“Let’s head out early so we’ve got plenty of time to catch some waves,” Paul said.
“I’ll have to catch up with you guys there,” I said. “I’m in, but I do need to stop by the shop first. I don’t want to hold you up.”
It was true I needed to clean up a few things at the shop, but I also wanted to make sure I had my own vehicle. I didn’t want to be completely locked in to their schedule.
“Come on, man,” Paul said. “We’re a team.”
“We’re a team with two cars,” I said.
He didn’t push the issue for fear I’d back out completely. This was the first time in months I’d agreed to do anything remotely fun. The first time since … the accident.
“Hey you guys, your order’s almost up,” the waitress said as she popped between the tanks to give us a heads up.
CHAPTER 23
MEADOW
I pulled out the bar stool and sat back down next to Sandra.
“What took you so long?” she asked.
My stomach twisted. I wondered had I really been gone that long. I must have been. Okay, I knew I’d been. But my mind was scrambled from what Kane had just done to my body.
I couldn’t come up with a single decent excuse.
“It’s a bit early in the night to be disappearing without an explanation,” Sandra said with a giggle. “Any longer and I was going to come looking.”
“There was a line,” I said weakly.
“I was so starving I ordered us an appetizer to share. I hope you like calamari.”
She just kept talking. She didn’t even look up from her phone to check that it was me who sat next to her. I was relieved. She was too distracted to notice the guilty look on my face, or the messed up hair and slightly ruffled clothing. It looked like I was going to get away without having to explain myself.
The waitress came by and placed the calamari in front of us.
“Are you ladies ready to order your main courses?” she asked.
“I’ll need a few more minutes,” I said, picking up the menu.
Sandra wasted no time diving into the calamari. I dove right into my glass of wine. I intended to have a sip, but soon realized that if I didn’t stop, I’d have chugged the whole thing. The last thing I needed to do was draw more attention to myself.
I put the glass down and gently pushed it away as I debated between two menu options.
“What are you going to have?” Sandra asked.
“I can’t decide,” I said, putting the menu down. “I’ll make up my mind when she comes back.”
Sandra gestured for me to help myself to the calamari, so I did. She picked up another piece and dipped it in the sauce.
It felt surreal, sitting there so soon after what had just happened. I still had Kane dripping out of me, messing up my panties, but I was already back at the bar, eating calamari! I looked at Sandra then took another extra-long sip of wine.
“I have no idea what’s in this sauce, but it’s delicious,” Sandra said, holding a piece of dip soaked calamari in front of my face.
“Yeah, it’s so good. Good call ordering a starter. I was starving too,” I said.
Sandra smiled, feeling pleased with herself.
Then she looked up at my face for the first time since my return.
“Oh my God, Meadow. You’re cheeks are so rosy. You look like you just ran a marathon.”
Oh shit.
“They look amazing. They’ve got this fullness and a real natural glow to them. What kind of blush do you use? I need it.”
I couldn’t believe it. Saved again by Sandra’s tipsy buzz!
“Yup, my face really needed a freshen up,” I said. “The blush is amazing. I get it from a company online. I’ll send you the link later.”
My blush was amazing, but I didn’t have it with me. It was still sitting on the vanity in my bedroom in Palo Alto, next to all the other expensive products I’d left behind.
Sandra smirked.
“What?” I said.
“Oh, just something tells me it will be a little out of my price range,” she said, standing up.
“Out of both our price ranges now,” I said, laughing.
The funny thing was, no one had ever complimented my rosy cheeks when I had all that expensive makeup. It took a real man and he’s real big, delicious cock to put a real glow on my cheeks!
“My turn to use the ladies room,” Sandra said. “If the waitress comes, order me the fish tacos?”
“For sure,” I replied.
I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone to busy myself. I was nervous to be left on my own at the bar. I had no idea where Kane was. I hadn’t seen him before our little rendezvous, and I hadn’t set eyes on him since.
