The Bartender

14

The day started with multiple people sneaking a quick peek into my office, but when my eyes met theirs, they’d look guilty and scurry off as if I had caught them looking through my underwear drawer.

Not that there was anything to look at in the first place.

“Ronnie!” Jacky burst into my office. “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times—woman do you ever knock? For all you know, I could be naked in here.”

“I wouldn’t even be surprised if you pulled a birthday suit stunt on me, but right now, you have got to get your ass into the conference room this instant.” She gushed hurriedly, there was no flicker of amusement in her eyes. She looked worried. What was she worried about?

I dropped my pen reluctantly and loudly onto my desk. “Would you care to give me a heads’ up at least before I walk into whatever…” my words hung in the air. I recognized Sam’s voice pouring out of the conference room when someone hurriedly rushed out through the door before it shut once more.

He wasn’t speaking, he was shouting.

“Oh god, why do I have a bad feeling this involves last night?” I pressed my fingers into my temples.

“Sam is furious. He didn’t think HR was being serious when he was told that he was fired last night. I guess reality doesn’t hit a drunk as hard. He went to work like nothing happened and when HR told him to leave…”

“He threw a fit.” I completed Jacky’s sentence.

“Touché.” She said in a low voice, her eyes flickered towards the conference room. “This matter was supposed to be confidential but I guess he ruined his chances of a discreet dismissal. Now the whole company knows what he’s done to you. That’s on him inviting HR to anything ever.”

“If he’s in there screaming like such, uh yes, he might even bring a dead man or two back to life.” I blew out a harrowing breath.

Jacky squeezed my hand for comfort. “Not sure this is the time for jokes, Ronnie. I’ll be right out here if you need me.”

I sucked in a deep breath and walked towards the conference room with my 4-inch stilettos clicking noisily behind me.

The sound alone was stressing me out further.

I walked into the room, not knowing what had exactly taken place before I arrived other than a quick heads up from my office bestie. Sam had his back turned against me and Don Pearson looked grim as ever, seated at the very edge of the long desk.

He looked less than pleased being in the room and HR was present with him seated on his left, looking slightly frightened at Sam’s temper.

I’ve never seen Sam like this.

“I was told I was needed in here?”

Sam whipped his head around almost instantly and he had a look of exasperation on his already scowling face. “Veronica! Look, last night was clearly an honest mistake. I was pissed drunk and I wasn’t thinking straight. You said so yourself! You can’t pin this on a guy who’s not even aware of his surroundings. Surely you can’t be this petty and hold me responsible for something so trivial?”

Judah’s words to me last night rang clearly in my ears. ‘That is no way how you treat a woman’.

If I wasn’t ticked off by the shouting earlier, I sure as hell was ticked off now.

“Petty? That is what you’re going with after publicly harassing me even though I told you to stop what you were doing?” I raised my voice and Don Pearson sat up straighter in his plush seat. “You’re a grown man yet you still can’t seem to take responsibility for your actions. And after hearing you spit out those words, I can’t help but wonder if you have s**t for brains—”

HR’s eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their sockets, but nevertheless, she remained her composure.

Now that he had heard the seriousness in my voice, he began pleading. “Please, just give me another shot. If you overlook this, I promise I will do better, I’ll change, I’ll do anything.”

“You’re done here Sam. If you don’t walk out this instant, I will have security called right up and have them escort you out of this building if you’re not leaving on your own.” HR added firmly. Don Pearson had his fingers pressed against the side of his temple and merely uttered, “Just do as HR says.”

Sam glared at her and took a step back as if to watch the whole scene unfurl in front of him. He actually glared at us. “You know what? You’re a bunch of f**k ups. People make all sorts of mistakes, but that doesn’t make them bad people. I didn’t actually harm you physically, did I?” he now turned to me. “It was a little harmless teasing, you’re even lucky someone like me even hit on you. Last I checked, you’ve not even gone on a single date with a man, some of us even think you’re a pathetic loser and all you do is work.”

Don Pearson c****d his eyebrow as if hearing all this for the first time and HR stood up abruptly and coughed out sternly. Great, now my dirty little secret is out and of all people, my boss hears it. “Samuel Langdon, that is enough.”

