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June, 2008
Elizabeth Clark felt a strange calm wash over her as she drove past the sign welcoming her back to Edge Lake. It almost felt like it was written for her. This was the place where her mom was happy once. Even if just for a little while.
She drove past the big lake the town was named after; this side of town had all the big, oversized, overpriced houses surrounding it. Ten minutes down was a public swimming and fishing area, where she recalled some fun days with her mom. Her mom's old friend Joey had even taught her how to fish one random afternoon.
Joey made her smile fondly; he had been the one to help her and her mom all those years ago; he'd helped them find that house in the alley behind his bar, and had always been there for them, as much as he could anyhow. Beth was looking forward to seeing him again.
A string of bad luck brought Beth back to Edge Lake. First, she caught her boyfriend cheating and kicked him out but forgot to obtain his share of the rent first. Her landlord was the nicest guy on the planet; however, he couldn't give her another break on the rent. He had a boss, too; everyone does.
So, as a last resort, she showed up at the restaurant she worked at. Hoping to take on an extra shift, ad ended up running into the cheating ex. They got into it with him over the rent money, voices got raised, and she got fired.
Beth had left the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk in the middle of the city., feeling utterly defeated by life and having no idea what to do.
That was when she remembered what Joey said on the day they'd left town; he told Beth could call him anytime she needed him, no matter what. She never lost that little piece of paper with his phone number through all the years.
Luckily, Joey was happy to hear from her, and it turned out he needed help at his bar. He'd ironically just lost his night bartender. The tips wouldn't even be close to what she was making in Chicago, but she'd need less to get by in small-town Wisconsin.
Beth pulled onto Main Street and into the small but bustling town and was amazed at how it all looked the same. Small towns have a way of doing that. It was like a picture of perfection after living in a loud and noisy city for years.
There was a small motel just on the edge of the town, it didn't have the best reviews, but it was cheap. It was also across the street from Joey's Place, the bar she'd be working at, so she'd call it home for now.
Beth was relived as she parked in front of the lobby area. She had been driving since before the sun came up and was glad to get out of her beat-up, old red Toyota. Stepping inside to find a small space with a desk, a laundry room, and a lounge area. A redhead girl was behind the desk as talking a dark-haired boy in a leather coat.
"Can I help you?" The girl looked annoyed at the interruption. Beth considered telling her she was doing her a favor. That boy and his leather jacket looked like trouble.
"Beth Clark? I should be in room seven."
The girl pushed a few buttons on her computer and nodded. She opened a drawer and grabbed a set of keys. Old school, but so was Edge Lake.
"Here's your keys. It's the second to last room on the left." The girl handed her the keys. Beth could feel the teenage boy's eyes on her and nearly laughed. He couldn't even be sixteen.
"Have a goodnight now," redhead said in a clear, get out of here, tone.
Beth left redhead to make bad decisions with leather boy and slipped out the door.
She returned to her car and parked outside her entrance into the motel. Once parked, she grabbed her big trusty duffel bag and headed inside.
The room was small and in a rougher shape than she anticipated. The carpet was a rusty color that was once maybe red but was now faded and worn. The walls were stained yellow from cigarette smoke. There was one sizable window facing the parking lot and a heater/air conditioner she could control next to it.
The bathroom was off to the side when she walked in; she dropped her bag down outside of it and stepped in. It was tiny, and a lot of the tiles were broken. At least it looked clean, however. There was a floor-length mirror on the door, and she took a moment to peer into it.
It had been a long and tiring day of driving, her pale skin and weary-looking blue eyes reflected this. Her dark chocolate brown hair was pulled into a messy bun, and all the strands fell around her face. The Pink Floyd vintage tee she'd word was wrinkled and stained with coffee, or was it soda? Hard to tell.
Beth decided to head on over to Joey's Place; she could use a beer and a bite to eat. It would be nice to get familiar with where she would be working. She couldn't wait to see her old friend, and maybe even his son too. Would Drew remember her all these years later?
After a quick change into a stain-free tee shirt, a basic white one, with a black and red flannel over it. Along with her favorite black boots, Beth was ready to head out, and grabbed her purse on the way out the door.