I kept glancing around, hoping to find him. Where was he? He couldn’t do what he’d just done and then disappear. What if I needed a top up?
My stomach did a flip as I thought of what I’d say if I saw him again. Was he there, somewhere, watching me right at that very moment? The place was too busy to find him.
I was still in shock. I couldn’t believe what we’d done. It was the naughtiest, most delicious, craziest thing I’d ever done. I was sure the girls who’d been waiting outside the washroom would recognize me.
Before I knew it, Sandra was sitting back down next to me. Clearly she hadn’t had as eventful a trip as mine!
“Did you order yet?” she asked.
“Nope. She hasn’t been by.”
“I’m so starving.”
“You and me both,” I said, shoving another piece of calamari into my mouth.
“So tell me more about you, Meadow. Tell me about this girl from Palo Alto who just appeared in Pismo Beach last night. What’s your story, you know, from before the cheating ex-husband?”
The last thing I wanted was to talk more about myself. I wanted to avoid any conversation that would lead me to nervously blurting out what I had just done.
Who I had just done.
What would she think of me?
How would I explain myself?
Oh you know, I’m just the girl from Palo Alto who arrived less than twenty-four hours ago and fucked the first guy she met in the bar bathroom. Oh, and he’s the guy who caused a big scene with me last night and again this morning.
Yeah, I’m totally normal.
Even worse, what if I admitted it to her and she wasn't surprised?
What if she wasn’t even shocked because that’s what Kane does with all the women who come to Pismo Beach?
Yup, that’s Kane for you. Always quick to show new women the back of the bathroom door. He for sure didn’t hesitate when he lead me back there. Best fuck of my life.
I’d be mortified to find out I was just one of many girls. I didn’t want her to tell me anything I wasn’t ready to hear.
“Enough about me,” I said. “Let’s talk about you. I feel like all day all we’ve talked about is me and my problems. I know nothing about you. Did you grow up here?”
I hoped to God she would take the bait.
“Yup. Pismo Beach, born and raised,” Sandra said, but she was interrupted when the waitress came by.
Sandra ordered the fish tacos. I went for the bacon mushroom burger with fries.
Sandra continued talking.
“Even my parents grew up here. I’m a true beach bum. It’s in my blood. I know there’s a whole world out there, but I like it here. I’m really close with my family and a lot of the friends I grew up with are still here. Speaking of which, there’s Kane and Paul.”
She got excited and waved her hand to get their attention. I froze, instantly feeling a rush of blood as my whole face went red.
“I know you and Kane haven’t quite hit it off yet,” she said, putting her hand on my leg, “but I feel like you guys have just gotten off on the wrong foot. I swear, he’s a good guy.”
“Maybe hanging out in a group will eliminate some of the tension,” I said nervously.
“Plus, you have t
o meet Paul. He’s the very best. You might recognize him, he was bartending last night. He’s so sweet and so hot. Obviously Kane is attractive too, but he’s a lost cause. I bet you’ll really like Paul.”
She got up and waved at them.
“Hey guys! Come join us!”
I didn’t dare look up. I couldn’t. All I could do was take deep breaths and try not to lose my shit.
CHAPTER 24
SANDRA
The boys accepted my invitation to join me and Meadow. As they made their way over, I looked around for a table we could move to. It would make talking easier, rather than being lined along the bar.
“Oh, there’s a table. Let’s move there. Grab our drinks,” I said to Meadow as I grabbed both of our purses.
I made sure to catch the waitress's eye so she knew we were moving.
“Did you guys just get here?” I asked Kane and Paul as I gave them each a hug.
“No,” Paul said. “We’ve been in the back talking beer with Jason.”
“Paul, I’m not sure you’ve properly met Meadow yet. This is Meadow. Meadow, this is Paul,” I said, smiling as they shook hands.
“For sure, how’s it going, Meadow? It’s too bad your first time at the brewery turned out to be such a disaster.”