My lips twitched upwards and I swear it took me every ounce of self-control not to slap the stupid little smirk off his face. Never once had I the urge to hit someone just as much as I wanted to hit this man.

“You’re right.” I spoke up. “There are no such thing as bad people, only people who make the wrong mistakes. But what you do after to right that wrong determines the person you are. If change is what you really claim you want, then I’m doing you a favor. You go and take this departure as a lesson and you never do it again to anyone else, whether you’re under the influence or not. That’s only so much grace I can give to you as your superior and friend.”

Sam looked like he wanted to cry. He turned to HR and Don, then to me. “You are all just agreeing with her?” he bursts, pointing a crooked finger at me. “You can’t do this to me! I’ve worked with her for years! You can’t just…”

The door knocks and a familiar face enters. I said nothing but watch the man stand there in casual shirt and jeans with a leather jacket pulled over his sturdy frame. A detective badge rested on the side of his belt and a faint sight of the pistol tugged snuggly away next to his badge. It was the first time I'd seen him looking so intimidating.

“Kale?” I asked softly.

“I heard a commotion from outside, just wondering if everything was okay?” he mostly just looked at me as he stood in between both Sam and I, making sure I wasn’t about to get hurt. I nodded my head almost immediately. “Yeah, for now.” I said in a small voice.

HR edged out of her seat with a questioning look on her small face, and so did Don. He managed to exhibit all the characteristics of a somber widow whose husband had just died, in this case, wife. I wonder why he was here in the first place when all he did was to only utter a handful of syllables like he’s the one being questioned. He clearly looked like he was dragged in here, and every minute he was in there, he was losing a few thousand dollars. Surely, this displeased him when the time I told him the pizza chain ran out of cheesy bits.

“I’m Detective Houston. I received a call about the commotion that was happening here in this building from one of your employees. Ma’am, do you need my assistance?” he asked HR directly this time.

“Y-yes, please. If you could kindly escort this man right out of this building instantly, that would do us all a favor for the safety of our other employees.”

Kale then approached Sam with the coolness of a cucumber, his expression was professional and unnerved. “Sir, I need you to come with me quietly. However, if you choose to make a scene, I will have no choice but to take you to the station with me. Is that clear?”

It was as if something in Sam’s mind snapped, he darted out of Kale’s blockade and lunged forward towards me, his fingers claw-like. I yelped, backing up a few steps and, low and behold, my high heels did not register the platform it was supposed to land on, so I felt them twist like a wet cloth. I fell unceremoniously and hit my elbow on one of the chairs. Pain shoots up my arm sockets and I gasp in pain. I heard another woman’s shriek and Don saying something, no, shouting was more like it.

Just as Sam was about to throw hands on me, Kale caught him by his shirt collar and yanked him back with such force, the row of chairs in front of me shook and spun out of alignment as he fell.

“Oh, hell no, you won’t get to touch her again. Buddy, you’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you—”

Jackie rushed into the room and towards me. “Oh my god, Ronnie.” She whispered. “Are you alright? Are you hurt? Did that bastard touch you?” she checked for any signs of bruising on my face and legs frantically. I could tell she was holding her breath because her cheeks were puffy and red.

“Jackie.” I bit out, from the pain. “I’m fine.” I assured her. “But I don’t think I can get up. My leg…” I trailed. “It hurts too much.”

Her eyes met mine and she nodded in understanding. As Kale handcuffs Sam and yanks him out of the meeting room, Don has no choice but to follow him (finally someone has decided to make themselves useful) and HR follows suit. But before she left, she squatted in front of me. “I’ll get someone to help you Veronica, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I clearly did not evaluate the situation carefully enough and put you in harm’s way.”

“Don’t worry about it, really. Believe me, you’ve done enough.” I smiled at the woman who always took a stand for the well-being of the employees that worked here. I simply could not and did not want to blame her for someone else’s outburst that resulted in my injury.

I assume everyone by now was staring at Sam being dragged out in handcuffs across the building, wondering what went down, but was too scared to ask. Inquisitive heads and passersby walked back and forth but Jackie got to her heels and slammed the door shut quickly. She pulled a nearby chair towards us and helped me up slowly, carefully. I think she was wincing more than I was.