There were few people walking around the window shopping as she walked down Main Street. Along with a a handful of cars parked alongside the road. The parking officer was walking from car to car and checking the tolls.
The day was starting to fade into the evening, and there was a slight chill. She pulled her flannel a bit tighter and hastened her steps. As she grew closer to the bar, she was hit by the force of someone walking out in a huge hurry. The impact was sudden and hard. Two strong arms gripped her waist, preventing them from spilling onto the sidewalk.
"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise.
"Watch where you're" -
As they stood and their eyes locked, he abruptly stopped talking. Beth was also speechless as she looked up and into the face of what could be a male model. His ashy brown hair was styled to make it look messy on purpose. It framed a gorgeous face, flawless and smooth tanned skin, cheeks chiseled to perfection, a solid and defined jawline, and full lips. She realized she was staring, but so was he, with deep brown eyes that were searching hers curiously.
She couldn't help but feel like there was something so familiar about them...
At that moment, she realized that he was still holding her. One hand had a grip on her arm, and the other was placed gently on her waist. Was it always on her waist, or did he slide it down? Why hadn't he moved it? Not that she was trying to move away from him, either.
Just as she was about to get her bearings and say something, anything, he saw something from behind her. His eyes changed, hardened, and his lips curled into an angry scowl.
"Excuse me," he said distractedly, and his hands, just like that, were gone. He walked past her, and she stood still, stunned over this weird moment.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
She heard him yell out, and her trance was broken. She turned to see him getting into the face of the parking officer. There was a black convertible that the officer was ticketing.
"Meter's up," the officer said firmly.
"Do you have any idea who my stepfather is!" he snarled back rudely.
"I guess he's an ass," she mumbled under her breath.
Aren't they all? She reminded herself. Without wasting another moment, she stepped into the bar.
It was a small bar with brick walls and concrete floors. There were a handful of tables spread out over the open floor. Over in the corner sat a pool table and a jukebox. There weren't many people inside, just a few old men sitting at the end of the bar. There was a gray-haired man behind the bar with his back to her. He was looking at a stack of papers in his hand.
"Joey?" she stepped a little closer.
He quickly set the papers down and turned to look. His eyes lit up at the sight of her. His face had gotten weathered from the years, but he still had that warm smile and kind regards.
"We'll I'd recognize those ocean blues anywhere. Elizabeth! It's so good to see you!"
He came out from behind the bar and enveloped her in a big, comforting hug. She happily returned it. He was smaller than she remembered, but then again, she was bigger than she was back then.
"Good to be here, Joey," she smiled as they parted. "Call me Beth, though."
"You still go by Beth after all these years?" A tiny flicker flashed in his eyes, "Isn't that the nickname my son gave you?"
"I just liked it." She shrugged it off.
Truthfully, Drew did leave an impression on her. They were just kids, but she was a total wreck that day, and he was so comforting. He was so young yet so sweet and kind, not to mention cute. Beth may have developed a slight crush on him after that day. Not that it mattered. They moved away, and she never saw him again.
"Well, Beth, I am so happy to have you on the team."
"She's real pretty," one of the guys at the end of the bar said. He was an older man with friendly brown eyes and curly white hair. He had two buddies on either side of him. A larger lumberjack-looking man with a scowl on his face and a short guy wearing suspenders and a top hat.
"Thanks," she laughed.
"Watch it, Earl," Joey warned. "She's young enough to be your granddaughter."
"Great granddaughter!" The lumberjack next to him joked, earning a glare from Earl.
Earl mumbled something and then got back to his beer. The top hat guy laughed at his grumpy expression.
"Did you drive the whole way through?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, but I left early enough to make decent time." She yawned, realizing how beat she was.
"You must be starved. Come sit," he directed. "I'll make you something to eat."
She climbed up on a stool and sat down; she noted a small grill, a little pizza oven, and a few fryers behind the bar.
"Is a burger okay?"
"A burger is perfect," she smiled. "Does it come with a beer?"
"Take your pick." He pointed to the taps.
