Heartwood (14 page)

The Rooster resembled a roadhouse in every way other than the fact that it was housed in a historic building on Sixth Street. Stacy nearly twisted her ankle walking across the street. For a second, I thought Kelly was going to have to lend her the walking boot and nearly laughed when I imagined Mac’s reaction if that happened. I put a hand over my mouth and realized I was already buzzing a little.

The bar was packed with a lively crowd. We’d fought our way to some empty tables and I checked off a couple more items including getting some college boy to give me his boxers.

“Molly, you could sell lighter fluid in hell.” Kelly insisted, and I laughed at her. She was feisty with a couple of drinks in her, and I was secretly excited to have her (sort of) in the family.

We’d just ordered our second round when Robin elbowed me hard in the side.

“Ouch!” I complained.

“Don’t look now, but your BFF is on her way over.” She sipped her Diet Coke, and turned to Kelly. “Have you met Mac’s ex-wife yet?”

I whipped my eyes to the right as I heard Kelly say, “No. And frankly I don’t care if I ever do.”

Princess Patrón threw her arms wide and descended on me as if she were a Venus flytrap. Though it had been less than five years since I’d last seen her (during a brief era of stupidity where she and Mac had tried to reunite), she looked a decade older. She’d highlighted her dark hair, and was dressed to show more skin than Mariah Carey. I found my face nuzzled in her newly-purchased boobs.

“Molly! Hi!” She exclaimed, and my ears rang from the sheer volume of her voice above my head.

“Hi, Patty.” I turned my lips up in a smile I didn’t feel. I could understand her not wanting to be with my pain-in-the-ass brother, but the way she used Malcolm Junior against him all these years made it hard for me to play nice. Still, my mom would want me to be polite.

“Robin! Good to see ya. Lookin’ good.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” Robin didn’t even look at her.

“Well you don’t have to be rude.” Patrón slurred, and shook her head at me as if I’d come out for drinks with her and not Robin. I tossed back my shot of Grape Pucker.

“Oh no she didn’t.” Dan said loudly, but Patrón didn’t seem to hear him.

“Have you met Mac’s new girlfriend?” Robin called, scooting back and throwing an arm around Kelly. “Kelly, say hello to what you have to live up to.”

Kelly glanced from Robin to Patrón and downed her drink.

“Hi, sweetie. Enjoying my sloppy seconds?” Patty called, but I could tell she wasn’t pleased by the looks of Kelly. “This is my new boyfriend, Frank.” She gestured to a guy that looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo if he was ready to collect social security. Frank nursed his beer and didn’t make eye contact.

“Pleasure to meet you, I guess.” I managed, feeling like I was ready for another round of drinks just for me.

“You know, I always liked you, Molly.” I could see her blood shot eyes growing misty. “I was sorry to hear about that rich guy cheating on you. He was fine.”

She fanned herself as if the mere mention of Draven gave her a hot flash. I recalled with perfect clarity the sound of him trying to kick Joe’s door in and the venomous way he called me a cunt. Suddenly I needed the waitress to hurry up with our damn drinks.

“I heard you were getting married to Joe!” She gushed, as if it were the juiciest gossip to ever cross her lips. “Good for you. He’s hung like a stallion.”

All the blood in my body rushed to my face. Joe had told me long ago about how Patty had groped him the first time he’d met her. He’d never told Mac because he didn’t want him to feel worse about an ugly situation. The fact that she was putting this slant on it in front of all of my friends pissed me off to no end.

You could hear a pin drop at my table. I tried to take a breath, deciding how to handle her.

“What the fuck did she just say?” I heard Tamryn snarl.

I saw Dan and Jay working in concert to keep Tamryn from leaping over the table, but Princess Patrón sloshed her drink to her mouth oblivious. Furious that she’d throw something like this in my face in public, I balled my fists, but I was shocked into immobility as Kelly stepped in front of me.

“To answer your question, Mac and I are doing just fine. It may take years but I’m sure I can undo the damage he experience by being with you. Obviously your poor self-image makes you lash out at everyone around you while you pursue your self-destructive life style. When you are around your own friends, if you have any, you can feel free to be as crass and rude as you like. But when you are around my friends you will watch what you say.”

Patrón blinked her bleary, bloodshot eyes, as if trying to focus on Kelly.

“Bitch? Are you trying to talk shit to me? Why I have half a mind to—”

“I seriously doubt you even have half a mind.” Kelly snapped in a cold voice. Jay and Dan both tittered in unison behind me. “Now, I suggest you abandon this attempt at a battle of wits since you are obviously unarmed. Your best option is to skulk out of here and hurry back to your rotting double-wide down by the toxic waste dump.”

I thought for a moment that the two of them were going to throw down. By the way Kelly had shifted her weight onto her back foot, my money was on her, gimp leg or not. But then Princess Patrón dissolved into the ugliest cry I had ever seen. Snot came rolling out of her nose as she set to wailing like a two year old. Her new squeeze, Frank, looked like he considered bolting for a moment. Then he gave a heartfelt sigh and put his beer down. Throwing some money on the bar he came over and half dragged, half carried Patty out of the bar. I stood there in shock until the cackling of my two gays behind me startled me out of it.

“Wonder bitch powers activate!” Jay crowed.

“Form of...an ugly truth.” Dan said jovially.

“Ugly is right.” Jay replied. The two of them grinned at each other as Stacy grabbed Kelly and gave her a huge hug.

‘That was amazing.” She gushed, and Kelly beamed. “That woman made my life hell for a few weeks. She’s pure evil.”

“Now can we get the hell out of here?” Tamryn said, looking around as if she were afraid if she made contact with a surface she’d contract cooties. There was nothing wrong with The Rooster, but I was pretty sure Tamryn was used to something a little more posh.

