Southern Storm

by Natasha Madison

  I can’t stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as I look around. I’m so angry that this still gets to me. I’m angry that someone trashed the place that I’ve worked my ass off to make successful, and I’m yet again the brunt of the hatred of this town. I built this bar up and expanded it five times since I bought it, bringing in something new each time. I walk over to the back where I have the pool tables and see that whoever did this also took their frustrations out on the tables and sliced the word whore in each table. “Was your alarm on?” Jacob asks, and I nod my head.

  I walk over to the alarm system and see that it’s off and no lights are on. “We set it every single night,” I say, and he walks outside to check it. I walk over to the bar area, and I don’t know why, but the sight makes me feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. All the bottles and glasses are shattered on the floor. I walk over to the side and see that my office door is still closed. I’m expecting to find that trashed, too, but my desk is perfectly neat, the way I left it, and the safe is still intact. Closing the door, I walk over and grab the broom to start sweeping up the glass. I ignore the pain in my chest, the tears running down my face, and the burning in my stomach. I ignore it all because this is what I deserve. It’s what I’ve convinced myself I deserve for ruining everyone’s life with my choices.

  The front door opens, and Jacob enters with Grady behind him. “The wires were cut,” he says, and I hear Grady hiss.

  “What the fuck?” He looks around, then looks at me. “The guys should be here any minute. We’ll get this place good as new.”

  “You have to call the insurance,” Jacob tells me, and I just nod.

  “I’ll take pictures,” Grady says, “for the report and the insurance agent.” He takes out his phone and starts taking the pictures.

  “Are you okay?” Jacob asks from beside me.

  “Between last night and this?” I say. “It might just be the thing that makes me walk away.”

  “You don’t mean that,” he says. “After everything that this town put you through, you would walk away now?”

  “There are only so many times I can be kicked and then stand back up,” I say, and Grady comes over.

  “I got off the phone with the alarm company. According to them, your alarm is still armed, and there has been no activity.”

  The front door opens, and I cringe when I see who comes in. Chase Patterson, the man who I went on one date with and the man who just kept showing up at my bar. He was new in town and had just started a construction company. If truth be told, I only went out with him because he asked me in front of Beau. It was right after Beau went out with Melody from the bank, and I had to listen to her go on and on about how big he was and how he didn’t fit properly.

  “Hey there,” I say. He looks around, putting his hands to his mouth. He’s dressed in blue Levi’s, a white T-shirt with the logo of his construction company on the right side, and construction boots. “We aren’t open for business.” I try to make a joke, and he gives me a blank stare.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, sounding concerned, and I suddenly feel bad for agreeing to go out on a date with him. For sure, I shouldn’t have gone on that second date.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say, looking around. “The rest of it is just superficial.”

  “What can I do to help?” he asks.

  “Nothing really.” I don’t want to ask him for anything. “I just have to call the insurance, and then I can start to get things cleaned up.”

  “Okay,” he says. “Give me a call if you need anything.” I nod and smile at him. “Maybe I can take you out next week once you get everything settled.”

  I take a deep inhale. “You’re a really nice guy,” I start. He puts his hand up, but I ignore it and continue talking. “But I don’t really have time to date.”

  “Well,” he says with a smile, and I look at his brown eyes and blondish brown hair. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “I will,” I say, and he turns and walks out. I look up at the ceiling and then look down.

  “FYI,” Jacob says, “it really sucks when you start with you’re a really nice guy.”

  I turn to look at him. “I think it’s better than ‘sorry I just went out with you because the man who I loved was dating a girl, and she went on and on about how big his dick was.’”

  Jacob looks at me, and his mouth opens. “He’s not that big.”

  “Did you hear anything else I said in that sentence?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

  “Speaking of Beau, I should go and make sure he’s okay,” he says. “Do you think you’ll be okay while I go?”

  “Yeah.” I look around. “I’ll be fine,” I say, and he leaves. Walking back to my office, I sit behind my desk and grab my insurance folder to call in the claim. I answer all the agent’s basic questions, and then she tells me that someone will contact me shortly. I hang up the phone and push away from the desk. There is one thing that I want to make sure is cleaned off. I find a bucket and fill it with water and a bit of soap, then grab a sponge and walk outside.

  The humidity in the air is thick as I set down the pail of water and then walk to the back where I keep my ladders and stuff. Grabbing the ladder, I walk over to the side of the building and prop it against the wall. I bend over and grab the sponge, then squeeze it. Climbing the ladder, I hold on with one hand. I stop when the red comes into view, and I use the sponge to wipe it down. I don’t know how long I’m actually on the ladder, but the side of the bar now looks pink. I’m about to head back down and rinse the sponge when I hear tires on the gravel parking lot. Looking over, I see Jacob’s truck pull in followed by my truck and out jumps a very pissed off Beau.

  “What the hell are you trying to do?” he yells, and I can’t see his eyes because he’s wearing his stupid aviator glasses which only make him look hotter. “Would you get the fuck down from there before you break your neck?”

  I shake my head. “I’m fine,” I say, climbing down the ladder and dropping the sponge into the water turning it pink.

