A Scent of Roses by Michael Cummings

Author:Michael Cummings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Michael Cummings
Published: 2017-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

Betty Anne

Betty Anne stared at the flashing lights ahead, a sinking sense of dread in her gut. There was only one road back towards the house. She’d given Nathan time to cool off, gather his thoughts. She didn’t want to go back and face him, not really, but she didn’t want to be stuck in town all night. She rolled towards the police barricade, hoping they might pity her and let her pass.

She rolled down her window as she got closer.

“You’ll have to turn around, ma’am.”

“But I live on the other side,” she said. A delivery truck was jackknifed across the road, empty kegs scattered everywhere. Any other night it might have been comical.

“Can you at least tell me how long?”

Shrug. He didn’t care. He was stuck outside on a cold, snowy night without any sign of a tow truck.

“I’d go find something to eat, or get a drink. It could be a while.”

“Is there any other way— “

“I said move,” he repeated, slapping the roof.

Betty Anne rolled her window up, cursing softly. What an asshole. She followed the detour lights until she was completely turned around, heading back into town. Up ahead, she could see the lights of a diner. It was tempting. Something to eat, a cup of coffee to keep her awake. But she felt like she needed something a little more. What she wanted was to have a few drinks and just forget about the last week. She had a good time when she went out with Beverly the other night at the local dive.

The snow was falling by the time she found the neon lights of the Nail. She parked a block away, sloshing through the snow. She expected it to be packed on a Friday night and was disappointed when she opened the door and found the room empty. The bartender smiled at her.

“Sit anywhere, we’re not exactly booming tonight.”

Betty Anne sat on a barstool, elbows resting on the counter.

“What brings you in tonight?” the bartender asked. He flashed a smile that warmed her belly.

“Adam, right?” she asked. She saw him glance down as she leaned forward, then blushing as she sat back on her stool, breaking his line of sight.

“Alex,” he corrected. “Beverly’s friend, right?”

“She’s my boss.”

“Ah,” he said. “That’s right. You were the one looking for a job. I take it that worked out?”

She nodded.

“In that case, first drink is on the house. You deserve it.”

Betty Anne laughed. “Why’s that?”

“I’ve known Beverly most of my life. She’s many things, but easy to get along with isn’t one of them.”

“That’s not true.”

“What will it be?”

“A whisky straight.”

“Wow, gunning for the big stuff right away,” he said, pulling out a tumbler and warming it with his hand before measuring two fingers of whisky. “I like it. Not the top shelf, but not scraping the beer barrel.”

Betty Anne smiled, taking the glass.

“Let’s just say I’ve had one hell of a week. And to top it off, the road’s closed.”

“That would explain why it’s so busy tonight,” he said.

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