by Claire Angel
The song was sad, and while the crowd moved to the beat, I listened to the words. It hit me when I thought about being alone with my sister and glanced at him as he threw his messy hair back and hit a high note.
Did Kellen write this?
I made my way around the room throughout the set, stealing peeks. The crowd was happy and spending money, and I knew I’d go home with some tips.
They finished the set and took a spot by the bar to chat with fans, most of whom were female. I avoided the scene as long as I could since I didn’t want to fall under Kellen’s spell. I knew I had to go pick up several drinks and moved through the crowd. I quietly stood at the bar and cringed when he moved closer to me.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Kellen greeted me as I forced a smile to my face. “This is the job that you were referring to?”
“Yeah. It was.” I thought back to the accident. “I missed the first night and had to beg for another chance. The money is good, and it wasn’t my fault that I missed it.” He smiled, almost knowingly, and I frowned at him. “You’re in a band.”
“Yep. Pitchfork,” Kellen replied as I raised my brow at the women shooting me dirty looks.
“Great name.” I turned to look at Ray and pleaded with him to get the order. I pleaded with him to hurry, but he just kept moving back there.
“Thanks. We like it.” He stared at me with those attractive eyes, and I kept looking behind the bar as if Ray was going to get my order any time soon. “Did you like the music?”
“It was good.” I kept my face neutral so he wouldn’t see how much the words got to me. I stilled as someone moved behind me and gripped my hips tightly.
Fucking Denny.
He pinned me to the bar, and I saw Ryan look over at me. “Don’t touch me. I told you I wasn’t interested since my first night.” My voice was firm, and revulsion flickered through it as my eyes darkened.
“Come on, baby.” Denny was drunk, and I gripped his hands, pulling them from me and throwing them back as he stared.
“Fuck off.” I turned to stare at him with cold eyes, looking right up into his reddened face. His eyes were bloodshot as always, and he disgusted me.
“Jesus. Fine.” He held up his shaking hands, backing away. I waited until he was further away and looked to my left to see Kellen gazing at me in shock with a slack jaw. “You’re going to leave me a tip,” I yelled, shaking my head. “Asshole.”
I managed to avoid Kellen the rest of the night with the crowd. He left earlier than expected, and the room felt emptier than I cared to admit.
I already knew that Ray admired my no-bullshit way of handling the customers, and he told me that the band seemed impressed as we closed that night. That made me chuckle a bit even though I wondered about Kellen’s specific reaction.
Wait. Why do I care?
Nothing was going to happen with him. I was too busy, and there was no reason even to consider it. I had my whole future ahead of me. I was in the process of building that, and there was no room for a man.
Chapter 8
Kellen
I heard a familiar voice and glanced over to see Marisol sitting at a booth with a girl that resembled her. She seemed to be complaining about something happening at the bar, and I watched as the girl across from her shook her head and laughed.
“Why do you work there to begin with?”
“The tips are good. I just have to keep them in line.” Marisol sipped a glass in front of her and shrugged. “You know I’m paying for school.”
“I can get you on here. You might have to start as a hostess, but you would move up.” There was a bright smile on the face of the other girl, and I wondered if it was her sister.
“I’ll see how Ripple goes. If I make enough in tips, I can work at the store a little less.”
“Kellen?” Grace interrupted my eavesdropping, and I looked at her.
I was out to dinner with Jack and his family at one of the chain restaurants that Ella loved. It had been her first chemo treatment, and they wanted to keep her life as normal as possible. She was feeling good tonight, though that might not last.
“Do you know her?” Grace asked looking at her.
I was glad they were far enough away to not hear us at our average volume. I thought at this point that Marisol could only talk with volume and feeling. “I don’t know her, but I’ve seen her around.” Jack looked away from Ella and took in the girls at the table.
“Didn’t she shoot your ass down at the bar?” Grace glared at her husband, and he smiled at her.
“I wasn’t hitting on her. I met her at the coffee shop.” Jack raised a brow at me and shook his head. “She’s a tough one, and I think she hates me. I spilled a whole coffee on her and had to buy her another one.” I remembered I left shortly once I noticed that how Marisol was avoiding me like the plague that night.
“That’s a way to make an impression.” Grace laughed as I cracked a smile, sighing with relief when our food appeared. “Here you go, baby girl.” She slid Ella’s plate of a grilled cheese sandwich and fruit in front of her with a desperate look in her eyes. The little girl pushed back her blonde hair and reached out to take the half closest to her. Jack gave Grace her burger and fries and encouraged her to eat.
“You have to take care of yourself, love.” His voice was soft, and I took a slow breath before releasing it. She put all her energy towards her daughter
“I know.” Grace shot him a tired look, and reached for the ketchup.
