Unbearable Heat (The Grizzly Next Door 2)

by Aya Morningstar

  No way. It was jeans and a t-shirt at The Rabbit Hole.

  She arrived and saw a lot of cars there. Thank God. Even though she drove, she was planning to drink a fair amount. If she was too drunk to drive, it would give her a good excuse to stay at the bar most of the night. She didn’t dare to go back alone.

  She felt safer as soon as she stepped inside. There was loud, bland music playing, a handful of people dancing, others playing pool, while the rest sat down and drank. Most importantly, Effie felt surrounded by people. No one would get her out of this bar without nearly 100 people noticing.

  Effie ordered a beer and sat down at the bar. She wanted to get a few drinks in her before she talked to anyone. She’d have enough to loosen her up, but not enough to make her do anything she’d regret.

  “Nice to see a girl drinking a real beer, none of that fancy crap,” the man next to her said.

  She looked over at him, and he looked familiar, but she had trouble placing him. She’d grown up here, but she moved for college at eighteen, and she hadn’t really kept contact with many people from Oakgate since then.

  Whenever she came back to see her parents on vacations, she’d helped with the Bed and Breakfast, and after her dad had died, her mom had needed all the help she could get. Effie had really liked going back and helping her mom out, because her mom had needed to work so much harder after Effie’s dad had passed. She hadn’t just liked the feeling of giving her mom a well-deserved break; she’d realized that running the Bed and Breakfast was satisfying and fulfilling, and that was why she found herself back in Oakgate now, even if she still had some reservations.

  The crazy serial killer, however, did not help strengthen her confidence in this decision.

  The man looked at her, as if waiting for her to laugh or smile. She decided on a smile.

  “Pretty smile you’ve got there,” he said.

  “Thanks,” Effie said, taking a sip of her beer to kill the silence. Something about this man made her uneasy, and she hoped that if she seemed boring enough, he’d go away.

  “So are you new in town?” he asked.

  Effie really looked at him then. His nose and face were red, and he had about two days’ worth of stubble crawling all the way down his neck. His hair was greasy and disheveled, and even though his features were fairly appealing, his sleazy smile and darting eyes made Effie feel incredibly uncomfortable.

  “Yeah,” she said, not wanting to tell the truth. She recognized this man, and it was someone she didn’t like, she just couldn’t remember who it was. She couldn’t remember his name, or where she knew him from. But she remembered she had a good reason to not like him. That was enough.

  “What are you doing here then? Not a lot of new people move here.”

  “Working at a hotel,” Effie said.

  “Which one?”

  “Lay off her!” another man said, leaning against the bar. “What’s your name, beautiful?”

  Effie started to stammer, and the man leaning against the bar swayed back and forth. Maybe he was so drunk that he’d forget if she just didn’t answer.

  “Shit!” A third voice said. “It’s Effie Myers!”

  The man sitting next to her and the one barely managing to stand both looked at her with wide eyes and slack jaws.

  Effie looked up and saw the three of them together. She recognized all of them, and seeing their faces together, it finally clicked. They’d always been together for as long as she remembered. And still they were together, graduating from terrorizing girls on the playground to terrorizing them at the bar.

  Effie looked first to the one sitting, then the one leaning, and finally the one standing. “Jake, Danny, and Nick,” she said, voice oozing with contempt.

  “Shit!” Jake said, standing up, “you remember me? That must help my chances though, huh?”

  “Do you remember,” Effie asked, “what kind of interactions we actually had throughout school?”

  “Uh,” Jake said, “we always joked with ya? Teased ya some? Ain’t that what kids do when they like a girl?”

  “You made fun of me,” Effie said. “You made fun of my weight, and Danny here, he asked me out to the little prom thing we had in middle school.”

  “Well,” Nick said, “if he asked you out, then surely he wasn’t just making fun of you? Maybe you’re not remembering too clearly?”

  Effie looked at them with exasperation. They really didn’t remember?

  “I was so excited,” she said, “I went shopping for a dress with my mom. I spent hours putting on and wiping off makeup…trying to get it just right. Then when I got to the prom, I pointed you out to my Mom,” Effie said, looking right at Danny, fighting to not let her lip tremble. “I waited until my Mom was gone to go talk to you, because I was embarrassed, for some reason, for her to see me happy. I’m glad I let her leave first though, because…do you remember what happened yet?”

  “Did we make out?” Danny asked.

  “You were with another girl, and you pretended you’d never asked me out. You laughed at me, asking why Danny would ever want to go out with someone like me. All three of you laughed at me. I still remember as if it were yesterday, and it made me afraid to talk to boys until the end of high school, and you three have just forgotten? Completely forgotten?”

  “Uh…” Jake stammered, “I don’t think—”

  “Drop it,” Danny said, “forget it. Sorry Effie. If you think I did that, I mean”

  Jake put his hand on Effie’s arm, and she recoiled.

  All through elementary school, there’d been a boy who’d protected her: Abel. When Jake, Danny, and Nick had teased her and picked on her, Abel had been there. He always put himself in front of Effie and stood up for her.

  In third grade, they pinned Effie down at recess and started drawing all over her face with permanent markers. Abel grabbed Nick by his neck and flipped him flat onto his back, then he gut-punched Jake. Before Abel could get to him, Danny turned tail and ran, while the other two crawled and stumbled away.

  Abel held out his hand and helped Effie up. When Effie couldn’t wipe the marker off, even with the help of her tears, Abel picked up one of the fallen markers and started drawing all over his face.

  Effie tried to stop him, but he insisted. “If we both have marker on our faces, it will look cool.”

  And then, in the first few months of middle school, Abel moved away. He was gone, just like that.

  “Hey,” Jake said, pulling Effie back to the present, “we’re really sorry if that happened. You look really great though...you’ve really grown up. Maybe have a dance with me and forget that dumb stuff that happened? We were all just kids, you know?”

  Effie brushed his hand off her arm and said, “Sorry, Jake, I think I see someone else I recognize. Someone I was actually friends with.”

  She got up with her beer in hand and walked away, her heart slamming hot and fast against her chest. She didn’t dare look back. If they really had grown up from what she remembered, they’d take her rejection in stride, reflect on what huge jerks they had been in school, and maybe offer her a real apology the next time they saw her. She just wasn’t ready to deal with them right now.

  But damn did it feel good to tell those bastards off. She was back in Oakgate, but it wouldn’t be like before. She was going to take charge of things. Walk with confidence. Abel was long gone, but Effie could stand up for herself now.

  Effie had actually spotted someone else she knew: Jessica Desoto. They had both had some classes together, and Effie was still friends with Jessica on Facebook, but it had been years since they’d spoken. Still, Effie had seen her life spool by over the years in the form of status updates and uploaded pictures.

  “Hey, Jessica,” Effie said, smiling.

  “Hey…” Jessica started, clearly not recognizing Effie at first. “Oh! Effie! Holy shit! You’re uh, back for, um, your mom?”

  “The funeral is over already,” Effie said, “I’m actually back for good. I’m taki
ng over the Bed and Breakfast.”

  “Woah,” Jessica said, “that’s great. I was worried it would get sold and turned into something heartless. Something without character. You know?”

  Effie smiled, glad that Jessica thought of her as someone who could give the place character. “Yeah…I couldn’t stand to see it turn into some insurance agent’s office.”

  Jessica grinned. “Exactly.”

  “Hey,” Effie said, “about those three guys. They were kind of creeping me out, should I be worried?”

  Jessica looked over at them—all three hitting on another woman now—with a knowing scowl. “Did you stand up for yourself?”

  “Yeah,” Effie said. “Usually I wouldn’t have, but I was just tired of taking shit from life. My mom just died, you know? It was like, I don’t have the energy left to deal with those creeps, so I just told them off.”

  Jessica drew in a breath and winced. “Hm, that usually works, but I’ve seen them get pretty worked up over a rejection before.”

  “I’m willing to risk that,” Effie said. “I don’t think they’re going to pin me down and draw all over my face. As long as they don’t get physical, I can defend myself.”

  “Oh my God,” Jessica said, laughing, “I remember the marker thing! You and Abel both had smeared marker all over your faces for the rest of the day, and Ms. Copeland got so mad at both of you. She must have thought you both just did it for fun.”

  Effie smiled, then took a long swig of her beer.

  “You should remind Abel about that, he’d probably think it’s hilarious.”

  “Remind him?” Effie asked. “Are you still in contact with him? On Facebook?”

  “Hm,” Jessica said, “I don’t think he has Facebook, but he moved back a year or two ago. He’s a cop.”

  Abel, as a cop. It suited him for sure, but she couldn’t imagine what he’d look like now. Maybe he’d be kind of chubby and have a fondness for donuts, but still he’d stick up for anyone who needed help. He had always been a bit chubby, but he carried it well, and he never got made fun of for it. Something about him—even when he was just a little kid—was commanding, and even the older bullies shied away from picking on him.

