band is playing from a raised stage at one end. A crowd has gathered.
The red sun dips its lowest edge into the farthest point of the ocean, painting the sea, the sky and the world itself in various shades of crimson, almost like the night is on fire.
The last bar of the long row is small and quaint. The place could do with some refurbishments, but its large deck is inviting, with colorful tables and a killer view. I decide to grab a drink and some dinner.
I step inside.
The interior is infused with old-Florida charm. The walls are rustic, unpainted Dade pine and the bar is lit with hanging pendant lights. The many sets of French doors that lead out onto the expansive deck are open, so the red sunlight spills in and gives the whole place a warm, tinted glow.
It’s busy but not overly crowded. I can’t help thinking they could do a lot more with this place. It’s an absolutely prime location. There’s a jet ski dock and even a small sandy beach.
I walk up to the bar where a bartender is polishing glasses.
“What can I get you?” he asks.
“A Dos Equis with a lime wedge and a Jack Daniels on ice.” Might as well get shitfaced after the day I’ve had. At least I got my cuff links back.
I take a seat at the far end of the bar, next to the open set of doors, that takes full advantage of the view. My drinks are served and I order a steak. Then I scroll through a few of my messages and my stats.
It’s then that two women enter the bar through a side door behind me I hadn’t noticed until now. One follows the other behind the bar. They must work here.
One of the women is roundly pregnant, with tied-up brown hair and pink cheeks. Her eyes are bloodshot and shiny, like she’s been crying.
The other is slim with dark hair that has sun-bleached highlights that look almost shockingly natural. Most of the women I associate with couldn’t do natural to save their lives. I can’t see her face from this angle, but something about the way she moves holds my attention. She’s wearing a yellow sundress with no sleeves. Her shoulders and arms are smooth-looking and lightly tanned. Her skin, I notice even from this small distance, is absolutely flawless. “Josie,” she’s pleading, “you can’t. I won’t let you. I know you’ll regret it.”
“I don’t have a choice, Luna. Owen said he’s doing up his barn into an office and a two-bedroom apartment. He said I can live in his main house for free. He’s even going to hire me part-time to do his books. That means he can add me to his health insurance policy, which I desperately need, obviously. His plan is a lot more comprehensive than ours.”
“But, Josie … it’s in Iowa.”
“So’s my whole family.” The pregnant woman sighs, like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. “I can’t do this alone, Luna.”
“You’re not alone. You’ve got me.”
The pregnant woman stares at her friend, and a tear traces a line down her cheek. “And I love you, sweetie, you know that. More than anyone. But I’m about to have twins. I’m terrified. I’ll have half a dozen babysitters at the ready, a house, a work-from-home job and the use of Owen’s car. He said he never even uses it and that he can write it off as a business expense. He got a new pick-up truck a few months ago.”
“But—”
“I’ve already made up my mind, Loon. I’m going home.”
“But this is your home now.”
“It’s more your home than mine,” the one named Josie says. “It always was. I never intended to move here forever. We’ve had an amazing time, but it’s not the right place for me anymore. I mean, I’ll have to think about schools and backyards and carpools … the kind of things my brothers already have. My babies will have cousins and aunts and uncles and a home. I need to do this.”
“But … what about the bar?” says the dark-haired girl. As she turns slightly, I can make out the contours of her profile. She has long, curved eyelashes, a perfect nose and lips a fraction too full. Her breasts are insanely pert and soft-looking, tapering down to a slim waist, flared hips and long, coltish legs. Despite all her femininity, there’s something almost tom-boyish about her. There’s a light sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks