The Bar at the Edge of the Sea by Tom Abrahams

Author:Tom Abrahams [Abrahams, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B085GLD28Q
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2020-06-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Pedro leaned on the polished oak counter separating him and Li. “You can come around the bar if you’d like.”

Li ran her hands along the shellacked wood, feeling the imperfections in the topcoat and the thick grain that ran along the surface of the massive bar. In her previous life, she’d worked at a bar. It was where she’d met Zeke. It was where they’d fallen in love. It was where things had fallen apart.

Pedro flipped the rag from his shoulder and ran it across the surface, soaking up the condensation from chilled glasses and previous pours. He smiled at her and motioned with his chin.

“Really, come around,” he said. “I know you have an appreciation for this.”

Li nodded almost imperceptibly and pushed herself away from the bar. She squeezed between a pair of stools and wound her way to a hinged section of the bar where it met the wall. She lifted it like a hatch, sidestepped behind the bar, and closed it.

The floor behind the bar was sticky underneath the soles of her boots. Pedro faced her, his right side leaning against the bar. His leather vest was open. A large buckle at his waist gleamed. He was watching her boots.

“I should get out the mop,” he said. “It’s a bit of a mess back here. Sometimes, when it gets busy, I’ll spill as much as I serve. My apologies.”

Her boots peeled from the floor with each step. She stopped when she reached him and shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me.”

Pedro nodded. “Good. I’ll let the film build up another couple of layers.”

Li scanned the shelves that ran along the back wall. The length of it was covered with an aged mirror. The corners were speckled with black dots, which lessened in frequency toward the center of the reflective glass. On both sides of the mirror were the rough-hewn planks of wood that held the myriad bottles of liquor.

Pedro jutted his chin at the inventory. “What’s your poison? I’ve everything from Rebel Yell to Macallan. Take your pick.”

“Lagavulin. Malted Scotch,” Li said. “There’s something familiar about it.”

Pedro said nothing. He let her talk.

She rolled her tongue around in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed. “I…I…can taste it.”

Li took two steps toward the shelf. She grasped the bottle’s neck and lifted it from the shelf. Swirls of dust danced. She swallowed; the burn of the Scotch settled in her stomach even though she hadn’t drunk any. It was the oddest sensation. She closed her eyes and made sense of the flavor.

“The dryness is offset by the sweet,” she said. “Some salty notes and a strong earthy finish.”

She ran her fingers along her throat as if tracing the path of the liquor. Her eyes fell to the floor. Why was the drink familiar?

Pedro motioned to the bottle.

She lifted her chin and looked at Pedro. The bright blue of his eyes, almost electric, locked onto hers. It was like he knew what she was thinking. Did he?

“That was Zeke’s first drink here,” he offered.

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