45: Troublemaker

Erin

      Jesse asks if he can drop me off a little ways from the bar while he sits in Desmond's now-empty parking lot/driveway. That way, he can watch me to make sure I'm safe and still make it look like we didn't arrive at the bar together. That would surely tip Simon off.

      I silently walk up to the bar. The guy I assume is Simon (since he's one of two working tonight and I know Marie) stands at the bar. I can feel him watching me, and I wish that Jesse hadn't talked me into this. 'Just be you,' he said. Well, me, I'm very uncomfortable doing this all by myself. Still, I remind myself that this is for Jesse and Marie and to prove a point.    

      The hopeless romantic in me wants Jesse and Marie to get together. The way he looked at her in Bryce's kitchen... like he'd do anything for her... even get into a fight with his best friend.

      I have no idea why Marie insists that she overreacted. I can only guess that she feels ridiculous even though I'm betting Jesse's right. Oh well, I'm about to find out. Maybe.

    I ball my hands into tight fists in my lap as the guy greets me. I'm not so sure I like the idea of being 'bait.'

     He hasn't asked me if I want a drink.

     "So, where are you from?" he asks me after he greets me and we exchange shallow pleasantries.

     I'm from a place where they don't end sentences in prepositions. Well, technically they do, but anyway.

      "Riverview," I answer. And just across the lagoon. Yeah, I'm just a tourist. Just a tourist.

      "Oh. I've met a few people from there before, although no one as drop-dead gorgeous as you," he says and flashes me a white-toothed smile while I become furious at my irritating blush.

      Jesse, I can't do this! I just want to slink away and hide somewhere. Still, this is nothing to get him on, it's just a simple compliment. I'm going to have to do more. 
       I hate this, I think as I work on turning up the corners of my mouth.
      "I'll bet you say that to all the girls," I reply more bravely than I feel. I'm going to throttle Jesse.
      That impish smile remains on his face all during my internal struggle before he replies, "No, not the girls, but the women." Oh, have mercy this is ridiculous! "What can I get for you, gorgeous?" he asks after staring too long at my chest.
      I'm glad Marie is busy entertaining the other customers, taking orders. She hasn't had to come by the bar yet. I only have the time until she blows my cover to find a way to prove what this guy would do. Still, I don't want to come across as flirty.
     I shrug my shoulders and say, "I don't know. What do you recommend?"
     "Let me surprise you," he answers with a slight wink. Ugh. Jesse, where are you?! And for that matter, Bryce. He'd said he'd be on his way soon. I'm not so sure I want to do this anymore.
      "I'll just hit the ladies' room while you fix it," I say, knowing I'd never let anyone prepare me a drink when I wasn't watching them, but I have to escape for a few minutes. I give him a small smile and scoot off the stool.
      Once in the restroom, I shut myself into a stall and try not to freak out. This is entirely out of my comfort zone - up and talking to someone like this. Here I was thinking that maybe I'd gotten over that with the way I'd accepted all of Bryce's friends, well, eventually. Nope, that was just because I'd accepted Bryce. This assistant manager guy proves that I'm still as bashful as ever. I'd make a horrible spy, I think randomly.
    Once I hear Martha pull up in the parking lot, I leave the restroom and walk around the back of the building, trying to make it look like I'm a tourist enjoying the view. Simon doesn't question why I come up the back stairs. I notice he hasn't made me a drink when he walks around the bar to talk to me. I have to take a step back because he gets just a little too close.

     "I'm sorry," he says. "I had to fix some orders for my waitress. Plus, I forgot to ask you if you're allergic to cherries."
     Weird question, I think before I tell him, "No."
     I see Jesse casually walk up the stairs to the bar. Then I glance at Marie and see that she probably noticed from the way her posture changed. Hm. It doesn't look like Simon has seen him yet, he's too busy staring at my rack while he fixes the strange cherry drink he's making. Cherries. Yeah. I take a deep breath, fold my arms, and turn around to look out at the lagoon again, wishing my skirt wasn't so short. I figure now that if there's anything in my drink that Jesse would stop anything from happening, not to mention Bryce will be here soon.