We all looked at Kane. It was a tense moment and I felt I had to say something to diffuse the situation.
“Look,” I said to Kane and Meadow. “I know you two have had a few misunderstandings.”
I paused for a second so I could judge their response. They seemed calm.
“But you’re both good people and I know you’d get along. Think you can forget everything that’s happened and just be friends?” I said, looking back and forth at each of them.
“Sure,” Kane said as he took a sip of his beer.
“Yup,” Meadow said, running her fingers along the bottom of her wine glass and pointedly avoiding eye contact with Kane.
“Great. So we can move on and change the subject.”
They both nodded and I got the distinct impression there was more going on than I was aware of. I guessed it would take some time for them to warm up to each other and I tried to think of something we could talk about.
“So, we finally hired a new waitress at the café today,” I said.
Both the guys knew how stressed I’d been about being short staffed.
“Finally. You must be relieved. Who is it? Do we know her?” Paul asked.
“You’re looking at her,” I said, gesturing to Meadow.
Meadow averted her eyes and took a sip of her wine.
“Oh cool,” Paul said. “Congratulations. When do you start?”
“She already started today.”
“No kidding!”
“The second she walked into the café and asked about the Help Wanted sign, I tossed her an apron and she got to work. Her timing was perfect. I was up to my eyeballs in messy tables, customers waiting to pay, new customers waiting to be seated. She literally saved the day.”
“You’re working here now?” Kane asked Meadow.
“She sure is. She’s got zero waitressing experience though. She’s actually never worked a day in her life. I was so desperate I didn’t care. Plus, I could tell she’s a good girl, so I took a chance on her.”
I rubbed Meadow’s shoulder affectionately as I spoke.
“She killed it. She’s a natural. We make an awesome team, right Meadow?”
“Yup,” Meadow said shyly.
“We worked our butts off and as soon as we were finished, we came here. What about you two?”
“Yeah, we had a really productive day. Kane and I make a pretty awesome team too,” Paul said, hitting Kane’s shoulder playfully.
Kane looked at Paul’s hand on his shoulder and Paul quickly removed it. We all laughed. Kane had never been the overly affectionate type, and Paul knew it.
“How was your first day on the job, Meadow?” Paul said.
“I was pretty nervous at first, but Sandra is a great teacher. I’m excited for my second shift tomorrow. I know I’ll get the hang of it soon,” Meadow said.
Before she could say more, the waitress came by with our food. She put my fish tacos in front of me and the Guinness stew in front of Paul.
“And two bacon mushroom burgers with fries,” she said as she placed them down in front of Kane and Meadow. They looked up at each other.
“See. I knew you two would have things in common,” I said with a smirk as I picked up a taco.
Meadow looked down at her burger but I caught her stealing a glance at Kane. There was definitely something going on between them, something more than the fighting they’d seemed to be doing since laying eyes on each other.
“Oh so get this,” I said. “Meadow only started today, but already she experienced grumpy old man Mathers.”
“Oh snap, that’s quite the initiation. Did he take it easy on you?” Paul said.
“I’m guessing that’s the guy who wouldn’t look at me while I served him?” Meadow said.
“Yup. I didn’t notice him come in, otherwise I wouldn’t have let you go over. That man is peculiar to say the least. He’s a regular. Orders the exact same thing every day.”
“One poached egg, two pieces of brown toast, no butter, home fries with extra fried onions and a package of strawberry jam,” Paul said.
We laughed.
“Before he got the job at the brewery, Paul had your job,” I said to Meadow.
“Is that so?” she said, turning to Paul.
“Anyway,” I continued. “Mr. Mathers expects that the moment he walks through the door, the kitchen starts his order, and the server meets him at his spot with a coffee, water and a copy of the daily paper.”
Meadow laughed. “That explains a lot. I literally stood there and asked him three times if he’d like coffee. He wouldn’t move his arms off the table for me to put a menu in front of him. I thought he was deaf.”