  “Your shirt,” he says, pointing at my shirt. I look down and see that the front is all wet and see-through.

  “Oh my God,” I say, folding my arms over my breasts and turning around. “Stop looking.”

  “Go and see if you can change,” he says, and I look over at Jacob, who just rolls his lips to keep from grinning. “And we can get something to eat.”

  “I’m really not hungry,” I say, looking down, and he just looks at me. “What?”

  “You are always hungry,” he points out, and I roll my eyes at him. It’s annoying that he knows me so well.

  “Well, I’m not today,” I say. Walking past him, I stop in front of Jacob. “Can you get Ethan today? I want to make sure that the inside is cleaned and all that before I leave.”

  “Yeah, no problem,” Jacob says. “We were going to ask you if we can take him up north this weekend anyway.”

  “That’s perfect,” I say and walk away from them. Going inside, I finally drop my arms from across my chest. Heading to my office, I close the door and take the wet shirt off, putting on a black tank top with the bar’s name across my chest. I walk out of the room, and I see Beau there in the middle of the room with his hand covering his mouth.

  “This …” he says. “This is.” I blink my eyes, trying not to think about it.

  “Yeah,” I say and walk over to the broom, trying not to look at him.

  “Savannah.” He calls my name, and the way he says it just makes my heart fill up. “Look at me.”

  “No,” I say. He’s seen enough of my tears. I grab the broom and start to sweep, hoping that he walks away. But instead, I feel him coming closer. His hand stops the broom from sweeping, and then he places his finger under my chin. I try to fight it, but he doesn’t let me, and I finally look up at him, and he sees the tears running down my cheeks. “Please.”

  He brushes the strands of hair falling out of my bun away from my forehead with his pink
y. “Please what?”

  “Please, I don’t want to talk about this,” I say, my lower lip trembling as I try to be strong. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it. All I want to do is clean it up so I can put it behind me.” His hand moves down to my cheek as he brushes the tear away, and I finally let it out. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” I admit my biggest fear to him. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay in this town.” I drop the broom. “At first, I stayed to show them that it didn’t bother me, but now …” I shrug. “But now, I don’t think I have it in me.”

  “You can’t let them win,” he tells me quietly.

  “But when am I going to win?” I ask. “When is it my turn to be happy? When do I get to walk down the street with my head held high and not get pointed and stared at?” My voice quivers. “When is it my turn to walk into a place and have people greet me with a smile instead of a sneer?” He takes me into his arms now, and for the second time in two days, he holds me as I cry my fears and shame away.

  Chapter Seven

  Beau

  I hold her in my arms as she cries, and nothing I can say will make her feel better.

  When Jacob busted into my office and told me about the vandalism, I turned to my brother right away.

  “If you did this …” I pointed at him, and he held up one of his hands while the other pinched his nose.

  “I wouldn’t waste my time and energy on her,” he said, and I looked over at my father, who just glared at me. I turned and started to walk out when my father called my name.

  “You aren’t leaving in the middle of a family meeting for ...” He looked at Jacob and then back at me. “That woman.”

  Jacob was the one I had to hold back this time. “Let’s be very clear here.” My voice came out in a low growl. “That woman trumps both of you. So, to answer your question, yes, I am leaving because to me, she’s family.” I turned but only for a minute before turning back. “You need to get the fuck out of my office.” My father glared at me. “Now.”

  “You’re unbelievable.” Liam held a handkerchief to his nose. “You wouldn’t even be in this office without him.” He pointed at my father, and I rolled my eyes.

  “You wouldn’t be the worthless piece of shit that you are without him.” I pointed at my father. “Now get the fuck out.” I waited at the door, and my father reluctantly walked to the door, stopping to look at me.

  “I would choose your side wisely,” he said under his breath.

  “See, that is where you and I differ. I choose my family’s side,” I said. Leaning in, I whispered, “And her having my nephew means she’s family.” I shut the door and looked at Bonnie. “I don’t want anyone going into my office when I’m not here.” She looked at me and then at my father, waiting. “If that will be a problem, I can find someone else to take your position.” I didn’t wait for her to answer. Instead, I turned and walked out of the house and down the steps.

  “Dude,” Jacob said from beside me. “I thought your father was going to …” He stopped when I turned around.

  “I don’t care. What happened at Savannah’s?” I asked, and he looked down.

  “It’s all trashed.” His voice went low with the rest of it. “And some not nice words were painted on the side of the bar.”

  “Fuck,” I hissed. “How fucking long is this going to go on for? It’s been eight fucking years.” I didn’t wait for him to answer. Instead, I got my ass in her truck and made my way to her.

  Now I’m standing in the middle of the bar, and my heart breaks for her. “Why don’t you go wash your face, and we can go grab something to eat at my house?”

  “Okay,” she mumbles, and her voice just sounds defeated. She walks to the back of the bar where the bathroom is, and once she’s out of earshot, I pick up the phone and call Tony, the town’s contractor.

  “Hey there, Mr. Mayor,” Tony answers right away, laughing. “One day in the office and you’re already on my balls.” I have to laugh now. Tony has been in this town for over twenty years. He moved here when he was just twenty and out of school. He started his business slowly, and over the years, he’s gotten all of the town’s contracts. From the looks of everything that I’ve seen, he does his job, and he does it under budget, which is what you want.