    The creep brings me a drink.
    "Try it. If you don't like it, I'll toss it," he requests.
    I take a little, tiny sip. It's very good, actually. I hate to say it, but it's better than Jones would do.
    "Wow. What's it called?" I ask with unmasked surprise in my voice.
    A sheepish, boyish grin crosses his face as he answers, "It's a Cherry Casanova."
    It's all I can do not to spit into my glass in shock. Holy crap, this man actually made me some kind of aphrodisiac drink?!
    He laughs a little at my shocked expression. Then I see him finally notice Jesse, and I watch as he shoots him a glare before turning back to me, all smiles. I'm running out of time. Just be me?
     "I didn't... I mean I don't... " I stammer, not knowing what else to say. "Um.. I mean..."
     "Relax," he says with a small laugh. "It's not that kind of a drink," he tries to reassure me. "I just guessed you might like it, aaannnd, it looks like I guessed right." He pauses for a second before he asks, "What's your name?"
     "Hello, Erin," I hear a familiar voice behind me say, and a warm feeling courses through me even if he sounds a little mad.
      Out of time, I guess. This would've never worked anyway.

    "Hi, Bryce," I say sweetly, glad I can quit this stupid charade. I did not want to be proof of what he might do.
    "Simon," Bryce says, "I see you've met my girlfriend." He stresses the word girlfriend in such a way as to tell him to back off.
     "No, not officially. I'd just now asked her her name, in fact, when you'd walked up," he says to Bryce. Then he turns to me to ask, "I thought you said you were from Riverview?" I can feel Bryce watching the two of us like a hawk.
      "I am," I answer. "I moved here recently."
      The three of us stand here in a tense silence.
      "Well, I'd better get back to work." Simon says with a probable forced-calm.

     As Simon makes his way back to behind the bar, Bryce takes over the place where he stood. Well, a little farther back, but just about the same. He stands there and looks at me like he doesn't know who I am.
    Finally, I can't stand it anymore, and I ask, "Are you just gonna stand there and stare at me or tell me what's wrong?"
     He remains quiet for a few more seconds before he takes a step towards me and asks quietly, "Do you have any idea what you're drinking?"
      "Yeah, he told me it wasn't that kind of drink though."
      "He lied," Bryce says evenly. Then, that roguish smile crosses his face before he says, "But, well, I mean, if you want to finish the drink, that's fine with me, but I won't lie to you about it." His face is now mere inches from mine. He trails a single finger down my cheek before he asks, "What were you doing, anyway?"
     "I sat at the bar, and he offered to make me a drink. I accepted, and this is what he made me."
     "You obviously didn't tell him you were my girlfriend."
     "It hadn't come up yet." This was a bad idea, Jesse. I hate these half-truths. "I..." I lose my train of thought.
      "I'm amazed you were even talking to him after today," he says, and I squirm while he stares a hole into me. He takes in a breath and asks, "This was some attempt to prove what he's capable of?" When I don't say no, he continues, "I know what he's capable of. He can be one slimy little bastard, but he's got a good head for business. That, and he's a great bartender when Jones is off."
     I can't stand it. I feel so terrible, and I place my drink on the table before I turn around.

    Instead of turning me back around, he whips around in front of me again. "Was this some scheme to prove something to me?"
     I can't look him in the eyes as I nod my head yes in the tiniest amount. "I'm sorry. It was a stupid idea. I knew you were on your way over here, and I was curious what he'd do if he didn't know who I was." I want to crawl into a hole and die; I'm so mortified.
     His hands reach up to either side of my face as he tilts it up towards his. I close my eyes. "Of course, I forgive you since I guess I can understand why, but I can't imagine you'd do this on your own without being prodded. Did Jesse put you up to this?" he asks outright.
     "It was just an idea."
     "His idea."
     "Yes, and I agreed."
     "Because he wants me to feel jealous just like he did."
     "Maybe he thought if you had a different perspective on the whole thing then you might change your mind."
     I feel his thumbs on my cheeks as he gets real quiet. I peep my eyes open to glance at his expression. He looks like he's trying to figure me out. "Why are you so adamant about me firing him?"
       I open my eyes all the way and stare back into his. "Because I don't understand why you're not! What he did was wrong, apology or not."
     "While you've been here, have you seen him misbehave?" he asks. Then he says quickly, "Oh, but that's right. He wouldn't do anything close to that around Jesse now."
      "I showed up alone."
      "That answers another question. Well, did you see him misbehave?"
      "Other than him making me that drink, no, but I also noticed Marie staying as far away from him as possible. I can't believe you brought her back to work, even if Simon apologized. She's being forced to function in a state of shock."
      "I have very few employees. Are you suggesting that I work in her place?"
      "Maybe," I answer. Then, I plead, "I just don't understand why you would do stuff like this. Here I thought I was getting to really know you, and you throw this curve ball."
      "I won't dismiss him without some solid reason. I'm going to see how this plays out. If he does anything else, then I'll get rid of him. I had a small chat with him about that already."
       Both of us get quiet. What is his problem? Why won't he understand that Simon should be fired? Still, I don't think this was the way to go about showing him.
       "I'm sorry," I whisper.