"A Coors is just fine."
He filled up a nice frosty glass for her, and she wasted no time enjoying it. It tasted so refreshing after a long day of driving.
Joey tossed a burger on and then turned back to look at her.
"Fifteen years," he said softly. "It feels like yesterday."
"It does, doesn't it?"
"I heard about your mom's overdose last year. I'm so sorry," his voice grew rough, and a tear formed in his eye.
"Thank you, but I'm okay, honestly," she confessed. "I knew that call would come for a long time. I was prepared for it."
"Still couldn't have been easy," he pointed out.
She nodded to that as she tipped her beer back. "At least she waited till I was an adult, so I didn't end up in the system."
"I wish I could have helped her more." Joey frowned, and there was so much regret in his eyes.
"You did everything you could for her and then some," Beth promised.
"I tried. I tried as much as I could, but Emma," his voice trailed off. "...anyways, it's ancient history."
He turned to flip her burger, and he also dropped some fries down.
"My mom had mentioned you got divorced. I'm sorry," she offered.
"It was ages ago." He handed her a basket with the burger and a pile of fries. Her mouth watered at the sight of it. "Also, not something you should apologize for. That was all me."
"All you wanted to do was help my mom," she argued.
"It was why I wanted to help her." He looked far away for a moment. "Let's not revisit those days today."
"Agreed." She munched on a fry. It was crispy, salty, and perfect. She tried the burger next, and it might have been the juiciest and best burger she had ever had. So much so that she closed her eyes and savored the taste for a long moment.
"Joey! This is amazing," she exclaimed once she was finally done chewing.
He beamed proudly. "I perfected my burger through the years."
"How is Dre.. Andrew...your son?" she tried to stop herself from using his nickname and only made herself sound weirder in the process. Way to go, Beth, she thought to herself as she cringed.
Joey's eyes shifted to those papers he was looking at when she walked in.
"Andrew is... Andrew," he spoke carefully, and she studied him curiously, wondering why he sounded so off.
"You'll meet him at some point, I'm sure," he added.
"Meet who? ...and who do we have here?" A man came in and sat next to her at the bar.
She looked over at him and was taken aback; by the huge, tattooed man plopped on the stool next to her. Muscles were rippling out of his tight-fitted shirt, and his arms were covered in ink. His face was decorated with an eyebrow piercing and a nose ring. His head was shaved, and he had a big beard that added to the rugged look.
"Slater, this is Beth," Joey made the introduction. "Our other bartender and cook."
"Hey, nice to meet you." She smiled, and he quickly returned it.
"Likewise." He looked her over. "You sure you're tough enough? Some of the late-night guys can get a little unruly."
She scoffed, "I'm from Chicago. I got this."
"Okay, okay!" He held his hands up. "I won't get in your way, then."
"She may be small, but she's tough," Joey chimed in.
"She'll need to be. Earl over there always tries to get one over on you. Don't let him," Slater talked loud enough to get the older man to look and hold up a middle finger. Slater and Joey laughed, and then the three guys at the bar did, too, including Earl.
Once she saw Slater was joking around, she joined in. She had a good feeling. This was going to be a great fit.
"Who were you talking about when I came in?" Slater asked Joey, "the regulars are here."
"Andrew," Joey said, and she could see a tense look on his face.
"Let's hope you don't have the pleasure of meeting him too soon," Slater said, and the sarcasm was evident in his tone.
"Why?"
"He can be a little rude sometimes. If he bothers you, just let me know," Joey told her.
Drew? Rude? That didn't sound like the boy she'd met. Then again, it was a long time ago.
"A little rude!?" Slater scoffed.
"Andrew is rude?" Beth couldn't wrap her head around it as she envisioned that sweet boy all those years ago.
"He's a total ass!" Slater informed her, "likes to pretend he owns the place. He always comes in making demands. If he wasn't Joey's son, I'd"-
"Enough," Joey stopped him. "Let's not scare Beth now."
"I'm not going anywhere, Joey," she assured him. "I don't scare easily."
Besides, he couldn't be that bad, could he?
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