An Unlikely Setup

by Margaret Watson

  The story of her life.

  SEVERAL PEOPLE SIGNALED her for drinks as soon as Maddie came out of the kitchen. She took a deep breath. Okay, she could do this. She could hide her feelings, smile and be friendly. Tomorrow night would be easier. And the next night easier still.

  She couldn’t quit. Quinn was a jerk and she’d be happy to forget all about him, but it wasn’t that simple. He’d lose a lot of money if he didn’t have a waitress. And so would she.

  So she’d stick around. As long as the Harp stayed busy, it would be easy to avoid Quinn.

  Not so easy to ignore the nerves that jumped when she felt him watching her. Or when she caught a glimpse of him.

  A young couple close by waved her over. “What can I get you?” she asked.

  “Two beers, please,” the young man said. His eyes didn’t quite meet hers.

  “Can I see your IDs?” Maddie asked.

  The girl rummaged in her large purse for her wallet. But when she held her driver’s license out to Maddie, her hand shook.

  “Here’s mine.” The guy placed his on top of hers.

  Maddie studied his license. He’d just turned twenty-one a couple of weeks earlier. The picture wasn’t great, but it was recognizable.

  Then she examined the other license. The girl in the picture had hair down to her shoulders. The one in front of her wore a ponytail, so it was hard to judge the length of her hair. Eye color on the license was blue, but in the dimly lit bar, her eyes seemed dark. When Maddie glanced up, the girl shifted on the seat.

  “Sandy, when’s your birthday?” Maddie asked.

  She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Um, February 21.”

  Maddie tucked the licenses into a pocket of her apron. “I have to give these to the bartender.”

  The boy jumped up, almost knocking over the chair. “Hey, you don’t want our business, fine. Give me the licenses and we’ll leave.”

  “Sorry, can’t do that.”

  The girl’s eyes filled with tears and she pressed her hand to her mouth. “Jesse, make her give them back.”

  “You’ll have to deal with the bartender if you want them,” Maddie said quietly.

  After staring at her for a moment, Jesse squared his shoulders. “Okay. You stay here, Carrie. This is my fault, so I’ll handle it.”

  “Why don’t you two sit tight for a minute?” Maddie said, feeling sorry for the terrified girl and the boy who was willing to take the blame. “Let me talk to him first.”

  “Okay.” The kid sank back, relieved.

  After making sure that no one’s glass was empty, she made her way to the bar. Quinn was serving Hank, and the two men were smiling about something. She stood at the far end and waited to snag his attention.

  Hank nodded in her direction and said something to Quinn with a grin. Quinn’s smile faded as he headed toward her. “What can I do for you?”

  “For starters, lighten up. People are supposed to have fun in here. Smile, Quinn. At least act as if we like each other.”

  One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Maybe the problem is there’s too much of that ‘like’ thing going on. What do you have?”

  Too much like going on? Struggling to hide her disbelief, she pulled out the two driver’s licenses and nodded toward the young couple. “She tried to use this ID to buy a beer. It’s not hers.”

  He studied the kids. “I don’t know them. They’re not from Otter Tail.” He glanced at the ID and frowned. “Bring them into the office.”

  “Wait a minute.” Maddie put her hand on his wrist, taking it away immediately when his muscles tensed.

  “What?”

  “The girl is scared to death. Don’t be too hard on her.”

  His expression hardened. “I want to scare those kids. I want to scare them so bad they don’t think about committing a crime ever again.”

  “The guy is legal. It’s the girl whose ID is fake.”

  “Are you telling me he didn’t know she was using someone else’s license?”

  “He knew. But he was willing to take the blame.”

  “He’s a real stand-up guy, all right. Don’t try to defend them, Maddie. They broke the law. I should call the police. Instead, I’m just going to scare the crap out of them.”

  “Are you always so black-and-white?”

  “You bet. There isn’t a lot of gray when it comes to breaking the law.”

  “There’s always room for compassion.”

  “For some things, yeah. Not for this.” He tossed the rag onto the counter. “I’m not going to debate this with you tonight. This is how I handle underage drinkers. If you have a better idea, we can discuss it sometime when we’re not working.”