  “Hm,” Effie said, “maybe I’ll run across him sometime.”

  She was curious to know what he was like now, but it had been so long. It would probably just be awkward to run into him again. Would they even recognize each other?

  “Hey,” Jessica said, “those three are eyeing you. Want to get out of here?”

  “Um,” Effie said, feeling trapped. She didn’t think Jake, Nick and Danny were any real danger while they were in the bar. As long as she stayed put, surrounded by so many people, she’d feel safer than if she left. If she left, even together with Jessica, she’d feel exposed to any of the three men, or to the serial killer.

  “I’d rather stay here,” Effie said.

  “Ah,” Jessica smiled, “I guess you’ve been watching the news.”

  “Yeah,” Effie said, blushing and feeling embarrassed.

  “Well,” Jessica said, “don’t worry. I’ll cover you. I don’t take shit from these guys. And I won’t let them mess with you. Though I doubt I can defend you from the serial killer!”

  Effie let out a nervous laugh.

  Jake sauntered up toward Effie and Jessica, the other two were just behind him. Jake pulled up a stool beside Effie.

  “Come on, Effie,” Jake said, “I’ve struck out with every woman here. I mean, all the ones worth bothering with.” He hiccuped and swayed atop his stool.

  “So I’m your last choice then?” Effie said, face turning red with anger. “I’m the last woman here on the totem pole, the lowest one worth bothering with?”

  Jake’s face scrunched up and he said, “Ah, now you’re putting words in my mouth. I didn’t say none of that! I’m just saying...since you are back in town with a fresh start, you’re someone I don’t got any history with. Someone I can start new with? You know?”

  “You have a lot of history with me,” Effie said. “You forgot that again already?”

  “Ah,” Jake said, “I mean more recent stuff.”

  “If it’s recent, then it’s not really history, dumbass,” Jessica said, standing up and putting herself between Jake and Effie. She pressed one finger right into the center of his chest and started pushing, and slowly Jake lost balance.

  If he had been sober, he’d have planted a foot onto the ground and recovered. But drunk as he was, he started to topple over, and his legs got tangled up in the legs of the stool. Danny and Nick’s eyes bulged and they stared in horror, but neither made any actual move to catch their friend. It looked like it happened in slow motion, but Effie knew it was really just a second or two, and then Jake’s stool finally tipped right over, and he crashed right into the ground.

  Danny and Nick’s mouths dropped open.

  Effie started laughing uncontrollably, and Jessica cackled.

  “Can you three fuck off?” Jessica said. “You’re making us uncomfortable.”

  Danny reached out a hand and helped pull Jake up, and Jake wavered back and forth. Nick had to grab his shoulders to hold him upright.

  Jake’s face hardened and turned blood red, and he hissed at Effie, drool dripping down his mouth.

  “Not here!” Nick urged, but Jake seemed to be overtaken by a crimson wave of fury, all directed at Effie.

  She was terrified and couldn’t move, and she found herself clutching Jessica’s arm. But Jessica felt cold, and Effie could feel her trembling too.

  And just when she thought Jake would somehow bite right into her, she felt something change. It was as if the room had been super pressurized with sticky and humid air, but suddenly something had changed, and all the pressure had seeped out. It was like a cool breeze had swept across the room, and she could find no reason to feel relieved, with Jake baring his teeth right in her face.

  She felt a need to look toward the door, and when she did, she saw the single most stunning man she had ever laid eyes on. As soon as she saw him, she realized how she had felt this man’s presence without even looking at him: everything about him was massive. He had to tilt his head to the side to even fit in the door, and his shoulders were so wide they nearly scraped the doorframe. He had dark black hair, long enough to be slicked back to reveal his strong forehead, but short enough to not look at all sloppy. He wore a tight black shirt, but then Effie realized that the shirt probably wasn’t even that tight; this man’s frame was just so huge that it dwarfed the shirt. His biceps bulged out of the sleeves, and Effie could even see from this distance that his forearms were full of bulging veins. His eyes were brown as chocolate, and he had eyebrows that could look sympathetic one moment, and fierce the next. His nose had a tall bridge and was strong like the rest of him. His face was covered in a beard that skirted the line between ‘rugged’ and ‘neatly trimmed.’

  And then, most amazing of all, even as Effie felt Jake’s hot breath approaching her, of all the women in the bar, the giant of a man’s eyes locked right onto Effie’s. And suddenly she knew everything was going to be okay.

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