Steady as the Snow Falls (15 page)

Beth laughed and handed Wally his beer. “Yeah. Sure. If I’m still functioning halfway decent by closing time.”

Jennifer was in her early thirties and, after divorcing her husband of three years, moved to Crystal Lake just over a year ago. She had no children, but she wanted them. She had no significant other at the moment, and she seemed to like it that way. Beth instantly liked Jennifer when she said she caught her husband with her best friend, and instead of going after the friend, like so many women did, she went after her husband. With a baseball bat. Minor harm came to him, but his car was a different story.

“I don’t know,” Jennifer said with a feigned look of concern on her face. “If Ozzy’s spies find out about you being at my place so late at night, the next rumor will be that you’re dating me.”

Beth rolled her eyes as she made a rum and cola for Eric Johnson, a brown-haired man who worked at a car mechanic shop and came in only on the days and nights when Jennifer worked. He had a nice, shy smile, and as far as she knew, he was one of the decent guys in town. But Beth wasn’t saying anything to Jennifer. If Eric was interested, he needed to speak up. Beth had learned early in life it was best to worry about herself and no one else. Too bad the majority of the town hadn’t learned the same.

She thanked him when he said to keep the change, and looked at Jennifer. “I’m tempted to start that rumor myself just to shut everyone up.”

Jennifer laughed and squeezed Beth’s shoulder as she swept by, her sugary fruit-scented perfume coming and going with her. “Most—or all, really—of the men would secretly like that a little too much. Can you imagine the business The Lucky Coin would get then? Think of all the men who’d come in hopes of catching a show,” she called as she walked backward to the ice machine.

Beth grinned and took a drink order. 

The DJ started at eight on the dot, and the area was flooded with sound. The bass vibrated through the walls and Beth’s body, and she danced along as she waited on customers. ‘Unsteady’ by X Ambassadors came on after three fast-paced songs, and she was blasted by thoughts of Harrison, the one person she was desperately trying not to think about. Beth almost dropped a bottle of flavored beer and set it down with a thump before a frowning woman. She muttered an apology and wiped her clammy hands on the backs of her jeans.

“Should we tell the DJ no one likes slow music until they’re really good and drunk?” Jennifer commented as she nodded to the one couple who were making a halfhearted attempt at slow dancing. Other than them, the floor was empty.

“They do,” Beth stated, jerking her chin at the couple.

Jennifer snorted. “They probably started earlier than everyone else. What time is Deb coming in?”

“She said by eleven,” Beth answered, pushing loose strands of hair behind her ears.

“Eleven needs to get here, like, an hour ago. It’s crazy in here.” Jennifer chugged a bottle of water and handed a full one to Beth.

She thanked her for the water. Beth didn’t mind the chaos. It kept her mind preoccupied.

As the hour neared ten, Ozzy showed up with Kelly Burbach, the woman who’d watched them when they’d attempted to have a drink together earlier in the week. It seemed like months ago. Beth paused as she took in his unkempt good looks. The overhead lights, even dimmed, haloed his pale brown hair and added a golden sheen to it. He looked around the room with unhurried confidence, taking in his domain with the cool calmness of someone who belonged, and knew it.

She remembered how it used to physically hurt to look at him—because he was bright, as beautiful as a sun-kissed day. Beth didn’t see that beauty anymore. She saw something pretending to be bright.

As if honed to the pace of her heartbeat, his eyes found hers. Ozzy kept his face neutral as he pulled Kelly closer, and before Beth could look away, he kissed her. It was deep and endless, telling Beth he was done with her, not the other way around. The kiss told her he was in control, not her. She waited for an emotion to hit her, but there was nothing, other than minor sadness. She turned away, her ponytail bouncing against her back as she strode to the opposite end of the bar.

“What can I get you, Sally?” she asked the loan officer who worked at one of the two banks in town. The gray satin blouse matched her eyes, and her black bob was side-parted, the dark locks hugging either side of her angular face.

“Orange juice and vodka, please, Beth.” The woman smiled politely.

