Читать книгу Nowhere Yet - Edward Inc. Cozza - Страница 5

“How about a margarita?” Rex asked.

“No one by that name works here,” Isobelle replied, looking at Grant.

“The drink, you know, with tequila and lime. Margarita.”

“Does your friend want one of those as well?”

“He wants what I tell him to want,” Rex pushed Grant on the shoulder.

“Is that so?” Isobelle asked Grant.

“I never want what he tells me, except for now,” Grant replied. “Maybe you could tell him what he wants.”

“I do not think so. I have just met him, but I could believe that it might be difficult for anyone to tell him anything. I will bring the margaritas.” Isobelle turned away to prepare the drinks, quickly glancing at Grant.

The woman certainly had a confidence about her. Her movements were fluid, never deliberate. Grant had been in countless bars before, but he had never seen a woman move with the same grace or sense of purpose before, though the more he thought about it, her composure did remind him somewhat of Annie. Her comment about his trauma, along with the feeling that he had seen her face somewhere before perplexed him. He wondered how she had known about his accident.

“See, I told you it was a good idea to come here. Man, am I beat, and hungry too. You suppose they got some good food around here? ‘Cause I’m fucking hungry!” Rex said, intervening in Grant’s thoughts.

“Always thinking of the others, aren’t you? You are always fucking hungry.”

“Sorry, forgot you got in a wreck today. What the hell, man? How long before your—and you can’t drive for a while, either?”

“That’s what they said,” his eyes still fixed on Isobelle.

“Well, that sucks.”

“I may have to hang here for an extra couple of days. They probably still won’t get my truck fixed by then,” Grant said.

“Lucky to be alive, I guess,” Rex said, sincerely.

“Just like always. What about you?”

“Well, like I told you, I have been under the gun, and am not sure when that’s going to clear. I didn’t do anything, but those fuckers sometimes just pop you because they can. I didn’t want to talk about it on the phone.”

“Because you are three of the most paranoid bastards I’ve ever met.”

“Funny, but really. These shit heels do that kind of thing just to fuck with you.” Rex lowered his voice, looked around the room, then back to Grant.

“What shit heels are you referring to?”

“The fed boys, I don’t know which fucking branch. The branch that fucks with you.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down much.”

“Justice department, US Marshalls. I didn’t make this shit up. Even I’m not that fucked up. Anyway, this law firm I was working for did some work for some guys that were into some illegal shit. The government found out about it, about the, let’s say bad guys, came after the bad guys that were doing the illegal shit, and then came after the firm for not being, fuck, I don’t know, not being more something.”

“Not being more something, that is a high crime.”

“Look, cowboy Sam, this has been tortuous shit. In case you forgot, I have been out of touch for a while.”

“I didn’t forget.”

“Now, I don’t know if I’m in the clear or not. One of the guys in the firm said not to be surprised if the bad guys tried to fuck with us also.”

“Where does a person have to go to join a club that can attain the level of paranoia that you seem to prescribe to?” Grant shook his head slowly back and forth.

“That bartender, what was her name?” Rex asked.

“Isobelle.”

“Right, I don’t know why I thought it was Margarita. She’s something, huh?”

“That’s the drink, margarita, and she is really something,” Grant said. He finally took his eyes off of her figure and looked at Rex.

“What do you think about Annie coming? Have you figured out how to thank me yet?”

“Maybe if you pass Isobelle’s test.”

“I knew you put her up to that. Who says that to someone you just met?”

“I just told her … never mind. Let’s get more on the preliminaries about you first, and try not to take me clear back to when laws were first codified. Then we’ll talk about Annie.”

“Worst years of my life … not sure about what they are going to do, which could suck big time. She’s really attractive,” Rex said, watching Isobelle make the drinks “and I think she likes you. She was watching you the whole time.” Isobelle looked back at them. Rex waved. “She didn’t even look at me.”

“Can’t blame her there, not sure I want to look at you either. So that’s it? You don’t know what’s going to happen?” Grant asked.

