One More Time (MMG Series Book 3)

by Hilliard, R. B.

  The second they sat down, Polly came rushing up. “Please don’t make me wait on them,” she begged. “I had to do it two nights ago and it was awful. I’m afraid I might hurt her and I really need this job.”

  “Fuck if I’m doing it,” Sally stated. “I know I’ll hurt her.”

  “Fine, I’ll go,” I told them.

  “Make the bitches come to you,” Tut suggested.

  Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my pen and pad and headed over to their table. “What can I get you ladies tonight?”

  “Look!” Dana half-shouted, “If it isn’t Dillon’s cousin from Charleston.”

  Ignoring her, I turned to Strawberry Shortcake and paused. Sally was right. Her hair was awful. I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be red or orange. Add in the dark roots and it was all kinds of messed up.

  “What are you staring at,” she snarled.

  “Ummmm, would you like a drink?” I asked.

  “Yes, I want a Blue Hawaiian,” she answered.

  I turned to big hair and waited. “I want a Lemon Drop,” she said.

  “Missy, you barfed all over my car the last time you drank those. Please pick something else,” Strawberry whined.

  “Fine,” she huffed, “I’ll have a Mai Tai.”

  I started to tell Strawberry that lemon barf would be a lot better than red barf, but decided not to get involved. My eyes drifted to Elvira. “And for you?” I tried really hard not to stare at her, but I couldn’t help it. Dillon actually touched this woman. Stick straight, razor edged hair fell right below her ears. The fake blue tones in her hair would be attractive on someone else. Her blue eyes were fringed by dramatically long false eyelashes. They, too, might be attractive on someone else, just not on her. Her nose was slightly too small for her extremely angular face while her lips were too big. It was an odd combination. Her outfit consisted of an emerald green corset top that barely contained her freakishly large breasts and a black really short tutu skirt. Three inch heels with ribbons attached to the backs wound half way up her calves.

  Dana sized me up and clearly found me as lacking as I found her. “You have to know you are wasting your time,” she warned in her sharp, southern, nasal tone.

  Just like my mother and sister, Dana Harkins was an insecure bully. I unblinkingly stared at her and pretended as if she hadn’t spoken. “Can I get you a drink or not?”

  Her eyes shifted to her friends. “Tell her. Dillon always comes back to me, doesn’t he?”

  Not willing to stand there and listen to her anymore, I turned on my heel and headed back to the bar.

  “Hey!” she shouted, “you didn’t get my order!”

  Pivoting back around, I calmly said, “You didn’t give it to me.” When she didn’t respond, I proceeded to the bar. As soon as I was safely there, Sally asked, “What was that about?”

  “Here she comes,” Cas warned. Sally and I both turned to face a not-very-happy looking Dana.

  “It’s hard to give you my order when you walk away before I can give it to you. I’m telling Dillon he needs to hire better servers,” she informed. Then she gave us a satisfied smile.

  Her gaze shifted to Sally, Cas, Tut and Twon, before coming back to me. She would be stupid to start something right now.

  “Would you like to order a drink?” I sweetly asked.

  She hefted her large breasts onto the bar and I took a step back. “What I’d like is for you to take your ass back to Charleston and leave my man alone. That’s what I’d like.”

  Dramatically placing my hand on my chest, I gave her a wide eyed stare. “Are you implying I’m romantically involved with my own cousin?” For a second she looked uncertain. Twon’s chuckle snapped her out of it.

  “You and I both know Dillon is not your cousin,” she snarled.

  I could tell I was getting to her. Good. “Did he actually tell you we weren’t cousins?”

  “He never told me you were!” she half-shouted. I smiled and mentally curtsied. When it hit Dana I was messing with her, she growled, “I’ll have a Long Island Ice Tea.” Then she turned and flounced back to her table.

  “Well done,” Cas said.

  “Thanks,” I replied and started mixing their drinks.

  An hour and several more drinks later, I watched the girls on the dance floor attempting to dance to Eminem’s, The Monster.

  “This song has no real beat,” I muttered, as I handed Tut and Twon another beer.

  “If I see Dana’s tits pop out of that top again, I’m going to hurl,” Sally muttered.

  “Her tits are better than her ass,” I added. Every time Dana twirled or bent over, she flashed her bare ass cheeks at us.