Her hands working like lightning as she prepared the cocktail, Beth handed her the drink and took the offered money. “How is Henry doing?”

Sally’s husband was the high school principal and had a minor heart attack a month or so ago. Beth handed Sally her change.

“He’s doing well, but he isn’t one to sit still for long. He’s a cantankerous patient.”

“I bet. I remember him pacing the hallways during school.” Beth smiled.

Sally’s lips pulled into a real smile. “Restless man.” She stood with her drink in hand. “I have some ladies waiting for me at a table. They dragged me out tonight, claiming I wasn’t doing Henry any good by hovering. Henry agreed.”

“Have fun. Be sure to dance.”

The middle-aged woman chuckled, her gray eyes shining. “I might, if they play a song I like.”

“In that case, you might have to request something,” Beth told her, waving as Sally turned to meet her friends.

Finding a lull in drink orders, Beth went about restocking condiments and relishes.

“Do you want me to beat him up? Or her. I’m not picky.”

Beth glanced at the pair as she cut up lemons and refilled the container of them. Ozzy had his hands all over Kelly, his front pressed to hers, a corner of his mouth hitched in that dazzling way of his. His expression said that Kelly was special, and that for the moment, he adored her. Not even a sliver of space was between the couple.

“It’s okay,” she told her friend. “It doesn’t bother me.”

Ozzy shifted his attention to the bar, and Beth. Everything about him oozed vengeance.

She looked away.

Jennifer’s jaw shifted to the side as she stared at the pair, the scent of menace strong on her. “Well, it should. He only came in here because he knew you were working, and he’s trying to hurt you. What a dick move to pull on someone you supposedly love, or even used to love. He mopes around in here during the day like you broke his heart, and now look at him. And how stupid is she? She should know what he’s doing. Guys aren’t all that original. If she has even half a brain, she could figure it out.”

“Not if she doesn’t want to,” Beth said quietly, part of her feeling bad for Kelly. Once embedded in the heart, it was hard to remove Ozzy from it.

“God, this town pisses me off. Bunch of hillbilly fucks,” Jennifer muttered, swiping bangs from her eyes.

Beth smiled, unable to take offense. Besides, she knew Jennifer didn’t consider her part of the community, even though she’d lived in Crystal Lake her whole life. Jennifer told her once it was because she didn’t act inbred like the majority of the town.

“He’s acting like this because he knows we’re done. For good. It’s his form of retaliation,” Beth explained, grabbing a dishcloth and wiping wet spots from the counter.

“Childish prick.”

Beth laughed and patted Jennifer’s tense forearm with her free hand. “You’re a good friend, and I appreciate your support. I can handle him.”

Jennifer turned narrowed eyes on Beth. “You shouldn’t have to.”

She shrugged and slung the damp dishcloth over her shoulder. The water held within the rag seeped through her shirt and onto her skin. “Lots of people deal with things they shouldn’t have to.” Her thoughts turned to Harrison and Beth’s skin prickled.

“Incoming,” Jennifer warned, setting herself in front of Beth and blocking her from Ozzy.

“I got this.” She placed a hand on her arm. “It’s okay. Really.”

With a scowl twisting her features, Jennifer stepped to the side. “If you need me, I’ll be right over here.” She pointed to the other end of the cramped bar and marched in that direction.

“Hi, Beth.” Ozzy’s eyes glittered with golden intensity.

“Did you need something, Ozzy?” Beth made sure to keep her gaze averted.

“Just wanted to say hi.”

“You said it,” she said, finally looking at him.

Ozzy tapped his long fingers on the countertop, looking down and up. His eyebrows lowered, giving him a contrite appearance. “Listen, Kelly and I—”

“I don’t need to know. Whatever you do is none of my business, just like whatever I do is none of yours.” It was a reminder to him, and Beth knew he caught it when his mouth fell into a thin line. “If you don’t need anything, I have other people to wait on.”

She moved to turn away, but his hand clamped around her wrist, halting her. “You’re wearing the shirt I got you for Christmas last year.”