“No, but she seems to think I’m not done,” he said, nodding his head at Isobelle. “What the hell is up with that? Telling me I still have a ways to go. Maybe she’s a gypsy or some sort of … she does kind of have that look about her. Anyway, what can I tell you, Grant? It’s been shitty every hour of every day. I didn’t want to reach out to anyone, for fear they would get on anybody I reached out to. I’m surprised they didn’t call you anyway. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if they showed up here at this hotel to watch me. They know we’re friends, they know everything. First they stick a microscope up your ass and then down your tonsils, they got everything on you.”

“In that order? Do they clean it first?” Grant smiled.

They both started laughing. Isobelle returned with the drinks, and a small bowl of olives.

“There you are, gentlemen: two of my best margaritas, and some locally-grown olives. Judging from your smiles, you are happier already.”

“You didn’t ask us how we liked them made. The drinks, I mean,” Rex chimed in.

“You are men, no?”

“I am, at least. Can’t speak for this one here,” Rex said, elbowing Grant.

“Men would not want these blended. They would want them gently shaken, with the finest tequila, lime, and curacao. We come to the finale with just a kiss of Grand Marnier, to remind them of a sunset they once viewed with a beautiful woman somewhere, and of course, salt, because these men work hard,” Isobelle said, placing the drinks in-front of them.

There was a pause, as Rex and Grant sat in mildly stunned silence.

“I knew that,” Grant said first.

“Me too,” Rex added.

“Good. Will you be staying long?” Isobelle said, looking at Grant.

“Longer now, I bet,” Rex said.

“Yep,” Grant said.

“Excellent. What brings you here?” Isobelle asked.

“A little reunion. Just us and a few beautiful women, just like you said,” Rex said.

“Is that so? I can believe that.” Isobelle gave a quick glance at Grant.

“Yep, the two of us, Grant’s old girlfriend, probably four or five other fantastic women. You fall in that category too, so you can come too, if you want.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but I thought we were testing you to see how quiet you could be,” she said, changing her gaze from Grant to Rex, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“She’s great, Dad! Can we keep her?” Rex asked, looking at Grant.

Isobelle looked back to Grant, waiting his answer, she and Rex now both looking at him.

“Sure, if it’s alright with her,” Grant said.

“You heard the man, you’re in, and I think it’s great. Could we please have two more of these drinks?”

“You haven’t even started those drinks yet.”

“By the time you get back, there’ll be tumbleweeds blowing through here. Here’s to you, and you,” Rex said, nodding at both Grant and Isobelle.

“Sure,” Grant said, reciprocating the gesture, with both men taking a drink, and Isobelle watching, waiting for their reaction.

“Man, that’s the kind of sugar papa likes,” Grant said with a sigh of contentment. He looked across the bar, as if at some vision only he could see.

“You are pretty good at this. You knew just how we liked them. This is going to work out just fine. What about that other stuff you knew about us?” Rex asked.

“I am glad you like the drinks. I was just projecting, which I should not do, and you have my apologies. I will get you two a couple more drinks. Now, I am not going to have any trouble from you, am I?” Isobelle asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Sort of depends on your definition of trouble. If you don’t hold us completely to the rules, things should work out in everyone’s favor,” Grant said, surprising both Rex and Isobelle.

“Wow, what was in those drinks?” Rex blurted out.

“Nothing unusual,” Isobelle said, smiling. “I do not think I will be too strict today, after all, you are guests of the hotel. I will let you, how do you say, sodbusters, enjoy your fun. Just do not go shooting up the bar, and getting the management all upset, or I will have to run you out of here,” Isobelle said, before turning back to her liquors to go satisfy Rex’s request for additional cocktails.

“Hey, hey, hey, she’s a keeper for you, Grant boy! Annie is going to love her!”

Grant watched Isobelle as she walked away. He suddenly felt light and warm, as though the harsh hotel air conditioning had been shut off abruptly. He tipped up the drink and was sucked in by the clarity of thought that washed over him. Clarity of thought, after such a brutal car wreck, was rather surprising, so he was reticent to trust the feeling. He couldn’t deny, however, how good it felt to sit in such a nice bar, speaking with this beautiful, enchanting woman. He had not felt that ease since Annie had been around, and that was a long time ago. Isobelle looked nothing like Annie, but she was beguiling and she had the same confidence.

“I still can’t believe you got Annie to say she would come here. Pretty tough believing she would talk to you at all.”

“Hey, can’t help my boyish charm,” Rex smiled, enjoying his drink.

