First Love (5 page)

I walk through the front doors, pleasantly surprised at how nice it is inside. The place looks a lot classier than it used to. The new owners have definitely updated the interior. The bar is u-shaped, located prominently in the center of the room. Off to the right is a raised stage area with a dance floor. Behind the bar is a long rectangle window with a counter leading back to the kitchen. To the left, all along the walls, booths are set up and tables sit in the center of the floor. Two neon signs hang on the far, back, left corner above an arched doorway. One sign read: POOL TABLES, and the other brightly announced: RESTROOMS. Only a few people sat eating at the tables and booths. I slide up on a stool at the bar. The woman behind the bar is a tall red head with beautiful teal eyes.

"Hi, I'm Holly, what can I get for ya?" she asks with a huge smile.

"Hey, I'm Amber. I'll have an Appletini, please." Yes, I know, typical girlie drink. But they are so good.

"I haven't seen you around before, did you just move to town or are you visiting?"

"I was born and raised here. I moved away six years ago for college and just moved back a couple weeks ago." She hands me my drink before getting called off to tend to one of the booths. I looked around and couldn’t help but notice that she was the only one working. Maybe luck was on my side, after all. When she came back my way, I asked, "Holly, are you guys hiring waitresses right now?"

"Actually, yeah. Leslie quit yesterday, so I have been waitressing, bartending, and managing the place by myself. The owner, KC, and the usual bartender, Paul, go on the road with their band one month a year to play clubs all over the state. They won't be back for another three weeks. Are you looking for a job?"

"Yeah, I worked here before I moved away and I am going stir crazy just sitting at home alone all the time." The biggest smile lit up her face

"I think you are my new best friend. Can you start tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," I say, my smile matching hers. We sat and talked for a while. She and Paul, the usual bartender and drummer for the band Bleeding Hearts, have been dating for about six months.

"All of the boys in the band will make your panties wet with just a smile. But, I’ll warn you now, KC is definitely the one to stay away from ... with exception to my man, that is." She gave me a wink. "What's wrong with KC?" I ask. Not that I’m looking for a man, I’m just curious. She looks like she is trying to decide what to tell me.

“I don't know the whole story, but I guess he got his heart broken a while back. He was seriously in love with this girl, ready to propose and everything, and she just took off, no goodbye or anything. Ever since, he hasn’t been with the same girl longer than a night or two. Don't get me wrong, as a friend and a boss he's a nice guy, but not boyfriend material. I think he’s still waiting around for the girl who left him to come back."

Wow, that's kind of sad. "Well, you don't have to worry about that with me. The last thing on my mind is getting into any kind of relationship. The only two I’ve been in ended with both guys cheating, so I’m taking a break." Thankfully, she changed the subject to herself and I found that I really liked her. I think we are going to get along really well.

She had me fill out all the paperwork and introduced me to the cooks, Marty and Clark. Marty looked to be in his fifties. What little hair he does have is grey, and by the size of his belly, I could tell that he likes his beer and dislikes exercise. He seems a little grumpy, but Holly says he's a real sweetheart once he warms up to you. I guess we will have to see if that rings true. He has a wife named Anna and two kids. His son, Matthew, is twenty and in college and his daughter, Makenna, is sixteen and a sophomore in high school.

Clark is younger, early thirties by the looks of him. Not very tall, maybe five-foot-six, but he is very hot. He has brown hair cut short in a military style with large, espresso brown eyes. When I am ready to start dating again, I think I may start with him. He seems very shy, but I did catch him smiling at me and checking out my ass, so that's a plus. Holly told me he is a single dad with two boys. Skylar who is six and Mason who is nine.

I followed Holly back up toward the front by the register. Shelves hung on the wall lined with t-shirts, hats, shot glasses, beer mugs, bumper stickers, and other knick-knacks with KC's Bar & Grille printed on them. "What size t-shirt do you wear?" she asked.

"Medium,” I replied. She handed me ten low-cut, V-neck t-shirts; five purple and five black, the bar colors. I notice that they are all smalls. "Wait, Holly, these are all small. I need medium. These will be too tight, my girls will be on display." I giggle and start to hand them back to her.

"KC believes that the more we look like Hooters girls, the more customers he will have." She rolls her eyes. “You should have seen the fight I had with him when he tried to make the uniform exactly like theirs. Be happy that it's just a tight t-shirt."