  “Fine. I’ll show them to your office.”

  She walked back to the young couple, who watched her with worried expressions. “You can see Mr. Murphy in his office.”

  The girl shrank closer to the guy. “I want to go home.”

  “You’re free to go. But you won’t get your driver’s licenses back unless you talk to him.”

  “It’ll be okay, Carrie,” the guy said, putting his arm around her.

  “Follow me,” Maddie said.

  The pub quieted as everyone watched them. Apparently most of them knew what it meant when a kid went into Quinn’s office.

  Maddie stayed with them until Quinn arrived. He nodded at her, then closed the door behind her.

  “Quinn is right, you know.” Patrick O’Connor sat in his usual spot at the end of the bar. “I was a high school teacher. You have to be firm with young adults.”

  “He’s not going to cut them any slack, that’s for sure.” Maddie listened to the rumble of Quinn’s voice behind the door and was thankful she wasn’t on the receiving end of his lecture.

  Sam Talbott waved, and she went over to the booth he shared with Annamae. They sat close together on the same side, Sam’s arm around Annamae’s waist. Maddie smiled. At least she’d done something right in Otter Tail.

  “Hey, Maddie,” Sam said happily. “I need another Bud Light. And Annamae needs more iced tea.”

  “Coming right up,” Maddie said as she scribbled the order. She nodded toward Quinn’s office. “Do you know those two kids?”

  “Nope. They’re not from around here,” Annamae said. “They’re probably tourists. Quinn gets fake IDs every week during the summer. None of the kids ever come back.”

  “I hope they don’t just go somewhere else,” Maddie said with a glance at the still-closed office door.

  “I’m guessing they don’t,” Sam said. “He used to give them the talk in the bar, where everyone could listen. He always told them he was going to e-mail their license pictures to every bar in Door County so they couldn’t try to drink anywhere else.”

  She shouldn’t have argued with Quinn about his method, Maddie realized. Public humiliation was painful, but it was better than having a car wreck.

  Ten minutes later the couple followed Quinn out of the office. The girl was crying, the boy pale-faced and grim. They hurried to the door and left.

  “Another kid with a fake ID bites the dust,” Hank said behind her. “Put another notch on the bar.”

  Maddie spun around. “It’s not a joking matter. I’m glad he takes it seriously.”

  “Whoa!” The musician held up his hands. “I wasn’t criticizing.” He gave her a slow smile. “Pretty passionate defense of him, Maddie.”

  “Why wouldn’t I defend him?” she answered, struggling to regain her composure. It was stupid to let Hank agitate her. “He’s right.”

  “Let’s just say I sensed a disturbance in the force between the two of you tonight.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Maddie asked, staring him down.

  “You were in his truck at six-thirty this morning. Tonight it’s all good lovin’ gone bad.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She nodded toward the front of the pub. “Don’t you have music to play? You were supposed to
start ten minutes ago.”

  “Nag, nag, nag,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re as bad as Quinn.” He ambled toward the area where two other musicians were tuning their instruments.

  As she went to the end of the bar to pick up her orders, Quinn glanced up from the drink he was mixing. “You going to yell at me for making that girl cry?”

  “Of course not. You were right.” Maddie sighed. “The girl gave me those scared, weepy eyes and I felt sorry for her. I wasn’t thinking of the big picture.”

  Quinn was silent as Maddie lifted the round tray. His expression was unreadable. “What?” she said.

  He shook his head. “You don’t fight fair, Maddie.” Then he walked the other way, carrying the drink he’d made.

  IT WAS STILL A COUPLE OF hours until closing time, and Maddie’s face was sore from all the smiling. There were a lot of people in the Harp she hadn’t met before tonight, and most of them had introduced themselves and told her how fond they’d been of David. They’d asked her opinion of Otter Tail and welcomed her to town.

  They’d been friendly and pleasant, so she was certain they hadn’t heard about YourMarket yet. All the warm fuzzies would disappear when they did.