“Oh man, you poor girl,” Paul said as he wrapped his arm around Meadow’s shoulder.
Paul’s an inveterate flirt. He can’t see a pretty girl without putting a hand on her.
“He can be such a stubborn jerk if he doesn’t know you,” he continued, leaning closer to Meadow. “Once he realizes you’re there to stay, and you get his order right every single time, he’ll warm up.”
Kane cleared his throat. He’d been his usual quiet self until then. “So, you’re here to stay?”
Meadow looked up at him and I could tell she was blushing. “Well, I guess so. I mean, I don’t have a place yet, I’m just staying at a motel.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “I can’t believe I didn’t ask about that. I mean, I knew you were new in town, but I just assumed you had a place. So you’re on the hunt for an apartment? I can help you look. I love apartment hunting.”
Paul leaned in on her again, this time letting his hand slide slightly further down her arm from her shoulder.
“A buddy of mine has a rental unit on the top floor of his place. It’s got a beautiful view. I’m pretty sure he said it’s empty. I’ll give him a call tomorrow. Give me your number and I’ll let you know what he says.”
Paul handed Meadow his phone for her to put in her info. I looked at Kane and rolled my eyes.
Kane didn’t look back at me. He got up from the table a little hurriedly and went to the bar.
I watched as Meadow gave her contact info to Paul. I knew the moment I saw her that Paul would be all over her.
CHAPTER 25
MEADOW
I pretended I didn’t notice Kane leaving the table as I finished typing my number into Paul’s phone. I hit save and handed it back to him.
“That’s really nice of you, Paul,” I said with a smile and a gentle hand on his arm.
“No problem. This town is so small that places don’t even get advertised. Usually people just find them through word of mouth, so it’s good to have an in.”
I casually looked over my shoulder as Sandra and
Paul got to talking about the guy who owned the apartment. I scanned the bar, trying to find Kane. I couldn’t be obvious. The last thing I wanted was for Paul and Sandra to pick up on anything.
I spotted him leaning against the bar, talking to the hot female waitress. A flash of jealousy flowed through me. I quickly turned back to the table, took the last sip from my wine, and put the empty glass down.
“I don’t know about you two, but I’m about ready for another round,” I said with a forced smile.
“Great idea,” Sandra said.
“Yeah, I’m ready too. I don’t mean to judge, but I can’t believe you two are in the best local brewery in California, and you’re drinking wine,” Paul said.
“I know, I know,” Sandra started. “I love beer too. But today’s a breakthrough day for Meadow and wine, so I had to join her in celebrating.”
Paul turned to me curiously.
“A breakthrough day with wine? What does that mean?”
I felt embarrassed that Sandra had brought up that information. She hadn’t meant to overshare, but the whole thing was pretty personal and I wasn’t about to get into my husband’s affair with Paul. I acted fast to come up with another story.
“Oh, you know how it goes. One night of overdoing it and it’s hard to even look at the stuff again,” I said, laughing like I was embarrassed about it.
“Oh, don’t I know it. I still have to pass when the guys have whisky on poker night,” Paul said.
Sandra and I made eye contact and she gave me a friendly wink. I could tell my secret was safe with her.
I really felt lucky I’d run into her so quickly after arriving in town. Since the moment I met her, she’d been friendly and welcoming. She was doing an amazing job at making me feel included. If it wasn’t for her, I might not even be staying.
“All that being said, you do have a point,” Sandra said to Paul. “Did I hear there are some new beers on tap? Maybe I’ll do a flight.”
Paul jumped on the opportunity. He started listing off the options to Sandra. I was going to stick with wine, so I casually tuned them out. I started to wonder why Kane wasn’t back with us yet. I tried hard to keep myself from looking back at the bar to see if he was still standing there with the sexy waitress.
Why had he just gotten up and left the table like that?
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