“How did Kale get here so fast?” I asked, puzzled at the fact that even if any of the employees had called, the station certainly wouldn’t have sent the one person I know well. “Don’t look at me, I didn’t do anything. I was just as surprised as you were when he stood right next to me.”

I let out a low hum.

“It’s good timing too, too good of a timing,” I heard her say. But I was in so much pain I did not ask her what she meant.

A couple of minutes later, two other staff brought in a first aid kit and a pack of ice—both people which I’ve only seen a couple of times. I’m pretty sure they were both from the safety department as well. They greeted me and I returned the greeting politely, albeit rather softly. Even speaking contributed to the pain currently shooting up my arm.

One of them removed my heel carefully and I gripped Jackie’s hand for support, she caressed my hair gently. I sucked in air through my teeth as a new wave of pain rushed over me. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?” the man in dusty salt and pepper hair asked.

“A seven?” I breathed.

Salt and pepper supported one palm under my feet and the other hand feeling around my ankle to inspect it. “Your ankle is sprained.” He concluded expertly. “But let’s give it a couple of minutes to see if you can put any weight on it.”

I nodded appreciatively.

“You need bed rest. Lots of it.”

“And an ice pack.” Jackie interrupted. “Give me that.”

Great. I’m bed ridden for the next week or so and I have a child to watch. Can this week get any better?

Jackie sent me home later that afternoon, much to my protest.

My foot was bandaged neatly and I was warned not to put any kind of pressure on it at least for a week or more. Jackie offered to watch Max on my behalf but I figured Max would make a fuss.

Don’t get me wrong, Max loves Jackie to bits, they act like they’re the best of friends. But ever since Judah waltzed into our lives, I’d say Max had a change of heart and has been sticking to that man for as long as I can remember. The two were not inseparable…until last night.

And it was all my fault.

I spoke to Max on Jackie’s phone for a bit when Jackie picked her up. I explained to her that I would only be seeing her a few days from now. She asked if I was okay. I said yes. She asked if there was anyone who was going to take care of me. I said yes.

But we both know that’s a lie.

And it’s a painful lie.

One that I had started.

It was almost 7 that evening and I had not taken a shower but badly wanted to. It was the second most difficult chore that day. The first was to resist the urge to slap Sam in the face after he called me a pathetic loser.

I let out a low grunt and flung the TV remote onto the couch, attempting to get up. Just then, pain shot up my leg once more as I pressed the wrong foot against the cold floorboard. “Motherf—”

The doorbell rings, drowning out my cuss effectively. I looked up towards the door, as if I could see who it was through the opaque door. I honestly had no idea who it was, but as I got up, the keys jingled and the door pushed open slowly.

With my breath caught in my lungs, my tongue struggled to form any kind of words, but my heart, on the other hand, was quick to respond with all sorts of thumping against my chest.

“I’m sorry I let myself in, but Kale told me you hurt yourself this afternoon.” He began. I hate how much my heart recognizes him. I hate myself for missing him.

At that moment, I wasn’t sure how to react. I was delighted, of course, seeing him standing less than 10 steps away from me, but the other part of me wanted to shy away after the things I had said to him last night. I was not proud of myself.

“Were you the one who informed Kale to come check on me at the office?” I blurt out.

He nods.

“You shouldn’t have,” I simply stated.

He didn’t say anything. So, I continued. “Sam was very much threatened when he saw a person with that sort of authority. Security could have handled him like a champ.”

But they didn’t. They didn’t’ even show up. But of course, I didn’t tell him that.

Why was I being such a b***h? The least I could say was ‘Hey, thanks for saving my ass out there. That was really sweet of you.’

“You’re worried about him even when he caused you that?”

“I caused this,” I said with a resigned sigh. “I slipped and fell—”

“Because you were trying to avoid the blow coming your way.” He said as-a-matter-of-factly. “The thing is, I just don’t quite understand as to why you’re blaming yourself for something you didn’t do.” he said tightly.

“I had it under control, Judah. Now, thanks to Kale’s presence at the office, this has now become a hot topic among the whole organization and everyone is wondering what possibly went down in the meeting room. Word got out; Veronica Kidman is a sick, sick woman who enjoys causing trouble everywhere she goes.”

“You know that’s not true,” Judah said with a bemused nod. “I told Kale to keep an eye out for you in case anything were to happen today at the office and I was right. I was just trying to keep you out of harm’s way.”

