I don't know how I'd been so stupid to not assume this would happen. If I'd been smart, I would have gone to the bank before leaving Kentucky and made sure to get plenty of cash for this trip. But in the end, I was naïve. Even in leaving it all behind, I'd forgotten to think of the most obvious things that would have helped me survive.
And now I was homeless and completely broke. It's a good thing Hayes had paid for breakfast, otherwise I would have been completely screwed.
Who was I kidding? I was completely screwed.
The thought of Hayes reminded me of Rick. And Huck. They were technically the only people I knew here, and probably the only people who could help me.
I wanted to die. I knew what I had to do, but I sure as hell didn't want to do it. I stared across the street at The Side Pocket.
"I hate my life," I said as I pulled myself up and started my walk across the street.
An empty bar is such a strange thing.
As I walked into The Side Pocket, the sound of the door jingling echoed across the empty room. There was no loud music playing, no hot girls walking around, no huge men downing cheap beer or leering at the strutting women. There was no one at all. Just an empty room with a sticky floor and an old, battered bar. Rick was behind it, his back to me as he cleaned glasses. When he heard the door open he turned and looked surprised to see me.
"Hey, Belle," he said. "Miss me that much?"
I smiled. "I wish I could say that's what brought me here. No offense."
He shook his head. "None taken. I'm just an old man, my time when I could charm a girl like you is long gone. What can I help you with?"
I looked down at my shoes. I didn't even know where to start.
I kept the details vague, but I explained my situation: that I was broke as hell and I needed a loan of some sort to get me out of this bind. I figured $500 should be enough for now and that I was good for it. I explained if he needed me to, I could sign over the title to my BMW, it was paid for, and in my name, one of the only valuable things in my life that was actually mine. That way he'd know I would pay him back. I had considered selling the car and buying something much cheaper so I could live off the difference for a short while, but I didn't have time for that now. It was something I'd have to do soon, but it wasn't something I was in the position to do at that very moment.
And I was living in the moment. I needed Rick's help. A man I had known barely twelve hours.
Rick allowed me to talk. He just listened. It was the bartender in him. He leaned his elbows on the bar and looked at me as I spoke, betraying none of his thoughts.
"I know it's asking way too much," I said. "You don't even know me. But I don't know what else to do. I'm stuck, and to be honest … I've never dealt with financial struggle so this is all kind of hitting me hard. If you can't help me or don't want to help me, I completely understand. I mean, who lends money to a girl who waltzed into their bar and puked all over it? You'd have to be crazy. But you're the only person I know within 1000 miles of here. So … I'm desperate. I can admit that."
He didn't speak for a moment. Rick struck me as someone who liked to collect his thoughts before saying anything.
"You know," he said. "Lending you $500 isn't going to help you much, Belle. It'll pay for some gas and buy you a couple of nights in a shitty motel and a couple of burgers from some gastrointestinal disaster of a diner. It's a band aid that won't help you long."
I looked down at my shoes again. I knew it. Why the hell would he help me? I was so fucked.
"What you need," he continued. "Is a break. A job and some time to save up for whatever it is you want to do. Because I'm guessing going back to where you came from isn't an option. Right?"
I shook my head. "I can never go back. Never."
Rick nodded, knowing it's what I would say. "Exactly. So you need to find your place. And I think Whitmer could be that place, Belle. I mean, you're here. We're as good or as bad a town as any in Montana, depending on how you choose to look at it. So I have a suggestion. Take it or leave it."
"Okay," I said, slowly. "What is it?"
"We own this bar," he said. "My nephews and I. You met Huck and Hayes. I have a third one named Hunt. We also own a bunch of land right down the road and we just so happen to own a house that used to belong to one of our ranch hands. We rent it out sometimes to people who do seasonal work for us. But this summer we don't have anyone staying there. So my suggestion is you live in the house while working here at the bar. We just so happen to be hiring. You ever bartended?"
I sighed. "I am embarrassed to say this, but I've never had a job."
Rick nodded, as if he'd expected me to say as much. "I kind of had a hunch about that. This is really baptism by fire for you, Belle. Well, if you're willing to learn, we could train you to bartend. We don't make mixed cocktails here anyway. It would just be pouring shots of hard liquor to hard men. And beer. Lots of beer drinkers in Whitmer."
"So I'd work here," I said. "And pay rent and maybe save up some money?"
"It sounds fair to me," he said. "It could be something that would help you get on your feet. Earn something that's just yours that no one could cut you off from."
Tears came to my eyes. This was so much more than I expected. And it made sense. Where would $500 really get me? Nowhere. Literally nowhere. Rick was offering me a lot. I just needed to swallow my pride and accept it.
"Okay," I said, smiling. "I can't believe you're doing this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I won't let you down."
"You'll earn it, Belle," Rick said. "It's hard work. You'll go home exhausted every night. But it's honest work and even though the people here may seem rough around the edges, they're good folk. They come here to escape life for a couple hours. And as a bartender you get to hear all about it. An empty bottle is full of stories. You wouldn't even believe it."
Rick dug through the register and handed me a $100 bill.
"Here's an advance," he said. "Go back to the Inn and pay for one night's stay. Tomorrow we'll move you in. I want to make sure it's cleaned up and all."
"I can clean it up," I said. "I don't mind. It's the least I can do."
Rick laughed. "I wouldn't do that to you. My nephews have been using it as their place to drink and fornicate. Excuse the revelation, I know you're a lady. But men are pigs, in case no one ever told you. I'll make sure its scrubbed and sanitized and comfortable for you."
I laughed. "I'd heard that. About men being pigs. I guess it's part of their charm."
Fornicating. The thought of Huck and sex had me suddenly very warm. I shook the thought away fast. There was no sense in even fantasizing about it. He clearly couldn't stand me.
And lo and behold, suddenly the door jingled again. I didn't even have to turn around to know it was him. I could just feel the energy of his presence.
I slowly turned and, sure enough, there he was. He looked freshly showered, as if after breakfast he'd gone home to get himself clean. The thought of him naked in a shower made my inner thighs twitch.
He looked so fucking hot. His dark hair was slightly damp on the ends and his face was freshly shaven. He had on Aviator sunglasses, so I couldn't see the expression in his eyes.
But he didn't look thrilled to see me.
"Belle," he said. "What are you doing here? We don't open back up until seven tonight."
God. He seriously thought I was here to drink again. Kill me.
"She's not here to drink," Rick said. "I just hired her as our new bartender. She starts training tomorrow night. And as luck would have it, that's your shift, Huck. So you'll get to know one another a little better."
Rick had a smile in his voice when he said that last line.
"You can't just hire someone without speaking to me," Huck replied. "I own this bar, I bought you out three years ago. So I make the hiring decisions. And we're not hiring her. We don't even know her."
Jesus. What had I done to this guy to make him hate me this much?
Rick stood tall now, his icy blue eyes on Huck.
"You don't need to flex your imagined muscle, Huckleberry Calloway," Rick said, his voice stern. "You may legally own this bar, but you do not call the shots. And you certainly don't tell me what I can or can't do. I don't know what the fuck your deal is, but Belle needs a job. We have an opening. We know plenty of people in this town and none of them have fared well here. So maybe it's time to trust a stranger." He paused and then said. "Or maybe it's time just to trust period, Huck."