  “I can definitely see why Dillon tapped that shit,” Twon muttered.

  Ouch. His words hurt, especially tonight.

  “Not cool,” Tut told him.

  His eyes hit mine and he flinched, “Sorry.”

  The thought of Dillon touching Dana the way he had touched me made me physically ill. Fractures of doubt were beginning to form in my previously rock solid confidence.

  “Hey,” Cas said, shooting Twon a nasty look, “Ignore him. Dillon’s with you now. Trust me, that bitch means nothing to him.” I wanted to tell him Dillon and I weren’t together anymore, but didn’t.

  “I said I was sorry,” Twon sullenly repeated.

  “Where did she find the hair twins?” Sally asked.

  “The red one is Jennifer Tilson. She and Max had a thing back in high school,” Twon told us. My jaw dropped and Sally choked on her drink.

  “Please tell me you’re kidding? Max McLellan was with that?” she squeaked.

  “Yep. He was with her when he met Ellie.”

  “I’m now afraid to ask about hairspray,” she said in a clearly repulsed tone.

  “Missy Landry,” Cas and Tut both responded in unison.

  Cas explained. “When Gage and Piper were on a break, Gage and Missy…uh… hung out.”

  “Hung out?” I tried not to laugh at the thought of Gage trying to tame her hair before they got down to business.

  “Nothing serious, but it sure did piss off Piper.”

  “I bet it did. I’m surprised Missy has any hair,” I mused.

  “I’m more surprised Gage does,” Cas responded with a chuckle.

  Caswell Ashford was a gorgeous man to look at. He had wavy black hair and deep blue eyes. His skin was a lovely golden hue and he always sported a sexy-as-hell five o’clock shadow. Sally was obsessed with his hard, lean body. I had to admit, he put a whole new meaning to tall, dark and handsome. Too bad he did absolutely nothing for me.

  Instead of going back to their table when the song ended, Elvira and her minions headed to the bar and plopped down right next to Cas and directly across from me. Great.

  “What can I get you?” I asked.

  “Why are you still here?” Dana responded.

  “Ummm, because I work here,” I answered.

  “Not here, here,” she slurred. “Here in Charlotte.”

  Choosing to ignore her, I asked, “Can I get you another drink or do you want to settle your tab?”

  With a calculated smile, she announced, “Dillon and I were together last night.” I knew it was coming, but it still stung.

  Not willing to bite, I repeated, “Your tab?”

  “It was good. It was verrrrrry goooood,” she taunted. “That man has a wicked tongue and a huge…”

  “Trust me, Izzy is more than aware how big Dillon’s penis is,” Sally interrupted.

  “Sally!” I admonished.

  Ignoring me, she let out a snort of disgust and whipped out her phone. “Wasn’t that Dillon I heard moaning in your bed last night, Izzy?” She arched her eyebrow at Dana. “Everyone knows you weren’t with Dillon last night, Dana. And you ask yourself why he is done with you? Because… he is done with you, you know. Here’s why. First of all, you’re a liar.” She held up her phone. On it was a picture of Amelia. It was taken the day she started smiling. In fact, i
n the picture Sally was proudly waving back and forth in Dana’s face, Amelia had been smiling up at Dillon. Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. A confused expression appeared on Dana’s face and Sally took the opportunity to pounce. “Second of all, this is a picture of Dillon’s daughter and…last, but not least, this,” she swept her hand in my direction, “is her mother. Do you actually think you can compete? If so, you are a silly, silly girl, but we already know this. Go home, Dana. No one wants you here, least of all Dillon. How many times does he have to tell you to get lost before you get the message? Sally’s eyes shot to Missy and Jennifer.” Don’t do it, I thought. “And, I am doing you both a favor by telling you your hair looks like complete and utter shit.” She slid two pieces of paper across the bar. “My stylist’s name is Sherry. This is her number. I suggest you both call her as soon as possible. If she’s not available, ask for Zoe. Tell her it’s a hair emergency.”

  Tut and Twon roared with laughter. Cas watched me with a concerned expression on his face. Without any warning, Dana reached out and snatched Sally’s phone right out of her hand. She lifted it over her head and, with a howl of rage, slammed it down on the bar. Over and over again she did this, the whole time shrieking obscenities.