“Oh?” I said with a strangled laugh. “And what were you trying to get out of it? Hoping I’d run into your arms and thank you profusely? I’ll have you know that I can very well take care of myself.”

“Says the woman with a sprained ankle and a possible loose screw in her brain.”

“There he is!” I lifted both my hands up. “And I was wondering just how long it would take for the grumpy, I-hate-the-universe-because-they-owe-me-too-much man was going to resurface.”

“That was uncalled for, Ronnie.”

“Really?” I dug my fingers hard into my temples and let out a frustrated sigh. “Then tell me one thing, Judah. Why do you care so much for a woman you’ve not met for long? Really? I can’t possibly give you anything. I’m a single mother (against my own will), I have a demanding job with an insane boss that I never stop complaining about. I don’t speak much to my mother and I mostly like to keep to myself. So, riddle me this, what is it that’s so interesting about my life and the way I live it that you can’t seem to stop meddling with it with your constant presence?”

I really look absurd leaning against the back of the couch with one leg sticking above the ground. I seriously have no idea how I got myself here in this standing position. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was all the pent-up frustration against my mother, my deceased sister, my work, my boss or maybe it was due to the fact that I have the most complicated, mislabeled relationship with the Bartender that I was head over heels for.

Oh s**t.

Did I really think that out loud?

He took large steps towards me and obviously, me being temporarily incapacitated, I stayed rooted on the spot. “You’re the smartest…feistiest…and smart-mouthed woman I know and yet you still can’t figure out I’m doing all these things because I really like you?” with each step he took, he was now standing chin to nose with me.

Judah smelled like aftershave, soap, and mint. His hair was swept in some boyish manner and he was dressed in jeans and a shirt with a jacket thrown over it. All of the above were my favorite combinations of him and I was insanely curious if he knew just how much the closeness of proximity sends tingles down my spine. I suspect he knows, because he has the tiniest smile that immediately disappears, now that he’s looking serious once more.

There it is.

That’s the truth.

The truth that I was both afraid and thrilled to hear.

Judah liked me.

The mean Bartender actually likes me.

“Huh.” Was all I managed, tilting my head so I could take a closer look at him. “Why?” I asked. Why? The man just told you he liked you, the least you could say was, thank you?

No, that’d be stupid.

“I’ll tell you why. You’re not the first woman I heard that mentioned that had given up on love. Love, to you, was not only what a man had with a woman, it wasn’t just a feeling, it’s so much more than that. I know that because I’ve heard you mention it to Barney—before he died, of course. You may not have noticed me, but I have noticed you. I watched you complain about work but never your workload. I hear you talking to your niece over the phone and telling her you miss her and would love to have her over as much as her mom allows her too. I watched you cry when Jackie told you she lost her baby of four weeks over the phone. You dial your mother’s number and hang up almost instantly.

You have piqued my interest very much but I never had the guts to approach you, at least not until Barney passed his bar to me, then I knew, somehow or rather, I was going to have to talk to you.”

“But you already hated me on our first meeting.”

“I did.” He said smoothly. “But I only hated you because I thought you were wasting all the good away in you, that you couldn’t see you were perfect and deserved all the love someone could give you. You loved so many things and people around you, but because of the very fact you were afraid the second you embraced them, you’d lose them just as quickly. You were right, about me being the biggest prick, egotistical, self-absorbed man that I was. You taught me a few things as a stranger, but you taught me more when we got to know each other. You’re a selfless woman. Ronnie. I’ve seen it long ago in you. That is why I fell madly in love with you, that’s what drew me to you and held me there for the longest time. You don’t hate love, you ooze it.”

I stared blankly at him . He let out a loose, shy smile that rattled my bones. Whatever smart-mouthed answers I had prepared at my fingertips dissipated quickly down my lizard brain. Never in a million years had I expected to hear these words coming from the man who hated me since I stepped foot into his bar. The same man who loved to make deductions about me now claims that he actually feels for me.

I had to pinch myself, I wanted to pinch myself.

But the funny thing is, the searing pain that shot up my abdomen wasn’t even caused by myself.

All I remember saying to him after just being minutes on cloud nine was “I need to use the bathroom, please lift me up.”