Cedar Ridge

Thankfully, at that point, a pretty brunette with a sweet smile and her hair clipped up in a messy twist approached the table. “Hey there Jared. Hey, Billy,” she said, dealing out coasters to the three of them. “Not just the boys tonight, huh?” Her soft brown eyes radiated warmth as she took Jessica in with a curious smile.

“Laney, this is Jessie.” Jared made the introductions. “Jess, this is Laney Redford.”

Jessica held out a hand but didn’t get a chance to tell Laney to call her “Jessica.”

“It’s about time Jared brought you in!” Laney gushed, giving Jessica’s hand an enthusiastic shake. Then her face took on a pained look and she dropped her voice to stage whisper, “I heard from Louisa what happened, and I just gotta say, I’m so glad you landed with Faith and Jared.”

The skin on Jessica’s scalp went tight and heat flooded her face, emotion winding up tight inside her. Was it nervousness? Mortification? Anger? Probably all three. Clearing her throat, she said, “Yes. Well. I’m glad, too.”

Behind her, Jared’s hand touched her lower back. “We’re all glad,” he said, taking charge of the situation. “But we’re also thirsty, and we might be a little hungry, too.” He gave Laney a winning smile.

“What’ll it be then?”

“A cold Corona would hit the spot,” Jared said, looking at Billy who held up two fingers, then popped up a third as he cut questioning eyes to Jessica.

“A beer? No.” Jessica wrinkled her nose and gave her head a small shake. “Could I see a wine list?”

Jared and Billy both snickered, but Laney responded kindly. “We don’t have a list. Only red, white, and rosé.” When Jessica looked unsure, she went on, “We’ve got great margaritas. Top shelf tequila, and they’re on special tonight, half-price.”

Jessica bit her lip, considering whether to take her chances on the house wine in a place called the Rusty Spur. In the end, she agreed to try a margarita, asking for Patron tequila and ordering it on the rocks.

As Laney headed off for the bar, Jessica resumed looking around. More people were coming in and a game of pool had started up at a table in the corner. On the stage, one of the musicians was strumming his guitar, checking amplifier levels. Although the room was buzzing with conversation, an awkward silence settled over the trio’s table. The men sat mute, scanning the crowd and watching the band. Whenever their eyes happened to meet Jessica’s, they offered tight smiles.

Finally, Billy broke the ice. “So what do you think of the Spur?”

“It’s … nice.” Jessica nodded, more to convince herself than him the description was accurate.

Billy’s eyebrows shot up, and Jared snorted.

“Don’t know ‘nice’ is a word many people use on those rating sites,” Jared said, cocking his head to the side. “I think I’ve heard Skeet crowing about being called a ‘classic dive—’”

“—And you know he takes pride in being the best bar in town, even though he’s the only bar in town,” Billy cut in.

A black sign with chalk lettering caught Jessica’s eye. “I take it the Rusty Spur is a bar and grill?” she said, pointing at the specials listed on the board.

“Yep, the Spur has it all,” Billy said with genuine delight. “Bar food and alcohol.”