Yeah, that could be the only reason the sea of faces I see day in and day out changes. Aside from a few exceptions – Emmett, for instance – people don’t exactly flock here on purpose.
Most, including myself, just happen upon Sweetville unexpectedly. In my situation, it was more convenience than anything else. I’d been exhausted from driving more hours than I should have, and the sign near the highway promised a place to rest a few miles down the road.
I’d booked a room for the night, fully intending to continue my aimless wandering the next morning, only to…stay. It was so far removed from where I’d been that I wanted to give it a chance.
The big city I’d spent my entire life in had become suffocating, so much so that the sound of my alarm waking me each day at six am started bringing on panic attacks. I knew if I didn’t leave that behind, and soon, I’d succumb to it. Never escaping, never breathing easy again. I would’ve choked on my responsibilities.
With nothing holding me there, my parents having had me in their late forties and retiring to the south as soon as I had a steady job, and no real friends to mention nor a significant other as I’d had no interest in dating for at least a decade, there was no reason to continue killing myself. I walked away, my only regret being that I hadn’t done it sooner.
Within two months of moving here, my past was nothing but a not so pleasant distant memory, a part of myself I preferred to pretend never existed. Which to the open book people here, means I’m hiding something. And I guess in a way, I am. Just not in the manner they might expect.
They aren’t harboring a fugitive, nor a member of WITSEC, which seems to be the favored theories. I’m simply a man that wants this to be a clean slate with nothing left from the previous etching.
“You plan on clocking in or should I send the customers out here for their drinks?” Dec asks from beside me through my open window.
“If I choose option b do I still get paid?” He laughs in response to my question, then tells me to get my ass inside. I may bitch and moan sometimes about his refusal to stop trying to be my friend, and his boasting when he succeeded, but I gotta say, it’s kinda nice having one. Not that I’ll admit it. Ever. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I still have,” a glance at my cell, “fifteen minutes to sit out here and do nothing.”
“Then you’ll go in there and do nothing?” He cracks, making me flip him off.
“I’d like to speak to your HR department.” Now he holds up his middle finger, indicating that’s who is in charge of employee complaints. “I’m telling your wife,” I mumble.
“You’re fired.”
“Like you can run the place without me.” He concedes my point and I open my door to officially begin my shift. Being a Friday, it’ll be a long one since Dec started offering live music on the weekends.
Most would be surprised to learn I’m actually a lawyer. Legally allowed to practice in New York City of all places, yet here I am slinging drinks, wiping down the bar, and keeping the inventory well-stocked. I’ve never been happier…in some cases. There are still areas that are stagnant, so to speak, but what are the odds that’ll ever change? And do I want them to?
–––
The place is packed, everyone ready to relax after the work week, whether that be by eating out, having a drink or two, visiting with friends, or all three. Of course, the promise of being entertained by River Clark as she croons about love, loss, and whatever else strikes her fancy this evening doesn’t hurt either.
I’ve been drawing beers, mixing drinks, and keeping an eye on our stock, mentally adding as needed for the next order, for hours, and I still have quite a few to go. I’m dead on my feet, tired, and hungry – despite the burger Dec slapped down in front of me earlier with a demand that I eat it or suffer the consequences. Those being his mom’s disappointment in me not taking care of myself, a viable and effective threat. However, I paste a smile on my face, figuratively speaking, of course, and do my job. It still beats sitting in a courtroom, my hands tied as I defend a person I know is guilty. The first time, you suck it up and do what you’re being paid to, though you hate every minute of it. But every one after that? It chips away at your soul, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left and you’re a shell of who you once were.
Those holes that formed prior to my leaving, they’re slowly regenerating, though I’m not returning to the man I once was. Thank god.
I’m becoming someone new, and…I like him.
Chapter Two
Cydne
March 19th…
I’ve been here two weeks and my new friend, Nora, is adamant about taking me out. Said it’s to celebrate my anniversary of being a Sweetville resident. She was so well, sweet about it, that I couldn’t say no. Not that she would’ve listened.
Apparently, we’re going to the local pub her husband, Declan, owns. I’d raised a brow at the name, causing her to laugh as she assured me it’s part of the town’s charm. Punny names are their thing. With businesses like Tap That, our destination, Nailed It Construction, and Fork Yeah, just to name a few, as proof, I couldn’t disagree. Since coming here, I’ve been so busy getting settled in, finding employment, and so on, that I’m looking forward to a girls’ night. It’ll be my first…ever.
I remove a long-sleeve shirt and nice jeans from my closet and throw them on, matching both with a pair of black ankle boots. Not exactly going out attire where I come from, but here it’s perfect for a Friday night. Besides, it’s not as if I’m trolling for guys.
“It’ll be fine,” Nora assures me. “You’ll have fun. We’ll eat good food, listen to some even better music – don’t tell Declan I said that, then we’ll call it an evening before you turn into a pumpkin.”
I bump my shoulder with hers, soaking in the friendship she offers without any strings, and say, “Let’s rock this joint.” Then we walk inside and I lament the fact that the single door instead of the set of swinging ones I’d envisioned ruined the effect of the dramatic entrance I was going for, something I confess to Nora with a disappointed sigh.
But as I feel numerous eyes turn toward us, she states with a smirk, “Looks like you didn’t need it.” Then she waves at a few, calling out the names of a couple, and they respond with varying degrees of politeness. I’m glancing around, which is when I notice the man behind the bar with dark brown hair. He gives her a nod, which she returns, as if that’s their thing. Which makes me jealous, a stupid reaction considering she and Dec are utterly devoted to each other. Despite their familiarity, understandable as he works for her husband I remind myself, his eyes skirt to me and stay there.
“Welcome wagon?” I ask, referring to the attention from the crowd.
“Nah, they just want to be the first to get all the gossip about the newbie.” A glance around has me pointing out that the majority are men. “They’re the worst.” Nora leads us to a booth, indicating for me to choose which side I want, then she slides in across from me.