Chapter 5

Quinn’s POV

“You are here early.” I heard Tonya say as she walked into the bar catching me in my thoughts.

Dumping the last bucket of ice in the cooler, I say, “Yeah, I had a rough night trying to sleep, so I thought I get an early start prepping the bar for tonight.”

Tonya walked over and threw her purse under the bar and moved to me and asked, “How is your wrist?”

Holding my arm up in the air the faint marking of a man’s handprint still outlined my wrist. I knew last night that it was going to bruise when he did it. “No wonder you didn’t sleep last night.” Tonya said as she handed me a small container of something.

“What is this?” I ask her as I take the lid off and smell it. It smelt like fresh flowers mixed with eucalyptus.

“I dabble in herbal medicine. Trust me in a day or two that bruise will be gone if you use that.” Tonya told me and I thought why not give it a try. There was no harm in putting a little homemade lotion on it.

Instantly as I applied it to the bruise, it began to feel better and I looked at Tonya and said, “You need to patent this and sell this stuff over the market. I can already feel relief from it.”

Tonya gave out a giggle and said, “You have to have money to do something like that first and I don’t think my wage here is going to cover that expense.”

I knew she was right and that the two of us were always going to be stuck in a small town with no future for us other than pouring and serving drinks. I had gotten used to the idea over the last year that this is my life now.

“I’m going to the kitchen to start prepping a few things.” Tonya said over her shoulder as she walked back the hall that led to the small kitchen.

My attention then turned to taking inventory of the liquor on the shelves and I was about halfway through it when I heard the door open to the bar. Not turning around, I yelled, “Bar is closed we open at four.”

The sound of heavy footsteps coming towards the bar made me turn around and I almost jumped when I saw Jaxson standing only a few feet from me. He was dressed just like last night in a black tee shirt and a pair of blue jeans, but what caught my eye was his dreamy blue eyes that I had called the night before. I felt myself getting lost in them but closed my eyes for a second to calm myself and my racing heart.

When I opened my eyes I said, “Jaxson, what are you doing here? The bar doesn’t open till four and I don’t know if Charlie would like you behind the bar.”

Jaxson gave out a chuckle before he says to me, “I don’t think Charlie has a say in what I do.”

“And why is that?” I asked him as I took a step towards him tilting my head to the side and placing my hands on my hips.

Jaxson looked at me for a minute and then said, “Never mind, I just came here to give you this.” His hand reached out to me holding an envelope. I reached for it with the hand that the man had grabbed last night. Jaxson’s eyes immediately spotted the bruise on it as I took the envelope from him. I could see the displeased look on his face. Just like last night, I thought I heard the faint sound of a growl coming from him too.

“What is this?” I asked him holding the envelope in my hand in front of us.

“It’s the money that I owe you from last night. Tonya told me what you did to make the drawer right.” Jaxson says to me and I look at the envelope in disbelief that he was trying to make this right with me. I knew if I took the money, then I was giving in to him and his rich boy ways.

“Here.” I said giving the envelope back to him. “I’m not a charity case.” I said turning around from him and going back to what I was doing.

“I never said you were a charity case. I was just trying to make things right. You earned those tips, and I was the one that took them from you.” he said as he threw the envelope on the bar.

Turning back around I lean against the bar and say, “Listen Jaxson, I am just passing through here and hope to stay as long as I can. I need to keep a low profile and to myself. I just want to do my job and make some money to pay my bills. I would appreciate that you don’t shut the bar down again like you did last night and we can call that even.”

“Is this about your ex, Tonya told me about?” Jaxson now asks and I had to laugh, before I say, “Tonya tells you way too much.”

“Tonya tells me what I want to know unlike you.” Jaxson now says to me and I can feel my blood begin to boil. He was a rich boy who was used to getting what he wanted but this was one girl he wasn’t going to get.

“Well maybe that’s because it is my personal life. I guess I need to watch what I tell Tonya from now on.” I told him and he could clearly see I was getting upset with this conversation but he wasn’t backing down to me.

“She is just looking out for you.” Jaxon tells me and I know he is right. She probably thinks that these big local boys could protect me from my ex but she has no clue what I am dealing with. I am sure if I say my ex is a vampire they will all believe me and want to be my knight in shining armor.

Taking a deep breath, I say to him, “I know, but I can’t get any of you involved with it.”

Jaxson then put his hands up and said, “Okay, I get it. I will stay out of your personal life but behind the bar you are my business.”

“What does that mean?” I asked him confused by his words.

Just then Charlie comes out of his office and says, “Ah, Jaxson you are here. Are you ready to go over the books together?”

I looked at Charlie and then back at Jaxson. Why would Charlie be going over the books with Jaxson? Just when it hit me, Jaxson said, “Because I am your boss.”