  “You little bitch!” Sally shouted. Before she could get to Dana to claw her eyes out, Tut had moved between them. By the time the time Twon and Cas got to Dana, the phone was nothing but tiny pieces.

  Not wanting to make a complete fool of myself, I slipped out of the bar and bolted to the bathroom to have a good hard cry. I could hear Dana and Sally shouting at each other all the way in the bathroom. After ten or so minutes, the yelling stopped. I pulled myself together and fixed my makeup before going back out. I knew that Dillon wasn’t with Dana last night. He was with me. Despite that, a tiny part of me wondered if it hadn’t been me in his bed, would it have been her? The fractures in my confidence had deepened and I felt as if I was slowing breaking apart. How much longer can I last until there’s nothing left?

  When I returned to the bar, Dana and her friends were gone. Cas had called them a cab and Tut had not-so-nicely escorted them out the door. Sally and I pushed through the rest of the hour before closing up and going home.

  The next two days were rough. All I could think about was Dillon. Where was he staying? What was he doing? Both Sally and I were off work, so I had no clue if he was at Dragonfly or not.

  On Wednesday, Piper called to invite both Sally and I to her bachelorette party. The girls had decided to have it at a place called Whisky’s. Piper was in charge of inviting everyone.

  “We’re not telling the guys this time,” she informed. Then, realizing I had no idea what she was talking about, she explained, “For Ellie’s bachelorette party, Joss hired hot-as-hell male strippers. They dressed up like police officers and pretended to arrest Ellie. In the middle of scaring the life out of her, they ripped off their clothes and were wearing assless chaps. It was brilliant. Anyway, like an idiot, Joss told Kurt about it and, of course, before the night was over, the guys raided it. That’s why we aren’t telling them. If I have male strippers, I want full on junk dancing without any interruptions, thank you very much.” As soon as we stopped laughing, she asked, “How’s Milly?”

  “She’s good. She has a checkup next week. She’s overdue for her immunizations, but at least I finally found a good doctor. I wanted to ask if she’d seen or heard from Dillon but wasn’t sure how to go about it.

  As if reading my mind, she said, “I want you to know Dillon is staying with us. He is working through some… things right now and, I know it may not seem like it, but he loves you and Amelia.” I was relieved to hear he was okay.

  “Do you know what happened in Charleston?” I quietly asked.

  “Ummmm, yes,” she hesitantly responded.

  A lump the size of a golf ball formed in my throat. “He told you why he left us?” Her silence gave me my answer. Piper knew what was wrong with my guy, but I did not. This hurt.

  “I need to you listen to me, Isabella. Can you do that?” Piper asked.

  “Yes,” I sniffled, trying my hardest not to cry. Evidently my tear ducts had different plans.

  “In no way, shape or form does anything that is happening with Dillon right now have to do with you or Amelia. He is my best friend and I can’t betray his trust, but I need to know you hear what I am saying.”

  “I’m confused,” I confessed.

  “I know you are. Just know he loves you.”

  “He told me he didn’t want us.”

  “He’s a jack ass. Trust me, he loves you and he loves his baby girl,” she repeated.

  “I don’t feel loved, Piper. I feel abandoned and very alone.”

  “I know you do, honey, and I don’t blame you,” she softly said. “Give him time. In the meantime, the party is next Saturday. Promise me you’ll be there.”

  “Thanks for calling. I promise I’ll be there. Take good care of him. Whatever happens, I want him to be happy.”

  “Will do,” she said and hung up.

  * * *

  By the end of the week I still hadn’t heard a word from Dillon. Why was I living in a house my not-even-boyfriend was paying for in a city where I knew basically no one? If I went back to Charleston, I could move in with Uncle Charlie until the lease on my house was up. Then I could move back in. I loved the house in Charlotte, but it wasn’t mine, at least, not without Dillon. My so-called job at Dragonfly was a complete farce. Dillon had yet to put me on the schedule full time. Sure, he had me working here and there with a couple of Saturday gigs thrown in. I knew this was simply to appease me. And then I was supposed to work last night, but when I showed up, not only was Dillon not there, but he had taken me off of the schedule… without any warning. I made sure to check the rest of the week and, sure enough, my name had been crossed off. What the hell? In a split second my heartache turned to anger.

