The Replacement Girlfriend

Chapter 64

64. Eat the Middle First

            A long exasperated breath cascaded from Chase’s lips, and then he grabbed a steady hold of LaCienega’s arm and pulled her up from her bar stool. “Come on,” he grumbled. “Home you go.” 

            She tore her arm apart from him in a moment’s notice and earned herself another sigh. He would have held on harder if not for the fact the girl’s arm was thin, and he didn’t want to do her more damage than the ones she was already carrying in her heart.

            His generosity went unnoticed. LaCienega's only response seemed to be her determination to wave down the bartender as she sat back down on her stool. “Can I get another please?” She pointed down at her empty glass before changing the direction of her finger to point at Chase. “And one for my friend.”

            The bartender gave Chase a look just to confirm, but Chase shook his head. “Nothing for me.”  Then he had second thoughts and cleared his throat to get the bartender’s attention again. “Actually, can I get a glass of water? Make that three of them.”

            Why not? It was three in the morning, and Krislynn was probably fast asleep at home by now. He didn’t really have a place he needed to hurry to be. “How did you even get here anyways?” He sat down on the stool beside hers. As far as Jace told him, LaCienega didn’t leave the house with anything but her phone and God knows she hadn’t been answering that all day. “Don’t tell me you actually walked all the way here.”

            She laughed. “I gave the taxi driver my phone. Told him I’d pay him tomorrow.”

            Well that was reckless, he thought, but it wasn’t as bad as his previous imaginations were so he let it slide as the bartender came over and placed their drinks in front of them. “And how did you pay for your drinks?” He asked, glancing up at the bulky bartender with a raised eyebrow.

            “With this,” the bartender grumbled. He reached inside the pocket of his pants and in a moment made a loud clack sound when he banged the object against the wooden counter.

            Chase’s face grew dark the second his eyes caught the quiet glint of the object in the dim lighting. “You gave him your engagement ring? Wow.” She shrugged and Chase wanted to whack his own head against the counter. “But Jace gave that to you! Doesn’t that mean anything?”

            “Not now it doesn’t!” She screamed.

            “Lookee here, I don’t pry into my customers’ business,” the bartender stated indifferently. “Ring’s nice and all, but I’d rather the dough. Too much burden.”

            Sighing, Chase reached for his wallet. “How much does she owe you?” He muttered. “We’ll take the ring back.”

            “I don’t want it.” LaCienega’s whimpers were uncontrollable as Chase made the quick exchange with the bartender, but he didn’t care. If she wanted to get rid of the ring, that was reasonable, but she should give it back to Jace and maybe get a bit of her dignity back rather than trade it for cheap liquor at a cheap pub.