would have high-tailed it out of here already, but since I knew how much this weekend meant to her, I couldn’t just drop her. Besides, I knew Andrea would be there when I needed her to step in for me. Then there was also the fact some extra money would do me good.

Walking over to the closet, I pulled the door open and reached inside for the button down uniform shirt. The bar was a well-known for its famous beer and weekly performances. It was also the only place where people got together no matter what day or time it was. It wasn’t my ideal job, but it kept a roof over my head and food in my stomach.

After pulling on my shirt and buttoning it, I headed into the small bathroom to brush my hair and braid it. At least we weren’t expected to wear short skirts and shirts that barely covered our chest. The boss was a man in his late fifties that started the bar with two of his friends. Rumours has been circling around that they were planning on selling. It was another worry to add to the already long list. I couldn’t afford to lose this job. Not when I’m so close to finally finding a light at the end of the tunnel.

“You're not mad at me?” Andrea asked softly. “I know you had plans for this weekend and you had to cancel them because of me.”

I walked over to Andrea and stopped in front of her. Giving her a smile, I flicked a strand of hair away from her cheek. “I’m not mad at you. To be honest, I’m glad that you asked me to cover your shifts. It’s way better than what I had planned for this weekend.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“Sure,” I muttered. “If I find a man that wants to sweep me off my feet by taking me away for an island retreat, you can definitely cover my shifts.”

We laughed but inside my heart was yearning for a relationship like hers. They’ve been together for a year and a half. Like every other couple, they fight but they couldn’t stay long without making up. Brian had asked me to help him chose an engagement ring for Andrea. It was why he was taking her away and why I was so eager to cover for her. Andrea deserved to be happy after all the shit she has been through and Brian was the perfect man to make her happy.

“You should get packing and I should get going or I’m going to be late.”

A few minutes later we both walked out of my small apartment. We rode the elevator down and then headed our separate ways. I walked the two blocks to the bar and headed through the alley to the back door. Kenzie had made it clear that he didn’t like the employees using the front entrance. Although the man was laid back and humorous, he had some pretty strict rules he expected us to follow.

I sighed as I walked down the hall to the locker room. Locking my bag in my locker, I tied on my apron and headed to the front. The moment I stepped through the doors the loud chatter of the usual Friday crowd filled my ears. I took a moment to glance around before I headed for the bar. It was the usuals except for the group of burly men that sat in the back corner. Unease made my stomach roll but I pushed it aside.

I could handle a drunk—as long as they didn’t gang up on me.

“Two beers and some of those nuts you have.”

And so the seven hour shift began.


Three hours into my shift I felt like killing someone. My co-worker left without waiting for his replacement to arrive. What I thought to be the usual crowd wasn’t. Turned out it was a tourist group new in town and ready to party. They were already drunk out of their minds. To top that all off, I was starting to get a headache and my stomach was growling from hunger.

“Hey.” I turned towards the man who called me. “Double whiskey. No ice.”

“One moment.”

I hurriedly fixed the drink I was busy with and handed it to the woman who ordered. As I grabbed the glass I paused. I couldn’t remember what the man ordered. Turning around, I froze again because I didn’t get a good view of who ordered the drink. A man at the corner of the bar waved at me. Colour spread up my cheeks when I got closer to him.

The man was hot! He looked like a model straight out of a magazine. High, strong cheekbones that could probably cut right through granite. Tanned skin and perfect pink kissable lips. It was hard to make out the colour of his eyes. Stopping in front of him, I swallowed and then force a smile onto my lips

“I’m sorry, can you please repeat your order?”

“Double Whiskey with no ice.”

“Thanks. I’ll bring it in a few seconds.”

My hands shook badly as I poured his drink. I winced as I spilled whiskey on the bar. Kenzie would kill me if he knew I was spilling his expensive whiskey. Grabbing the cloth from my apron, I quickly wiped the spill up and then turned and made my way to the man who ordered.

“Thank you,” he muttered when I placed his drink down in front of him.

I nodded, and even managed a small smile before I turned away. Commotion from the group of drunks drew my attention. I sighed as one of them stood. He was cheered on by his group of friends as he made his way toward the bar.

“Weee want ‘nother round,” he slurred.

I gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, you and your friends are already past your limit. I can’t serve you any more drinks.”

He muttered something under his breath as he stumbled back to the table. I sighed, well that was easy. The front door suddenly opened and slammed shut again. For a few seconds my eyes locked with the dark brown ones of my boss. I felt my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach. Things just went from bad to worse. Couldn’t this day get any worse?

Kenzie made his way over to the bar with a frown. “Where the hell is your co-worker?”

“He left. Anton hasn’t arrived yet.”

He muttered something under his breath. “Go clean the tables. I’ll manage the bar.”

Without saying a word, I walked past him and grabbed the tray. If I didn’t need this job so badly, I would’ve walked away after this. But despite these circumstances, I liked working here—only sometimes though. On nights like these I actually wished I working a nine to five job.

“Hey lady, we want another round of drinks,” someone yelled from behind me,

I placed the tray on the table and turned towards the voice. Great! I stood right beside the table of drunks. I plastered a smile on my face and stepped closer with my hands clasped in front of my body. My eyes darted over the four burly men. My smile flattered when I realized they were all glaring at me.

“Like I said earlier,” I answered the man who sat closest to me, “you are already past your drink limit. I can’t serve you anymore drinks.”

“The hell you can!” the man yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. “We want drinks and we want it now!”

He sounded like a two-year-old demanding candy. The man’s words weren’t slurred like his friend from earlier, but I could smell the stench of smoke and alcohol coming off him, or maybe it was the drink I had spilled earlier.

“Sir, if you would like more drinks then I suggest you go buy some beer from the bottle store down the street and take your party home. I’m not allowed to serve you any more drinks, please leave.”

He suddenly stood, making me stumble backwards. His hand shot out to grip my arm tightly and pull me back against him. His face was inches from mine. I wrinkled my nose and turned my face away when I got a whiff of his foul breath. The man definitely needed some breath mints—he could do with a few dozen.

“Listen here you bitch. We—”

“Is there a problem?” someone said from behind me.

My body tensed when I felt the man’s body heat at my back. He was standing too close for comfort. The man dropped my arm but gave me a slight push as he let go. I stumbled backwards and straight into my rescuer. His hands gripped my hips to steady me before letting go. It felt like his touch was burning through my clothes.

The man sure had big hands.

“We were just leaving,” the guy spat with a glare in my direction. “The service sucks. Don’t expect us to come back here.”

“You wouldn’t be missed,” I muttered under my breath.

The moment the door slammed shut behind them my shoulders sagged. I felt a little shaky and sick, but I was in one piece so it was okay. Dealing with drunks like them was a usual occurrence, but then I always had a few co-workers here to chase them away when things get out of hand.

“Are you okay?” my rescuer asked softly.

I nodded as I turned to face him. My breath got caught in my throat when I tilted my head to look up at him. Holy hell the guy was tall and fucking handsome. Sexy would even fit him. My mouth dried and a shiver raced down my spine when his eyes locked with mine. He looked even better up close. My eyes darted between his. He had the most peculiar but beautiful eyes.

His right eye was a shocking green colour and his left a pale blue—no wait—it looked grey. It was eerily but it only added to his good looks. He quickly dropped his eyes and cleared his throat. The man looked utterly uncomfortable. Stop staring! Right. Shit.

“Thank you,” I said. “For stepping up. For a moment I thought it was going to get ugly.”

“Me too. I’m happy to have helped. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine thank you.”

He glanced up, making our eyes lock once again. It was only for a few seconds before he lowered them again. With a brief nodded, he stepped around me and walked off. I turned to follow his movements. Disappointment washed through me when he walked out of the bar. I’d probably never see him again. At least I had someone to dream about tonight. I didn’t think it would be possible to ever forget Mr. Tall dark and handsome.

A small sigh fell from my lips when I turned around. What was someone like him doing in a small town like this? We attracted a lot of tourist during the summer. It was far from tourist season so he had to be here for a whole other reason.

It was hard to focus on work with his face flashing in and out of my mind. I could still hear his voice echoing in my ears. It was so deep with a slight accent that I just couldn’t place. For some reason I was aching to see him again. The guy barely spoke a few words but he sure made a lasting impression.

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