I took my plate with the bacon cheeseburger and fries, rubbing my hands together. “I might want one of those desserts after this. Want to race, Ella? We can share it.”
“You’re on.” She didn’t finish all of her food, but we still split the ice cream. I didn’t know how she’d feel through the rest of the treatments, and while she was well, I was going to spoil her. I paid for the meal despite Grace’s protests, telling her it was on me. They were exhausted and didn’t need to worry about this on top of everything else.
I glanced at the table that Marisol was at before we left, but she was gone. I carried Ella to her car and hugged her goodbye before telling my brother and his wife to call me in the morning.
I headed home and my mind wandered to Marisol, and I wondered why she worked so much. She seemed to be in college and looked about that age, but why wasn’t she on a scholarship? She also seemed to be much more outgoing than any time that I was around her.
Why was that? Most girls were more than happy to give me attention, around the band or otherwise. They were almost too forthcoming and never enough of a challenge for me. Not that I had a lot of time for dating in any form, but easy wasn’t my thing.
I fell asleep with my laptop beside me, and my phone set to wake me up in the morning. I should have taken a shower or anything to prepare for the morning. I just couldn’t move and passed out in my clothes.
*
I managed a quick shower in the morning before changing into the shirt and slipping on my chucks. I headed down to open the shop and glanced around, seeing Lisa coming to open with me. “Morning,” I greeted her as she smiled at me. “No Yuri?”
“He’s on a trip with his girlfriend. I told him that I’d cover.” I unlocked the door and let her in before securing it behind me. We went about our morning, and I drank coffee as I worked, wondering how Ella was. I wouldn’t hear anything for a while, so I focused on work and helping the customers that flowed through the door. I got the call a few hours into the morning, and since I was well-staffed, I stepped outside to answer.
I needed the break. Lisa was flirting with me in that shy way of hers, and I wasn’t interested. She was a nice girl, but I didn’t date coworkers. That shit could get complicated fast.
I listened as Grace told me that Ella was feeling good today. She didn’t think the chemo would affect her right away and hoped for many more mornings like this following treatment.
I told her that I loved them before ending the call, leaning against the buildi
ng to catch my breath. I glanced to the right to see a girl at the bus stop that was familiar to me, taking her in. Marisol was dressed in a uniform that looked as though she was also a waitress somewhere other than Ripple.
She was reading her phone and seemed focused on it. She didn’t look up until the bus pulled up and stood to get on. I watched as she pulled away and then went back in to finish my shift.
***
We had a few small shows over the weekend, and I enjoyed them as best I could. My brother looked tired, and though he kept up, he seemed lost in his thoughts. I sang the songs and interacted with the crowd, joining everyone but Jack for a beer. He went home right away, and I watched as I leaned against the bar.
Chapter 9
Kellen
When we played at Ripple the following week, things seemed different. Marisol was getting along with the staff and cracking jokes. I watched as she made her way around the room, flashing her sexy smile as my interest grew. When I was at the bar, I saw that she was friendly towards everyone and fuck if it wasn’t a hot sight.
“What changed?” I asked the bartender as he slid beers across the bar to us. “With Marisol.”
“Oh. She’s settled in and is quite the leader. She gets everyone working hard here, and it’s nice. I wish she’d come here full time, but she has other part-time jobs that she feels obligated to. It’s admirable.”
I watched her as she leaned into another waitress, and they laughed. Marisol approached the bar to pick up an order. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She smiled at me, but I didn’t sense the warmth that she gave to her coworkers. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, and I wondered what it was about me.
She took the drinks and arranged them on the tray, turning to go back to the tables. I turned around to sip my beer, not missing the look that Jack was giving me. Ignoring it, I started to talk to the fans that were becoming more hardcore with every week here. I nursed my drink and smiled at the girls pressing against me, choosing to leave with Jack.
“You’re not married with a sick kid. You can have fun,” he reminded me as we paused by our cars. “They would have done anything for you, Kellen.”
“What’s the fun in that?” I joked as he shook his head.
“Instead, you’re into the one that doesn’t give you the time of day. Why is that?” he asked, and I sighed.
“Maybe that is it. She presents a challenge to me even though I won’t make any progress there. She just fascinates me. I’ve seen her around, and she’s headstrong and even bitchy at times. She doesn’t take shit from anybody.” I shrugged and unlocked my car. “There aren’t a lot of women like that, particularly in my age group.”
“She’s hot. I’ll give you that.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Let some of this go, Kellen. It’s not good to hold onto it, and you deserve to live your life.” Jack opened his door and slid inside to head home to his wife for the small amount of time she’d be awake.
I watched him leave and got into my car, heading home. I looked at the bar before I left, telling myself that Jack was right. I just couldn’t forget about what he was going through.
