Carpe Bead'em Read Free Page B

of
doing business and catering to varied clientele.
    The seating is the shape of quarter-moon
with black velvet coverings.  The red and black plush pillows add to the
comfort.  The tables are also geometrically shaped to fit the bench. The bar is
all cherry wood, with tall cherry bar stools covered with leather. This is
definitely a high-end blues bar.
    Bo is nowhere in sight, as usual. I sit
next to a couple completely making out to a Stevie Ray Vaughan song the band is
belting out.
    “Get a room.” My hand tries to slap the
words back in my mouth when I realize what I just said.
    I completely let that one slip.
    “What did you say?” The female half of
the couple, a low-baring halter-top, bimbo leans into my face. She pokes me
with her fiberglass fake fingernail. “Loser.”
    I laugh when she walks away, waving my
hand in front of my nose. She smells like a cross between an ashtray and
whiskey distillery.
    On the other side of the bar counter, I
catch a glimpse of Bo. He leans over, bright red lips whisper in his ear, and long
blonde hair trickles over his shoulder.
    I squint. I squint harder. I can’t
believe my eyes.
    Piper! She leans over the bar and
points to the girl next to her.
    The girl leans and stops before her
boobs pop out of her tight top. Bo’s eyes go straight to her cleavage as she
speaks to him. To make matters worse, he throws back his head joining them in
their stupid laughter and lets his eyes fall back to the valley between her
boobs.
    I throw back my overpriced drink and
head home. Alone.
    The thought of Bo and Piper makes my
blood boil even more than the idea of moving back to Cincinnati. I take my time
walking home, because I know I’m not going to be able to fall asleep.
    Could my day get any worse? I know I’m
going to have to do my three months in Cincinnati, and train for a marathon.
There are plenty of beautiful parks, just not plenty of beautiful Bos. Or even
the one beautiful Bo.
    Lucy is tucked in her room when I
tip-toe down the hall. I plop into bed and stare at the ceiling. I have a
sneaky feeling that I’m going to be doing a lot of this in the next three
months.
    Aunt Grace.
    “Hello, Aunt Grace.” I roll over and
stare at the clock. Four in the morning. At least it’s a little later than
usual.
    “I swear you are psychic just like your
mom,” she chimes in.
    “No, Aunt Grace. Caller ID.”
    She exhausts me.

 
    Chapter Six
     
     
    The start of today is beginning to be
just as bad as the end of yesterday. The only way to get rid of this headache
is a good cup of coffee from Addicted to the Bean, which I grab on my way to
work.
    I need to clean out my office. It’s
early, no one will be there to ask any questions or make me feel worse than I
already do.
    I worked hard to get where I am, not
only in life, but also in my professional career. Even though it’s a promotion,
I feel it’s a big step in the wrong direction. Piper is the leader in this
Simon Says game.
    “Great,” I mutter under my breath when I
see the lights on in the store.
    See what happens when I take a day off,
the associates forget to check off the closing list.
    “Hello?” A voice echoes from my office.
    “Hello?” I yell back after I grab an
empty hanger off the return cart. It might come in handy if I need a weapon.
    “Hallie, is that you?” Piper’s blonde
head pokes around my office door.
    “Piper?”
    Damn. She always beats me to the punch.
I can’t even clean out my desk without her here.
    “What are you doing here?” Her head cocks
to the side.
    “What are you doing here?” I question
her back.
    “The ball rolling. No sense in the
delay.  Everyone is ready for you to transfer.” She drags her finger along the
edge of my desk and sits in my chair. “I was going to call you later
today to discuss your package.”
    Seeing her in my chair really
pisses me off.
    “What package?” There’s a package
already?
    “I think you’ll find it rather cushy.”
She holds a large manila