I really hope I get along with my new boss once I meet him. I said my goodbyes to everyone and told Holly I would see her at 11 AM.

A
FTER
I get home, I sit out back with a glass of wine and look up at the stars. It is a beautiful clear night. The longer I sit here, the more I think about Kyle. I miss him. I almost wish he was still around. I don't know if it would have changed anything I felt back then, but I should have confronted him. I should have grabbed that bitch by the hair and dragged her out of his bed. She had been trying for years to break us up. I just never expected it to work.

Even if I could forgive Kyle, he doesn't want me. He found out three years ago where I was. My grandma said that we belonged together and she wasn’t keeping it from him any longer. But, I never heard from him. I waited two years after she told me he knew where I was, and nothing. I gave up and started seeing Daniel.

So many good memories had been made in this back yard. We used to sit together for hours planning our future. The first time he kissed me was out here. I have to stop thinking about him like this. It’s time to face the fact that I am never going to see Kyle Connor again. It’s time to move on; to stop thinking about the past and a future that would never be. I went inside, cleaned up the kitchen, showered, and went to bed hoping I wouldn’t dream about him, too.

T
HREE WEEKS
flew by and I found that I really enjoyed working at KC's. Holly and I became quick friends. She was the type of person that called it like she saw it. No sugar coating and definitely no filter. I like that about her, you don't have to wonder where she stands. I am a little softer spoken, so it is nice to have someone like her around; she tends to give me a little more self-confidence. We have had a few girls’ nights with chick flicks, pizza, and lots of wine. It really is great to have a girlfriend to hang out with. I haven't had one since high school and never realized how much I missed it until now. Holly thinks I need to get back on the horse, so to speak, and find a man even if it is just casual. Sometimes I think that would be perfect for me, but I’m not sure I would be able to have that kind of relationship. There is a first time for everything, though, right?

It's Saturday night and apparently KC will be back. I am a little nervous to meet my boss for the first time. Though I’m not sure why, it has really been bothering me the last few days. Something about the whole atmosphere of the bar is so familiar, but not. Maybe it's just the fact that I used to work here when I was younger. I dressed a little differently than normal tonight and didn't even realize I was doing it at first. I usually wear my hair up, very little make-up, and jeans. Today, I took extra care in doing my hair and left it down and straightened my natural waves. I spent too long applying my make-up, giving my brown eyes a smoky look and my lips a light gloss. I put on my too-tight, purple KC's t-shirt with a pair of jean, cut-off shorts. They weren’t obscene, but not something I would normally wear. My favorite pair of black cowboy boots topped off my outfit. I used to always wear those boots for Kyle. They were his favorite pair. I shook my head at the thought and finished getting ready. I looked pretty good; I was impressed with my reflection in the mirror. Hopefully I looked good enough that my new boss wouldn't fire me.

I walk into the bar and I swear it feels like everyone is staring at me. This is why I don't dress like this. I hate the attention. Holly lets out a whistle? "Look at you, sexy girl. I knew you had it in you!"

I roll my eyes at her. "Please, I just don't want to get fired the first time I meet KC for not living up to his Hooter-ific standards." I laugh.

"Well, you look hot. Keep that up and you are going to have every guy in town trying to get with you. And, Amber, that’s not a bad thing," she says, raising her eyebrow.

"Says the girl who already has a great man," I scoff at her.

"Ha! True. Hey, could you help out the boys in the kitchen for a little bit? They have a large to-go order to put together and could use a hand finishing."

"Sure, no problem." I smile and head to the back room to put my purse away. I am in the kitchen, finishing up the last of the food for the to-go order, when Holly comes in and says that KC and the boys are here. She drags me out to meet them.

"Amber, this is Paul Walters." I shake his hand. Holly is one lucky woman. This man is gorgeous. He is close to a foot taller than me at six-foot-two with shoulder-length blond hair and beautiful green eyes. He has an amazing body, slim with just the right amount of muscles, especially in his arms, but I guess that goes with the territory of being a drummer.

"It's nice to meet you, Paul. Holly has told me a lot about you." He smiles.

"Uh oh, I swear I didn't do half of what she says." He laughs while trying to dodge a punch in the arm from Holly.