    "Erin..." he lovingly growls as he pulls me into his arms. He should be pissed off at me. I hope he doesn't completely blame Jesse for all this.
     "Why aren't you mad at me?" I have to ask.
     He laughs a tiny bit. "I don't know. I'm just not."
     "Are you mad at Jesse?"
     "I was mad at Jesse before, so nothing's changed," he answers into my hair. "Listen to me, okay? I'll keep an extra close watch on the slimy little bastard if it will make you feel better."
     "Almost."
     "Are you still mad at me?" he asks.
     I bite my lip for a second. "I don't understand you, but I don't guess I'm mad at you anymore."
     He takes in a big breath and says, "Good."
     "Jesse's more than just jealous," I say very quietly to him. I doubt anyone a foot away could hear me since they turned the music up. The people in the nearby houses have got to hate that, but maybe they're used to it. "I think he's worried he'll try something like that again."
     "I'll fix it to where she doesn't work alone with Simon anymore. You know, turn everyone's schedules upside down," he says the last bit in a mockingly teasing voice. He starts running his fingers through my hair. "You blonde girls moving to the island and stirring up trouble," he states, still teasing.
      I gasp, lightly hit him, and try to get out of his arms, but he holds me fast. "Trouble, huh?" I ask, and he laughs. Then I get a little sad as I say, "I don't like you being mad at Jesse."
      "Since when are you so pro-Jesse?"

    "Since I saw the way he looked at Marie in your kitchen today." When all you could think about was your business.
     "I didn't see him making the 'goo-goo' eyes."
     I blink a few times and ask, "What?" I have a hard time hiding my smile, and a laugh slips out.
     "It's his term," he says as Jesse and Marie's voices work their way over to us in a lull in the music. "So, what do you mean?"
      "Well, it was like he'd do anything for her, you know?" I look up at him to see how he reacts to what I said, and I see that look in his eyes that makes me mentally check where the nearest chair is in case I need it. I guess that's what Jesse calls the 'goo-goo' eyes.
       "I'd do anything for you," he says quietly.
       "This isn't a competition," I try not to snap while working to remain standing without locking my knees, thinking that because I said something good about Jesse that he feels threatened. Instead, I continue my previous statement, "I know you'd like to think you would, but you haven't."
      "You're talking about Simon."
      "Yes."
      "I wish you weren't so up in arms about this," he says quickly. "However," he continues without much pause, "Jesse's little scheme did work in one way. I am pissed as hell at Simon for making you that drink and then telling you it wasn't what it looked like."
     "Do you honestly think women would drink that drink otherwise?"
     "I know for a fact they would," he says, and I feel my jaw drop.

    "Well," he laughs sheepishly, "obviously not you. That's why I was surprised... and mad."
    I have to remind myself that he wasn't my Mr. Wonderful as short as a month ago, that he was almost a different person. Again, I wonder if I'm just going to end up as one of many in that long chain of women he's had. I hate these thoughts.
     "No no," he says quickly. "Stop it. I shouldn't have brought that up," he says as I guess he sees my face start to fall.
      I can't make it stop falling. What if he goes back to being like people say he was? This has been so intense; what if it's just a flash in the pan? What will I do if that happens?
      I feel his finger on my chin as he tilts it up to make me look at him. "Tell me what you're thinking."
      I shake my head. "You don't wanna know."
      "Which, of course, makes me want to know even more," he states, and I stay quiet. I hear Marie laugh about something as Jesse talks to her. That makes me relax that she sounds calm.
       I ponder why I feel like I already really know and understand Marie when Bryce interrupts my thoughts, "Please?"
       "I'm worried about us," I answer quietly while I see him look up at the bar.
       His eyes pop back over to me as I hear a mild panic in his voice when he asks, "What?! Why?"
       "I'm worried that..." I can't finish it. I don't even want to put the idea into his head.
       "Yes?" Bryce prompts me, but I get distracted by Simon's voice and then by Jesse's as he starts yelling. I notice Bryce gets distracted again too.
      "Excuse me a moment," he says to me in a dark voice.