“Ugh. No, I let myself forget that, actually.”
“Sir?” the voice on the speaker asked.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“We will have to call you back. My boss said he will contact you in about an hour.”
“Fine,” I said. “If he doesn’t call back in an hour, I’ll be calling you in one hour and one minute.”
“Understood, sir,” he said.
I ended the call unceremoniously and stared at Everett.
“I have to make this call,” I said. “I have to make this call, then take the other guy’s call, and then I need a drink.”
“I drove you here,” he said.
“I know, but if I don’t get a beer in my system and take a few minutes to myself, I am personally going to wring someone’s neck. I would prefer if you didn’t try to stop me and make me choke you out too.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Everett said, bringing the drink to his lips. He stopped midway and laughed. “Fine, fine. Take the truck. I wouldn’t want to have to defend myself and knock you out in the process.”
“I’d welcome it,” I said. “A nice nap sounds good too.”
“Do that too, then,” Everett said. “Just go home. I’ll get Carter to bring me home after the shift.”
“Thanks, man. Now, get out of here before you have to hear me verbally threaten inept suppliers and permit people.”
Everett laughed and left, and I picked up the phone to dial the number of the person I had spoken to on Monday that had started the whole downward spiral.
An hour later, almost on the dot, I got the call from the supplier and worked out a deal that wasn’t terrible. It would keep us stocked up on some crucial materials, and it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than it was supposed to be. I decided not to argue and just agreed to it, hung up the phone, and grabbed Everett’s truck keys.
The town of Ashford had a couple of bars, though there were two that most people went to often. The other bars, scattered around the Ashford area, mostly catered to the same six drunks and truckers passing through the area, but the main two were right in the heart of downtown. One was a trendy-type place with a dance floor and thumping music. It was where most of the younger crowd hung out, such as there was a younger crowd in Ashford.
Then there was Sergio’s. Sergio’s was an Italian restaurant on one side, serving the best pizza south of Philadelphia. Hell, probably south of New York. It was damn delicious, and their other Italian dishes, the ones I had tried anyway, were also really good. The best part of Sergio’s, though, was the bar that was on the other side.
I drove to Sergio’s without even putting a thought into it. When I parked and went inside, I was delighted to see the place was mostly empty. The barstools were vacant, and the booths that lined the walls only had one or two filled, one with a couple and another with a guy I vaguely recognized as someone who worked at the hardware store. The glass of whiskey on his table gave me ideas.
“What can I get you?” Sergio himself asked as I bellied up to the bar and sat down.
“I’ll need a whiskey to start. Rocks. Thanks, Sergio,” I said.
“You bet,” he said, turning and diligently making my drink.
I downed it in a fashion that was impressive even to myself, and Sergio eyeballed me curiously.
“I think I’ll have a burger. And the brown ale from the tap.”
“Sam’s?” he asked.
“No, the other one. The local one,” I said.
“Got it.” He filled the beer and slid it over before ducking back into the kitchen.
The phone had already rung once in my pocket, but I was going to ignore that. I wasn’t so stupid as to drink and drive, so I made the decision that the beer was the last of the alcohol and proceeded to nurse it as I waited for the burger. When it finally came out, I had barely put any of the beer away and asked for a soda on the side.
I was halfway through my meal when the door opened, and I glanced over, seeing a familiar face that made me stop cold. Rebecca was walking in, some dumb-looking college kid behind her.
That probably wasn’t fair. He was probably a decent person. I just couldn’t take anyone under twenty-five and wearing a sideways baseball cap seriously.
Rebecca looked over and our eyes met, sending a blush across her cheeks before she ducked away to the booth at the far end. The guy, clearly her date, chose the side facing away from me and looking at the large television over the booth. That left Rebecca facing me on the other side of him. She looked cute in a jean jacket and tight-fitting capris. Her eyes gleamed in the low light, and she glanced back over at me twice.