“Bullshit, you ain’t got any boyish charm. She’s just a good soul and felt sorry for your pathetic ass, which I didn’t think was possible.”

“She is a good soul. I’m still not sure why she didn’t like me in the first place.”

“Maybe because you’re an asshole, you were always stirring up crazy shit that got me in trouble!” Grant said.

“Yeah, Angel Grant … wouldn’t say shit if he had a mouthful. Always a gun to your head to make you do things you didn’t want to do. Hey, I got a gun. How bout I hold it to your head and we do some crazy shit this weekend?”

“Guns, yeah, that’s exactly what you need. I really am trying to rule out any behavior that even remotely resembles anything that you would do,” Grant said.

“Yeah, like it was never you.”

“People change. I’ve been in a car wreck already, what do you want?”

“Maybe that qualifies. If we were keeping tabs in the fucked-up sweepstakes, you are in the lead. The bartender seems to like you, though, so there might be hope,” Rex said.

“I’m not here for the—the bartender. I’m here for Annie … and you, sort of.”

“Thanks for the afterthought.”

“I haven’t seen Annie in years. It’s been longer since I saw her than it has since I last saw you. And I know for a fact she is still better looking than you.”

“It’ll be great to see her, won’t it?”

“She’s really coming?” Grant asked, still perplexed by the fact that this might be a real possibility.

“You are such a fucking putz! Yes, she’s coming! Just relax, try not to be your usual dumbass self, and enjoy the ride. Wonder if she’s bringing a bunch of hot friends, what do you think?”

“I’m sure I don’t know.”

“Hey, don’t get pissy. I had to do a bunch of shit I didn’t want to do to get Annie to say she would come here. So in return, you should just keep the bartender happy, so she can keep the drinks coming, which, in turn, will make me happy. That, and if Annie brings some hot friends along with her. Maybe the bartender, what’s her name, has some babe friends, too. I bet she does. A woman that good looking doesn’t hang with ugly people,” Rex said.

“I don’t see Annie here yet, and listen to you. Did your ordeal make you regress to high school? What do you mean doesn’t hang around with ugly people? I let you hang around me, and look how goddamn ugly you are,” Grant retorted, as bitterly as he could. Already he could tell he was getting too defensive of Isobelle.

“Almost to high school,” Rex said, setting his now-empty glass down on the bar. “Look, and maybe it can be like old times. Well, okay—maybe not completely like the times you and Annie had when you were together, but maybe it can just be some of the fun that the three of us had back then. She doesn’t like it, she can leave. And if that’s not good enough for you, I bet that woman behind the bar would be more than happy to hear you tell her some stories. Any of that compare with your exciting life back in Encinitas?”

“I thought you were going to be quiet,” Isobelle said, returning with round two.

“That’s really not a fair test for him,” Grant said, smiling slyly at her.

“This, I can believe,” Isobelle smiled back.

“I can be quiet. I just have a lot to say. Most people,”—Rex gave Grant a fiendish look—“find what I have to say to be interesting,” Rex said.

“Are any of those people who find you interesting here in this bar today?” Isobelle asked, deadly serious, playing him word for word.

Grant started laughing.

“Well, it looks like the bar is empty, except for us,” Rex said.

“I know, that is why I asked the question,” Isobelle said.

“You know it is not a given that I will leave you a tip,” Rex said, a smile creeping onto his face.

“No, but you probably will because I will see to it that you are well taken care of, whether anyone is listening to you, or not,” Isobelle smiled back. “But we should still complete the test, just to be certain.”

“That’s for sure,” Grant added.

“I stay quiet, you are going to have to pass notes to this one if you want to get a response, I’m just tellin’ ya. If you are waiting for him to make conversation, we will probably go through several shift changes before Sunday,” Rex said, looking towards the service access part of the bar.

“You stay quiet, even a little while, I will make sure your friend here is comfortable speaking with me,” Isobelle said.

“I don’t think we can take that chance. His vocal cords might grow shut, which, now that I think about it, isn’t a bad thing. On the other hand, it might impact his drinking, which would certainly impact your tip,” Rex replied.

Even with this beautiful woman standing in front of him, flirting with him and teasing Rex, the only thing that occupied Grant’s thoughts was the hope of seeing Annie again.