Beth glanced down at the emerald green top with silver thread along the collar, jerking back her wrist to try to get it out of his grasp. Ozzy held it a beat, letting her know he was only releasing her because he decided to. Beth swallowed, something like fear clenching her stomach. She told herself that wasn’t it, and that it was silly to be scared of Ozzy.

But when Beth looked into his eyes, she didn’t see Ozzy. She saw a man, and a reminder, and someone who could hurt when he chose.

“It wasn’t on purpose.”

“Maybe not consciously.” He smiled, but there was nothing beautiful about it.

“Not even subconsciously.”

“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

Beth studied his features, seeing hardness in the lines and hollows she didn’t remember being there. His lips hinted at cruelty, and his eyes gleamed with hostile fire. With shallow breaths and a chaotic pulse, she moved down the bar, away from Ozzy. He watched her with a clenched jaw and fire in his eyes. He didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t take his eyes off her for a good, long while.

By midnight, a large portion of the patrons were intoxicated; others were headed in that direction. From what she’d seen, Ozzy was close to there as well. Before his mom showed up, he’d walked around the bar and restocked drinks for him and Kelly more times than Beth could keep track of. She was careful to stay out of his way after the first time he purposely slid his front across her back. After Deb got there, he stayed on the other side of the bar.

The music volume stayed the same, but the voices got louder. The once empty area in front of the DJ was full of dancing bodies. There were lines of people around the counter and more waiting behind them. Alcohol made people act how they normally wouldn’t, and seeing it in motion as often as she did with bartending, Beth didn’t drink much. If something could alter her actions and thoughts like that, she wanted to stay away from it.

Deb, Ozzy’s mom and co-owner of the bar, pulled Beth aside and pointed to where Ozzy and Kelly were making out on the dance floor. “What is going on with my son and Kelly Burbach?”

Beth appreciated how Dan and Deb looked at both sides of every story, and didn’t pass judgment. They didn’t blame her for her and Ozzy’s breakup, but they did let her know they were saddened by it. They didn’t try to make her feel bad about choosing to move on from Ozzy, and she respected them for it. But they also couldn’t accept that she was no longer a part of his life.

She looked at the short and wiry woman whose eyes Ozzy inherited. “I think they’re dating, but I don’t know. They showed up together.”

Her sharp features hardened as she watched her son. “I always hope he’ll decide to grow up and make good decisions, but I don’t see that day coming all that soon.” Deb turned to Beth. “Kelly Burbach is a tramp. She’s fooled around with just about every guy in this town within five years of her age.”

Beth blinked. “Oh?”

Deb gave her a look. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“Well, I…” she trailed off, shrugging. “Too often people in this town talk about things that don’t directly involve them.” Like Ozzy’s gaggle of friends and family who kept tabs on her for him. As far as she knew, his parents were not part of that group.

“Hmm,” was all Deb said before turning to yell at a customer who loudly remarked that she wasn’t moving fast enough with his beer.

The lights flipped on full force at closing time, signaling the end of the night. With a few protests, the remaining people trickled out the door, some of them stumbling and needing help to get there. Deb, Jennifer, and Beth worked to get the place in order before taking off. Beth was aware of Ozzy sitting at a table across the room and the way he watched her with dark, hooded eyes. Kelly was nowhere in sight.

“I don’t know how you aren’t creeped out by him, because I am, and he’s not even staring at me,” Jennifer said as they washed up and dried the last of the bar glasses.

“He’s drunk. I’m sure he’s just waiting for his mom to give him a ride home.” She outwardly brushed off Jennifer’s concern even as apprehension pulsed through her.

“We leave together.” Jennifer held her gaze until Beth nodded.

Ozzy staggered to his feet as Beth and Jennifer approached the front door, reaching out a hand and ensnaring Beth by the arm when they passed him. “Hey. I want to talk to you,” he said in slow fragments. He smelled like beer and swayed on his feet, his eyes half closed and out of focus.