  Hank and his band were still playing and the pub was still packed. As she wove through the crowd, three bottles of beer on her tray, she glanced at the empty stool at the end of the bar. Patrick had already left. Maybe she’d take a quick break, even if it meant watching Quinn work. She had tried to avoid him all evening, but was too tired now to care.

  As she headed toward the two men and a woman waiting for the beers, someone tugged on her arm from behind. Masking the irritation she felt when a customer touched her, she turned around with a smile. “Can I help…” She saw who it was and took a step back. “J.D. Did you want something?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Get me a draft.” His eyes glittered, and Maddie realized with a sinking stomach that the Harp wasn’t his first stop of the night.

  She nodded. “As soon as I deliver these drinks.”

  “Crystal would have got it right away.” For a moment, she read bewilderment in his brown eyes.

  “Sorry. Crystal’s not here, J.D.,” she said. Had the former waitress dumped him? Was that why he was drowning his sorrows? “I’ll only be a minute or two.”

  Five minutes later she returned with a cola. “It’s on the house, J.D.” She smiled. “You need to pace yourself.”

  “I don’t drink that shit. I want a beer.” He knocked the glass from the tray, spilling the cola on her. The liquid was a sudden splash of cold through her jeans and T-shirt.

  Maddie stared at the broken glass on the floor and her wet clothes. “That’s what I get for trying to be nice to you? Leave, J.D. Right now.”

  “You going to make me, city girl?”

  “You bet I am.”

  Quinn moved her aside. “Get out of here, J.D. And don’t bother to come back. I tried to cut you some slack after what happened with Crystal, but we’re done. You’re on the list. For good.”

  J.D. stepped closer, his eyes glazed. “You think you can throw me out, Murphy? You think you’re tough enough?”

  “I don’t need to be tough,” Quinn said. “You’re too drunk to put up a fight.”

  “You think so?” J.D.’s sorrow had morphed into rage and a violence Maddie recognized. She’d seen it in some of the people she’d interviewed during her career as a reporter.

  Seeing J.D. about to throw a punch, she stepped between the two men. The blow glanced off the side of her face.

  And knocked her to the floor.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE SUDDEN SILENCE in the Harp cut through Maddie’s haze of pain and disbelief. Even the band faltered to a stop.

  Quinn knelt beside her. “Maddie? Are you okay?” His hand was gentle as he touched her cheek. “Paul, get some ice.”

  “I…I think so,” she said, dazed. Her butt was cold and wet from the cola, her face throbbed and her head was spinning.

  Quinn put his arm around her shoulders and lifted her up, then guided her to a booth. An older woman eased her onto the seat and brushed her hair away from her face. “Hurry up with that ice, Paul,” she called.

  “I’m going to kick your ass into the middle of next week, J.D.,” Maddie heard Quinn say. His voice was cold and flat. “And I’ll enjoy doing it.”

  “Back off, Quinn.” Brady Morgan, a regular patron she recognized as a Door County deputy sheriff, elbowed him aside. “I’ll take care of him. Stroger, you’re under arrest.”

  A chair toppled over as J.D. struggled briefly. In seconds, Brady had him on the floor and handcuffed with a white flex cuff he pulled out of his pocket. Then he yanked J.D. to his feet. “This was my night off, you son of a bitch. Now I’m going to be doing paperwork until the crack of dawn. Assault, battery, resisting arrest, property damage. And a few more I’ll think of later. Let’s go. The cavalry is here.”

  Maddie heard the sound of a siren in the distance, then saw the flashing lights of a police car in front of the pub. Moments later, Brady was heading for the door, shoving J.D. ahead of him.

  “What were you thinking, Maddie?” Quinn crouched next to her. “You stepped right into that punch.”

  The whole left side of her face ached with bone-deep pain and she felt oddly detached, as if Quinn was speaking to her from the end of a tunnel. “I knew he was going to hit you. I thought he’d stop if I got in the way.”

  “What kind of dumb-ass thinking was that?” He cupped her cheek. “He could have broken your jaw.”

  Laura Taylor stepped between them. “Let me see.” She ran her fingers over Maddie’s face, pressing gently on her cheek and jaw. “I don’t think anything’s broken.”

  “Is this part of your service as my Realtor?” Maddie asked.

