and it’s so heavy I have to wonder if you have a dead body inside.”
It was a joke, but it felt too close to home. I had to force a smile. “Thanks, Max. I’ll get my coat and purse.”
Ruth and I grabbed our things out of our lockers, and she handed me the plastic bag. “You be sure to change those sheets, now. Otherwise, you’ll show up for your shift tomorrow lookin’ like you slept on sandpaper.”
“Thanks so much, Ruth,” I said as I took the bag. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you hirin’ me.” I grinned. “And yeah, I said you. I know I wouldn’t have been here tonight if not for you.”
“Ah,” she said with a smile. “Max would have put it together if we’d given him a few more minutes. Can you come in a little before noon tomorrow? We open for lunch then, although I’ll warn you that it’s pretty slow. Not much business and the tips suck, but Lula was supposed to cover it and I have plans. Max’ll let you read or do whatever while you’re sitting around during the downtime.”
“I’m happy to do it,” I said. “And I can work a double if need be. I need the money, and I’ve got nothing else to do. I’d much prefer working to sitting around.”
“Why don’t you plan on it,” she said as her smile spread. “I’m really gonna like workin’ with you. Lula’s sweet, but damn that girl’s a slacker.” She grabbed my coat off the hook and handed it to me. “I’ll be in around five tomorrow, but Max and Bitty can help out if you feel overwhelmed.”
“Thanks, Ruth.”
I slipped my coat on as I walked into the dining area, finding Max standing at the shade-covered windows, peeking out through the closed blinds.
He turned when he heard me approach. “You got a warmer coat than that?”
The answer was no, but I didn’t want him to feel obligated to get me something warmer. I glanced down at my heavy fleece jacket. “This should be enough to walk across the street.”
“There’s a dusting of snow on the ground, but the wind has kicked up. It looks cold.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said as I reached him. “You don’t have to carry my suitcase, Max.”
“I don’t mind,” he said, opening the front door. “I’m walkin’ over with you anyway.”
I walked out, shivering from the blast of cold. He shut the door behind us and motioned to the L-shaped brick building across the street and catty-corner to the tavern. The street was covered with a fine layer of snow, with drifts several inches high along the front of what looked like a vacant motel office. A faded piece of paper with curling edges had been taped to the window, with All inquiries go to Max’s Tavern handwritten in black Sharpie. The wind was blowing the snow off the street and into the first barrier it came across. I noticed there weren’t any houses around, just businesses.
“You don’t need to lock up?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m coming back.” He nodded to the tavern. “I live upstairs. Comes in handy when we run on a bare-bones crew.”
“I can’t believe you kept up with all those drinks tonight,” I said.
“Practice,” he said with a laugh. “And as you noticed, most guys order beer. Those are easy enough to pour.”
“I was surprised every single one of them paid cash.”
“That’s because they’d prefer to deal in cash since we don’t have a bank up here except for the payday loan place, and it only cashes checks. I like ’em payin’ in cash so I don’t have to deal with the credit card fees. More profit.”
That made sense, but most of the world dealt in electronic transfers of money. It was like they were fifty years behind the times. Then a new concern hit me. “Does Wyatt only take cash? I don’t have that much on me.”
“Last I heard, he takes cards, but like I said, most folks around here don’t use ’em.”
Since Ruth had said a good portion of the guys had done time, I had to wonder where the cash was coming from.
None of my concern.
“Ruth told me that you and your brother aren’t very friendly,” I said, worried I was about to cross a line. “I hope I didn’t cause any more trouble between you two.”
“You weren’t the cause of our disagreement tonight,” he said, steering me across the motel parking lot. A couple of cars were parked in