Steady as the Snow Falls(25)

"What can I get you, Sally?" she asked the loan officer who worked at  one of the two banks in town. The gray satin blouse matched her eyes,  and her black bob was side-parted, the dark locks hugging either side of  her angular face.

"Orange juice and vodka, please, Beth." The woman smiled politely.

Her hands working like lightning as she prepared the cocktail, Beth  handed her the drink and took the offered money. "How is Henry doing?"

Sally's husband was the high school principal and had a minor heart attack a month or so ago. Beth handed Sally her change.

"He's doing well, but he isn't one to sit still for long. He's a cantankerous patient."

"I bet. I remember him pacing the hallways during school." Beth smiled.

Sally's lips pulled into a real smile. "Restless man." She stood with  her drink in hand. "I have some ladies waiting for me at a table. They  dragged me out tonight, claiming I wasn't doing Henry any good by  hovering. Henry agreed."

"Have fun. Be sure to dance."

The middle-aged woman chuckled, her gray eyes shining. "I might, if they play a song I like."

"In that case, you might have to request something," Beth told her, waving as Sally turned to meet her friends.

Finding a lull in drink orders, Beth went about restocking condiments and relishes.

"Do you want me to beat him up? Or her. I'm not picky."

Beth glanced at the pair as she cut up lemons and refilled the container  of them. Ozzy had his hands all over Kelly, his front pressed to hers, a  corner of his mouth hitched in that dazzling way of his. His expression  said that Kelly was special, and that for the moment, he adored her.  Not even a sliver of space was between the couple.

"It's okay," she told her friend. "It doesn't bother me."

Ozzy shifted his attention to the bar, and Beth. Everything about him oozed vengeance.

She looked away.

Jennifer's jaw shifted to the side as she stared at the pair, the scent  of menace strong on her. "Well, it should. He only came in here because  he knew you were working, and he's trying to hurt you. What a dick move  to pull on someone you supposedly love, or even used to love. He mopes  around in here during the day like you broke his heart, and now look at  him. And how stupid is she? She should know what he's doing. Guys aren't  all that original. If she has even half a brain, she could figure it  out."

"Not if she doesn't want to," Beth said quietly, part of her feeling bad  for Kelly. Once embedded in the heart, it was hard to remove Ozzy from  it.

"God, this town pisses me off. Bunch of hillbilly fucks," Jennifer muttered, swiping bangs from her eyes.

Beth smiled, unable to take offense. Besides, she knew Jennifer didn't  consider her part of the community, even though she'd lived in Crystal  Lake her whole life. Jennifer told her once it was because she didn't  act inbred like the majority of the town.

"He's acting like this because he knows we're done. For good. It's his  form of retaliation," Beth explained, grabbing a dishcloth and wiping  wet spots from the counter.

"Childish prick."         

     



 

Beth laughed and patted Jennifer's tense forearm with her free hand.  "You're a good friend, and I appreciate your support. I can handle him."

Jennifer turned narrowed eyes on Beth. "You shouldn't have to."

She shrugged and slung the damp dishcloth over her shoulder. The water  held within the rag seeped through her shirt and onto her skin. "Lots of  people deal with things they shouldn't have to." Her thoughts turned to  Harrison and Beth's skin prickled.

"Incoming," Jennifer warned, setting herself in front of Beth and blocking her from Ozzy.

"I got this." She placed a hand on her arm. "It's okay. Really."

With a scowl twisting her features, Jennifer stepped to the side. "If  you need me, I'll be right over here." She pointed to the other end of  the cramped bar and marched in that direction.

"Hi, Beth." Ozzy's eyes glittered with golden intensity.

"Did you need something, Ozzy?" Beth made sure to keep her gaze averted.

"Just wanted to say hi."

"You said it," she said, finally looking at him.

Ozzy tapped his long fingers on the countertop, looking down and up. His  eyebrows lowered, giving him a contrite appearance. "Listen, Kelly and  I-"

"I don't need to know. Whatever you do is none of my business, just like  whatever I do is none of yours." It was a reminder to him, and Beth  knew he caught it when his mouth fell into a thin line. "If you don't  need anything, I have other people to wait on."

She moved to turn away, but his hand clamped around her wrist, halting  her. "You're wearing the shirt I got you for Christmas last year."

Beth glanced down at the emerald green top with silver thread along the  collar, jerking back her wrist to try to get it out of his grasp. Ozzy  held it a beat, letting her know he was only releasing her because he  decided to. Beth swallowed, something like fear clenching her stomach.  She told herself that wasn't it, and that it was silly to be scared of  Ozzy.

But when Beth looked into his eyes, she didn't see Ozzy. She saw a man,  and a reminder, and someone who could hurt when he chose.

"It wasn't on purpose."

"Maybe not consciously." He smiled, but there was nothing beautiful about it.

"Not even subconsciously."

"Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself."

Beth studied his features, seeing hardness in the lines and hollows she  didn't remember being there. His lips hinted at cruelty, and his eyes  gleamed with hostile fire. With shallow breaths and a chaotic pulse, she  moved down the bar, away from Ozzy. He watched her with a clenched jaw  and fire in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but he also didn't take  his eyes off her for a good, long while.

By midnight, a large portion of the patrons were intoxicated; others  were headed in that direction. From what she'd seen, Ozzy was close to  there as well. Before his mom showed up, he'd walked around the bar and  restocked drinks for him and Kelly more times than Beth could keep track  of. She was careful to stay out of his way after the first time he  purposely slid his front across her back. After Deb got there, he stayed  on the other side of the bar.

The music volume stayed the same, but the voices got louder. The once  empty area in front of the DJ was full of dancing bodies. There were  lines of people around the counter and more waiting behind them. Alcohol  made people act how they normally wouldn't, and seeing it in motion as  often as she did with bartending, Beth didn't drink much. If something  could alter her actions and thoughts like that, she wanted to stay away  from it.

Deb, Ozzy's mom and co-owner of the bar, pulled Beth aside and pointed  to where Ozzy and Kelly were making out on the dance floor. "What is  going on with my son and Kelly Burbach?"

Beth appreciated how Dan and Deb looked at both sides of every story,  and didn't pass judgment. They didn't blame her for her and Ozzy's  breakup, but they did let her know they were saddened by it. They didn't  try to make her feel bad about choosing to move on from Ozzy, and she  respected them for it. But they also couldn't accept that she was no  longer a part of his life.

She looked at the short and wiry woman whose eyes Ozzy inherited. "I  think they're dating, but I don't know. They showed up together."

Her sharp features hardened as she watched her son. "I always hope he'll  decide to grow up and make good decisions, but I don't see that day  coming all that soon." Deb turned to Beth. "Kelly Burbach is a tramp.  She's fooled around with just about every guy in this town within five  years of her age."         

     



 

Beth blinked. "Oh?"

Deb gave her a look. "Don't act like you don't know."

"Well, I … " she trailed off, shrugging. "Too often people in this town  talk about things that don't directly involve them." Like Ozzy's gaggle  of friends and family who kept tabs on her for him. As far as she knew,  his parents were not part of that group.

"Hmm," was all Deb said before turning to yell at a customer who loudly  remarked that she wasn't moving fast enough with his beer.

The lights flipped on full force at closing time, signaling the end of  the night. With a few protests, the remaining people trickled out the  door, some of them stumbling and needing help to get there. Deb,  Jennifer, and Beth worked to get the place in order before taking off.  Beth was aware of Ozzy sitting at a table across the room and the way he  watched her with dark, hooded eyes. Kelly was nowhere in sight.

"I don't know how you aren't creeped out by him, because I am, and he's  not even staring at me," Jennifer said as they washed up and dried the  last of the bar glasses.

"He's drunk. I'm sure he's just waiting for his mom to give him a ride  home." She outwardly brushed off Jennifer's concern even as apprehension  pulsed through her.