  “I used to be an EMT.”

  “Here’s the ice.” Paul elbowed his way through the crowd and handed Quinn a plastic bag. Then he looked at Laura. “Why are you still here? I thought you went to bed at nine o’clock.”

  “Go screw yourself, Paul,” she said pleasantly. Then she walked away.

  Startled, Maddie watched Laura retreat as Quinn held the bag in place. The cold burned, but after a moment, it eased the pain in her cheek.

  “Get out of the way, all of you,” the older woman who’d been in the booth said. “Give the girl some breathing room.” She waited until everyone began moving away, then turned to Maddie. “I’m Sue Schmidt. Give me that ice pack, Quinn. I’ll help her with it.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got it,” he answered.

  “You’ve got a pub to run,” Sue said. “Go do it.”

  There was a moment of tense silence. Finally, he said, “Yes, ma’am.” He leaned around the older woman to look Maddie in the eye. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Wishing he had stayed, Maddie watched out of her right eye as he walked away. Her left eye was swollen almost shut.

  Sue slid into the seat beside her and took the ice bag. “I taught Quinn when he was in eighth grade, and he was a handful even then. You have to speak sternly to him.” She eased the ice off Maddie’s face for a moment. “You’re going to have a bruise. But I think you’ll avoid a black eye.”

  Speak sternly to Quinn? Maddie hid her smile and sat up straight, taking the bag away from the woman. “Thanks. The ice is helping. I’ve got it now.”

  Sue nodded. “I’ll find you a glass of water.”

  As she hurried away, others came by, asking if she was okay. Paul leaned in and said, “I think you went above and beyond the call of duty.” He studied her cheek. “J.D. better watch out. I’ve never seen Quinn in a rage before. It’s pretty scary.”

  Maddie set the ice on the table. “He better not do anything stupid.”

  Paul shook his head. “He’s way beyond stupid. He’s into dangerously hormonal territory.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” Maddie said. She moved her jaw from side to side experimentally, and the pain wasn’t bad.
More like a dull ache now. “J.D. wasn’t trying to hit me.”

  “But he did,” Paul said quietly. “Quinn is entitled to be angry.”

  Maddie glared at him, although she was afraid the effect was lessened by the fact that she could only use one eye. “Entitled? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “This is his place, and a patron assaulted an employee.” He raised his eyebrows. “What did you think I meant?”

  “Oh. Right.”

  Paul’s eyes twinkled as he stepped away, and she stood slowly. The room tilted to one side, then righted. “I’m ready to go back to work.”

  “You’re going to sit back down and stay there until I get my car,” Sue said briskly, setting a glass of water on the table. “Then I’m driving you home.”

  “I can’t do that,” Maddie said. The pub was still crowded, and no one was about to leave. They’d be talking about the drama for days. “I have to work.” She looked toward the bar, where Quinn was filling orders as he kept an eye on her. “I’m the only waitress.”

  Sue scoffed. “What do you think he did before you started working here? He’ll be fine. Now sit down.”

  She turned to leave, apparently believing that Maddie would obey her. Instead, Maddie made her way to the bar. Quinn hurried to intercept her.

  “What are you doing? Sit down.” He skimmed his finger over the bruise, and his expression darkened. “J.D. is going to be sorry he was born.”

  “It’s fine, Quinn,” she said firmly. “It hardly even hurts anymore.”

  “I can’t believe Sue let you leave that booth.”

  “She went to get her car. She says she’s driving me home, but I told her I wanted to work.”

  “She’s right,” he said. “You should go home and take care of that bruise. Put your feet up and ice it.” He smiled. “You can try saying no to Sue, but you won’t win.”

  “Yeah, she’s a little intimidating.”

  “Not once you get to know her,” he said quietly. “She did a lot for me.”

  “She said the secret to handling you is to speak sternly. I’ll have to remember that.”

  “There are other ways to handle me.”

  Before Maddie could answer, one of the regulars, a burly man with blond hair, put his hand on her shoulder. “You okay, Maddie? You need boxing lessons if you’re going to take on J.D. I’ll teach you how to punch back.”