made eye contact once, and he hadn’t looked impressed. Not that she’d expected him to. Or wanted him to.
Just as well. No guy would be interested in a woman with a past like hers. Anyway, she needed to focus her energy on one thing.
Atonement.
The door opened, and the bar quieted as all eyes landed on a thin teenage boy with pale skin and shoulder-length red hair. He wore faded yellow high-tops and a long-sleeved tee over shiny black basketball shorts. Just as Kerry was wondering with a sinking feeling if he was chasing down a missing parent, Snoozy gestured for her to follow him to the end of the bar, where he waved the boy over.
“Kerry, I want you to meet Dylan. He’ll be looking after Mitzi for me.”
“You will?” She grabbed the teen’s hand with both of hers and laid a fervent shake/squeeze combo on him. “My hero,” she said.
He blushed so hard, his freckles disappeared. “No big deal,” he muttered. “Mitzi’s cool.”
“Heroic and humble.” Kerry smiled, leaned in. “Truth is, Mitzi freaks me out a little, so I’m glad you’ll be around.”
She was laying it on a little thick, but the purple shadows under the teen’s eyes made her heart hurt.
Dylan’s blush deepened. “I can take out the trash. Do other stuff you need.”
“That would be great. I can see you’re going to be a huge help.”
He dipped his head. When his phone pinged, he hustled off into a corner and started typing with his thumbs, stopping every now and then to shoot a glance back at the bar.
Snoozy gave Kerry a considering look. “That kid’s standing a foot taller.”
“There’s something about him...”
“He’s had it rough.” His face tightened. “He lives four blocks away, so he doesn’t have far to walk. He’ll be in every day after school to change Mitzi’s water and clean her bedding. A few odd jobs on top of that won’t hurt, but don’t keep him long. He’ll have homework and chores of his own at home. I’m putting him to work right away so he can get used to the routine. He’ll be starting tonight.”
“He’ll feed Mitzi, too?”
“On Tuesdays. She only needs to be fed once a week. I’ll make sure someone’s around to help, though Dylan knows better than to handle her on his own.”
“She only eats once a week?”
Snoozy nodded. “Obesity’s a problem for pythons in captivity.”
“Interesting. Although,” Kerry said, drawing out the word, “the fatter she is, the slower she’ll move.”
“Pythons don’t chase their prey. They’re ambush hunters.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She scrambled for a change of subject. “It’s okay to let a minor in the bar?”
“As long as he’s supervised. Don’t let him wander off or we could get in trouble. If the bar’s busy, keep him with you, or ask him to come back later. I’m going in the back to make some phone calls. Any other questions?”
“Would you happen to have a sweater I could borrow? It was pretty warm in here this morning and now I’m wishing I’d worn something with a little more fabric.” Though they both knew her goose bumps had little to do with the cool air.
“Yeah, the AC’s temperamental. Kind of like my bride-to-be.” He grinned, and some of the tension in Kerry’s shoulders eased.
“Let me see what I can find in the back,” he said.
“You can borrow mine.”
Kerry swung around. A smiling blonde flanked by two other women held out a purple cardigan. She gave it a shake when Kerry hesitated.
“It’s okay,” the blonde said. “I don’t need it.”
“That’s so nice of you, Allison.” Still Kerry hesitated. “But I might spill something on it.”
“You remembered my name.” The other woman beamed. Kerry didn’t deserve her delight, though. She couldn’t help but remember, considering she’d run into Allison probably two or three times a day for the past couple of days. Allison Gallahan and her husband, Joe, owned Sleep at Joe’s, the motel where Kerry had stayed before moving into Eugenia’s apartment that afternoon.
“It’s washable.” Allison tugged at Kerry’s hand and draped the sweater over her forearm. “It has to be. I have a kid. You’ve met Parker, right?”
Kerry managed a smile for Parker Macfarland, who stood on Allison’s right. The redhead wore jeans, an emerald top and an expression free of censure.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Kerry said.
Snoozy held up Allison’s sweater so Kerry could poke her arms into the sleeves. “This third one here, she’s trouble.” He winked at the woman on the other side of Allison, the youngest of the three—and the least friendly looking.
“I’m Liz,” she said. She flicked a mass of pale blond corkscrew curls over one shoulder and thrust a hand across the bar. “Liz Watts. I used to work here.”
“Liz left us to work full-time with Parker. Place just isn’t the same. Say...” Snoozy directed the word to his feet. “Mind if Kerry gets your number? Case something comes up while I’m gone?”
“Good idea.” Liz stared, unsmiling, at Kerry. “Because you never know.”
Parker tossed a quick side-eye in Liz’s direction. “Though I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“And if you’re not, we’ll help,” Allison added firmly. “After all, Eugenia sent us to offer moral support for your inaugural shift. Didn’t she, Liz?”
Liz grunted, sounding eerily like Snoozy.
“That’s kind of you,” Kerry said. She seemed to be saying that a lot these days. She really was grateful, but she couldn’t help feeling uneasy, too. She was racking up a lot of favors.
Allison waved away her compliment. “We’re not kind, we’re curious. Plus, Liz and I are in dire need of a little baby-free time.”
Kerry nodded in faux understanding. These three had each other’s backs. What would that be like?
Stop taking advantage of people and maybe someday you’ll find out.
Snoozy rapped his knuckles on the bar. “Glad we got that that settled. I’ll let you ladies talk.”
His sound system started playing “Hotel California” and he whistled as he headed toward the kitchen, quicker than Kerry had seen him move all night.
“So what can I get you three to drink?” she asked.
“A mocktail for me.” Parker patted her baby bump.