  “I’m not calling on official business,” I say and then look to make sure that Savannah hasn’t come back yet. “It’s more of a personal favor.”

  “That sounds like a favor I want,” he says. “It’s always a good day when the higher-up owes you instead of the other way around.”

  I laugh now. “I need you guys to come out to Savannah’s bar and fix it. Someone broke in last night and vandalized the place really good.” I take a look around, and my stomach sinks again just as it did when I stepped in and assessed the situation.

  “Um …” His voice goes low, and then he lets out a deep breath. “I can’t.”

  My shoulders snap up, and my neck gets tingly. “What do you mean, you can’t?”

  “Listen, I don’t want to be put in the middle,” Tony says.

  “In the middle of what?” I ask, and somehow what he tells me isn’t a surprise.

  “Got a call from your father about twenty minutes ago,” he starts. His voice goes even lower, and I have to wonder if he doesn’t want people to know he’s on the phone with me. “If I so much as step foot on that property, my contract bid for the rec center is going to be passed to someone else.”

  “Motherfucker,” I hiss. “Listen to me and listen to me good, Tony. My father has no say anymore. He has zero say in how I run my office.”

  “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

  “Your bid has already been approved for the rec center. It’s been approved and has been recorded in the minutes at the last meeting.” I shake my head.

  “Minutes can be altered,” he says. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “You have my word,” I say, “that nothing will happen to your contract.”

  He huffs. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll bring a couple of guys with me.”

  “Thank you.” I close my eyes. “I appreciate that. Also, I want you to bill me personally.”

  “You bet your ass I’m going to bill you personally and also as an emergency case. If the contract still stands, I’ll adjust my invoice.” His voice goes lower. “FYI, he’s made other calls.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask.

  “Let’s just say, it’s going to be hard for her to get anything to open that place again,” he says. The bathroom door opens, and I see Savannah coming out with a brown paper in her hands.

  “Thanks for letting me know,” I say and hang up the phone. “Are you okay?”

  “No.” She shakes her head and looks at me, her blue eyes so bright you can get lost in them. “But it is what it is, and I’ll deal with whatever I have to.”

  “There’s my girl,” I say, smiling at her. I grab her around her neck and bring her to me, kissing her forehead. The two of us have always been touchy-feely around each other, and I never make it seem that I love it more than I do. I just shrug it off and leave her after I either hold her hand or kiss her head. “Now what do you want to eat?”

  She shakes her head. “Anything. I just don’t want to see anyone.”

  “Got it,” I say. We walk out of the bar, and she locks it and gets into the truck. When she pulls up in front of my house, I wait for her to turn off the truck before getting out, and she follows me up the front steps of the old Victorian house I inherited from my grandfather when he passed away ten years go. I’ve only just renovated it and made it more mine and less antique. I walk in, tossing my keys on the table in the foyer, and then head down the hallway past the stairs and into the kitchen.

  “I forget how pretty it is in here,” Savannah says, walking toward the back wall of windows as it faces out to two old willow trees with a hammock hanging between them. Something I put in for Savannah but never told her. She once told m
e when we were walking how her perfect date would be sitting in a hammock together and just listening to the birds or the crickets.

  She turns around now and comes into the kitchen with me and opens the fridge. “Oh my God. What is that smell?” she asks, putting her hand in front of her nose.

  “I have no idea,” I say, and I cringe when I see all sort of food gone bad. “I don’t usually eat here.” She walks over to grab the garbage and starts tossing shit in the bin. “I usually crash at your house for dinner, or we go out.”

  “Yeah, we should definitely be eating here more.” She shakes her head, and I want to tell her that she can come and eat here every single day if she wants to.

  “The door is always open.” I smile at her, and I want to bend my head and kiss her, but the doorbell rings. She looks at me, and I shake my head, turning and walking out of the kitchen and past the dining room and formal living room toward the big brown doors. I open the door and groan inwardly.

  “Well, hello there, Mayor,” Melody says, pushing her way in and leaning up to kiss my lips. It happens so fast that I don’t have time to step back. I made the mistake of agreeing to go out with her on a date, and the minute I sat down, I knew that it was a one-and-done sort of date.

  “Melody.” I say her name and look at her. She’s wearing a tight red dress that has her breasts practically falling out of it. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

  “Well, I tried to get to you at the party, but you disappeared, so I figured I’d drop by to congratulate you in person.” She steps in closer, and I take a step back.

  “It’s really not a good time,” I say.

  “You’ve been saying that for weeks.” She uses her finger to run down my chest. “I thought we had fun.”

  I want to tell her the last thing we had was fun. It was one dinner, and I kissed her on the cheek and then spent the night trying to wash the smell of her off me. Besides, she was like an octopus the whole night, and I felt like I was at a kung fu class. “Listen, Melody …” I start to say, but she wraps her arms around my neck, and before I can peel them off me, I see Savannah standing off to the side. My head turns to her, and it makes Melody turn also. “Oh, hey, Savannah,” she says, not taking her arms from around my neck. “I didn’t know you were here.”