  “Either put me back on the schedule for Saturday or you can find yourself another performer and part time bartender,” I told Kurt. I managed to wait until I got home before calling Dillon and blasting him. Of course, all I got was his voicemail. I did not leave a message.

  Friday night and all day Saturday, I worked on my set list. When I wasn’t practicing, I was thinking. Should I go back to Charleston? Now that I had irrefutable proof Dillon was Amelia’s father, Jimmy’s leverage was gone. He was no longer a threat. I promised Piper I would be at her party and I would keep that promise. I may love Dillon Whitaker with every part of my being, but I knew all too well what it felt like to be manipulated and forced into doing things I did not want to do. I would never do that him…ever. If Dillon didn’t want us, so be it.

  Saturday night Sally stayed home with Amelia. She’d asked Bobby to come over and watch movies. Of all of Dillon’s friends, I felt closest to Cas and Piper. I had so been looking forward to getting to know everyone else. The realization I wouldn’t get the opportunity made me sad. Once or twice a day I would have these moments where I stopped whatever I was doing and asked myself how I got to this place. This was one of those times. How in the world did I end up here? Pulling in a deep breath, I stepped into my new sleeveless hot pink and black polka dotted dress. (Putting on my armor) It was vintage and gorgeous and fit me like a glove. I loved it. Sliding on my black platform sandals, I twisted my hair up into an elegant knot and made sure to leave a few stray strands in front to frame my face. (As if it would protect me) I had been contemplating dying a few red streaks in my hair. My makeup was delicate but subtle and fit my ever changing mood. Quickly, I spritzed myself with the perfume Dillon loved so much and put on earrings and several bracelets. (From my breaking heart) Coating my lips with hot pink shimmer gloss, I left a big lip print on Amelia’s cheek before grabbing my guitars and walking out the door.

  I arrived at Dragonfly early to set up the stage. Dillon had always done this for me. Even though I knew he wouldn’t be here tonight, I still searched for his jeep in the parking lot. A part of me exp
ected to walk in and see him in his usual spot behind the bar. In my fantasy, he would take one look at me, fall to his knees and beg me back. Ha! Get real, Ibby. For the first time all day, I smiled. Just the thought of Dillon on his knees…. Dillon Whitaker would never beg a woman for anything. He didn’t have to. Hefting both guitar straps over my shoulder, I made my way to the back door. I could tell by the amount of cars already in the lot the place was going to be packed. As I made my way through the door, Meghan Trainor’s peppy voice blasted through the speakers. I know you lie, your lips are moving. The irony made me smile, again. I Iugged my guitars up the stage steps and froze when I got to the top. The stage had been set exactly how I liked it. Placing the guitars down, I made my way to the edge and peered out. It was dark, but if I focused I could make out Kurt and Polly behind the bar. Cas, Tut and Kurt’s cousin Harry were sitting on stools directly in front of them. I could see Lena and the new girl, Nora, or maybe it was Nellie, waiting tables. No Dillon. Shaking the thought from my head, I made a note to thank Polly and Lena after the show. Fifteen or so minutes later, I was ready. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I perched on the stool, positioned the microphone and electric guitar exactly where I wanted them and waited for Kurt to give me the go ahead.

  “You’re on,” he whispered from stage left.

  Reaching up, I switched on the lamp and let the crowd’s roar wash over me.

  Here I go.

  Knowing Dillon wasn’t going to be here tonight made my decision to play one long set, instead of two with a break in the middle, a no brainer. Knowing my luck, I would run into Elvira and her minions during the break. No thanks. Like the night I surprised everyone with the piano, I decided to switch things up a bit. Instead of only singing acoustic tunes, I was bringing out my hot pink and black electric guitar and rocking it out. I had a lot of pent up aggression.

  I started the set off with some vintage Joan Jett. The hurt I felt from Dillon was a close second to my anger I had with myself. I Hate Myself for Loving You pretty much said it all. From there, I rolled into My Darkest Days’ Every Lie. This one was not only for Dillon, but also for Dana. I gave wings to my anger and let it fly. Next, I channeled my emotions into a haunting rendition of Soma by The Smashing Pumpkins. The angst in the song allowed me to use my full vocal range and work out my somewhat rusty electric guitar skills. Unlike all the other times I’d played on this stage, tonight I chose not to speak between songs. I simply couldn’t.