The Baby Bargain Read Free Page B

been nice. For a minute there, she'd almost felt as if she wasn't out of place. Retro look? Tiffany had made it sound like a compliment. Was it possible that she looked like she was making some sort of a fashion statement? The thought almost made her smile.
    She fished for her shoe, edging back as one of the waitresses headed toward her comer. One of the first things she'd realized was that one didn't come to a bar without planning on drinking.
    Even if she had known what to order, she didn't have any money. So far no one seemed to be paying any attention to the fact that she wasn't drinking. In fact, no one seemed to be paying any attention to her at all.
    Aside from the brief moment when Tiffany had spoken to her, she might as well have been invisible. Her fantasies had never been quite like this. She'd been a little sketchy on details but she'd certainly never imagined herself feeling so out of place, so invisible. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd been jostled and bumped more times than she could count, she might have begun to wonder if she was even here at all.
    If a girl goes into a bar but nobody sees her, is she really there at all?
    Kelly almost giggled at the absurdity of the question. Her forehead felt clammy and there was a vague buzzing in her ears. She should have eaten more at supper. Her stomach felt hollow. She watched a waitress go by with a tray of drinks and licked her lips, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. A glass of water sounded like heaven but she didn't dare ask for it, didn't dare risk drawing attention to herself.
    Maybe if she went to the ladies' room, splashed a little water on her face, she'd feel better. But the sign for the rest rooms was all the way across the room. Just the thought of trying to make her way through all those people made her feel dizzy.
    Everywhere she looked, people leaned against walls or stood next to the bar or sat in booths, or rocked back and forth on the tiny dance floor. Everyone was laughing and talking, smiling and drinking, apparently having the time of their lives. Everyone was with someone else.
    She had been lonely most of her life but she'd never been quite so aware of being alone. Here, in this crowd of people, her aloneness was so obvious, so real. She felt as if she were the only person in the world who didn't have someone to talk with.
    ❧
    Dan tried to remember what impulse had led him here, to this noisy bar. He'd had some vague thought about getting out among other people being good for him. After all, it was New Year's Eve, a time to celebrate and have fun. So was he having fun yet? he asked himself cynically.
    He picked up the shot glass of whiskey and downed the last swallow. If he remembered correctly, the cat had eaten most of his dinner. Too much alcohol on an empty stomach was not a good idea. He picked up a handful of pretzels from the bowl on the bar and signaled the bartender for a refill.
    Lifting the fresh drink, Dan caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror that lined the back of the bar. He lowered the drink slowly, frowning at his reflection in the smoky glass. Was it just his imagination or did he look totally out of place, like an ill-tempered wolf in a group of happy puppies?
    His scowl deepened. He wasn't any older than most of these people. Not in years, at least. But in terms of experience, he felt decades older. Two years in a Central America prison, accused of being a spy, was enough to drum the youth out of almost anyone, he supposed.
    He'd thought that coming back to Remembrance, coming home, he would be able to put those years behind him. He'd been a fool. You couldn't go home, you couldn't go back. All you could do was keep going and hope you found some reason for continuing.
    He turned away from the mirror, downing the shot of whiskey as he leaned back against the bar. What were they all celebrating, anyway? A new year, new problems, new bills. What was to celebrate? A year just past, spent alone. A year coming up,