I went inside and took a hot shower before dropping into bed. I pulled out my phone and decided to search for her on a few social media sites, feeling like an asshole. I easily found her on one that featured pictures she took, but she seemed to be private on everything else. Most of the pictures were nature shots and professional, but she seemed to enjoy life.
From what I gathered, she was into the hiking the state offered, and that was where she took her pictures. She smiled in every single one, but there was something in her eyes that showed she wasn’t entirely in the moment.
I found a picture of her with the girl I saw her with at dinner that identified them as sisters. They looked close in age, and there weren’t any other pictures as a family.
I plugged in my phone to charge it and settled back against my pillows. The streetlight shone through my window, and I heard voices from down below. They were probably people my age or slightly younger without the weight that I had on my shoulders. It was a weight that I chose, but my family came first.
I just wondered when there would be time for me.
Chapter 10
Marisol
I started to settle into Ripple the way I did my other jobs. I liked to keep things running smoothly and never hesitated to delegate responsibilities to do so. I usually wasn’t a manager anywhere, but it was in my nature. I also got along with people well, and we had fun.
It was a bar and should be fun.
The next time Pitchfork played, I felt Kellen staring at me most of the night. I wondered what he thought about how I was tonight, then pushed the thought away. Kellen was a regular, and I’d treat him like every other one in a friendly manner. I managed not to deal with him until after the incredible set when they were drinking at the bar.
Kellen gave me that smile that likely seduced women every single time, leaning closer. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I replied with a smile. I meant for it to be warmer like it would be for any other regular, but it wasn’t. I still felt like I needed to keep my distance. I took the drinks to a table and stayed busy the rest of the night with the coworkers and customers that I did feel comfortable with.
I still went home alone, wondering what Kellen did when he left earlier than the other guys. Maybe he had a girlfriend or even a wife, though he didn’t act like it. He flirted a lot with me.
I had an early shift at the diner the following day.
*
I planned to look at cars the next morning. I got my check for eight thousand dollars, and even though I felt like it should be more, I’d take it. I could find something that would suit me and fight to the death to get the price that I wanted. My sister even hesitantly offered to join me, but I assured her I’d be fine.
I showered and walked to a place that was near my home and Kellen’s coffee shop. They offered good used cars, and there was enough of a variety for me to find something. I didn’t want luxury or a giant SUV. How difficult could this be?
I found a Black Jeep Cherokee that I liked a lot. It had low miles and enough bells and whistles that I could almost justify the outrageous price the man was asking me to pay.
I was in the process of arguing with him about why it was more than my former car that was two years newer. It was also more than I had, and I’d make brief payments, which I didn’t want to do.
“Marisol. Hi there.” I turned to see Kellen standing on the edge of the lot and forgot how to speak, much less argue. “I thought that Brad called you about that car. Wasn’t it similar to this one for a good price?”
It took a moment for me to understand what he was doing for me, and I stared at him. Nodding, I turned to the salesman. “Shit, yes, it was. A year newer than this, and he was asking seventy-five hundred. I like black better than that yellow.” I gazed at the car with a thoughtful expression, feeling the panic as the man realized I might walk away. There was no yellow anything, and I might need to start over. The minutes started to slow down as I glanced at Kellen, who was waiting for something to happen as well.
“I’ll drop it to seven thousand for you.” I tilted my head at the salesman with a shrewd gaze. “I’ll even toss in a warranty for you.”
“I think I’ll take it. The black is nice.” Kellen nodded with a smile, and I shot him the first grateful look he’d ever received from me.
“Want to grab some coffee to celebrate when you’re done?” Kellen asked, and I pressed my lips together in surprise.
“Sure. I’ll be out in a minute.” I followed the sweating salesman into the office to fill out paperwork and set up the warranty. When we finished, I reluctantly shook his hand and accepted the keys from the man. I was both excited that I did this with Kellen and that I was supposed to have coffee with him.
I walked out to the Jeep as the guys watched me through the window, clutching the keys in my hand.
“You got it,” Kellen sa
id as he leaned against his car. He looked good, and I took him in for a moment, smiling.
“I just paid cash. That’s always easier,” I replied, and he nodded. I licked my lips and raised my eyes to his. “You meant what you said about getting coffee, didn’t you? You caught me off guard when I heard you.”
“I don’t want to go where I work because I just spend several hours there working. I wouldn’t mind going somewhere else for caffeine and food.” His smile was sexy and inviting, and I stared at him. This man drew me in like nobody before him.
“How does Petal sound?” I thought of the first place I went to study when I needed to get out of the house. Kellen looked surprised as he nodded, and I looked at my car. “Should we meet there?”