“I’m sure Molly needs to get off that sore ass.” Slut Two giggled. Paul raised his eyebrows and grinned at me. My blood still boiled from Patron’s not-so-little revelation about Joe and I was tempted to take my frustration out on my cousin. I hated to burst Paul’s bubble, but his attempt at a spanking was about as sexy as a pap smear. I let him have one swat and when he tried to palm my ass after, I’d shoved him away. I was still a bit sensitive to the issue of my personal space and I planned to keep at least three bodies between him and me for as long as they tagged along.

“Alright, Fancy Pants.” Robin said to Tamryn, placing a manicured hand on her hip. “You pick the next bar.”

Thankfully, Robin was looking and sounding a lot more like herself, and I felt like I could relax and maybe have a little fun. Try as I might, I was having a little trouble pushing the image of Patty and Joe out of my mind.

“There’s this place nearby I think you’d like.” Loose-tie suggested to Tamryn. “CU29.”

Stacy nodded. “It’s nice. Sanchez and I love their desserts.”

“The cocktails are amazing.” Loose-tie insisted, and Tamryn looked at me to gauge my interest.

“I don’t care.” My exasperation was hard to miss. “How long before we pick your mom up, Stacy?”

She looked at her phone. “About an hour and a half.”

“It’s just a block off sixth.” Paul chimed in. It was odd to me that they’d glommed on to our group like they had. Maybe they thought they could get a quick blow job from the Sluts before we headed off to the gay bar. I looked over at my cousins in their hoochie dresses and hooker boots. Knowing them, it wasn’t outside of the realm of reason.

“Let’s do it.” Kelly thrust her fist in the air. The adrenaline rush she’d had while bitching out Patrón had taken hold, and I figured she deserved to make the call as the alpha female du jour.

CU29 turned out to be a very cool joint. Mood lighting and hipster staff gave it a trendy, edgy feel.

We settled into a large booth and Paul finally got to buy me a drink. It was an oversized, yellow cocktail that the derby hat clad bartender lit on fire.

“Show off.” I uttered to Paul, who’d managed to get himself seated on my right.

“I’m trying to impress you.” He tried his hand at a self-deprecating smile. It looked about as real as Patrón’s hair color. “It’s not easy.”

“I have two single cousins right over there that are already impressed. Have at it.” I replied, and looked over his shoulder. Tamryn had turned and walked away from the booth to talk to someone who wasn’t with our group. I couldn’t see the person she was chatting with thanks to Robin and Stacy’s big hair, but I figured she’d run into a friend or was ordering more drinks. I wondered if Mac had Joe at the strip joint yet and the thought got under my skin in a way it wouldn’t have an hour before Patron’s comments about Joe. Motivated to catch up with the others and actually have some fun, I started working on the colossal drink sitting in front of me.

“So...getting married, huh?” He slipped his arm onto the back of the booth behind me. I stole a glance at his curly hair and wondered how much product he used to make it stay perfectly imperfect.

“Yep.” I nodded, taking another large sip of the cool liquid.

“That’s a big commitment.” He clucked, leaning in closer to be heard over Jay and Dan laughing. “I’m having trouble fulfilling the 2 year lease on my Jaguar without trading it in.”

A flash went off in my peripheral vision and one of my cousins snorted with laughter.

“Joe’s gonna love that pic, Molly.” My mouth fell open and I resisted the urge to throw the contents of my glass into her pug-nosed face.

“Can you stop with the posting to the internet, please?” I was about to ask Paul to let me out of the booth so I could go drink alone when I was distracted by raised voices. I looked up to see one of the last people I ever wanted to lay eyes on again.

Bethany.

Joe’s late wife’s best friend.

Though I’d only met her once, her pinched and bitter face was forever etched into my memory. I’d also memorized every hateful word she’d spewed at Joe when we’d run into her while we were out on our first date.

She was a selfish witch who had no concern for Joe’s feelings and no respect for his grief. She was a drunk and a wretched excuse for a human being.

Dressed in a flawless designer dress with enough bling to choke a rapper, Bethany slipped around Tamryn who I realized too late had been blocking her path. Coming to a stop in front of me, she gave me the most condescending smile I’d ever seen.

“Well, isn’t this cozy.” Her eyes wandered from Paul’s well cut suit, over my tacky t-shirt and tattooed arm all the way down to the engagement ring on my left hand.

“Let me out, please.” I said quietly to Paul. I had just enough time to think I must have been born under a bad sign, when she spoke again.

“I hear congratulations are in order. My my. And Joe’s the unlucky groom in this blessed event? He really must be drinking
a lot
.”

“Who the hell is this cow?” Jay demanded at the top of his lungs.

“Oh, just someone who remembers Joe’s first wedding very well. It was beautiful. Such a classy affair. The bride looked perfect and the groom hung on her every word. Have fun following that act, darlin’. Jessica was a lady.”

Dan gasped in my left ear, and I felt him put a hand on my arm. I wished I wasn’t trapped between him and Paul, because I would have grabbed Bethany by her pale ponytail and swung her above my head like a lasso.

“I remember Joe’s first wedding, too.” Robin shot at her, her face twisted with hate. “If memory serves, you were hitting on every man in the room after your husband left with the kids. You wouldn’t know a lady if she sat on your face.”

Lisa slapped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to cover her laughter.

“Funny, I don’t remember you being there.” Bethany shrugged. I noticed her waver on her feet, and realized she was pretty plowed.

“Listen, bitch.” Slut One chimed in. “Molly and Joe have two beautiful babies. He’s moved on, so I think you’d better stop talking shit to my cousin before I kick your ass.”

I knew she was trying to be helpful, but I cringed as I saw Bethany savor the kernel about the twins. I already knew what was coming next, but it didn’t hurt any less when she said it.

“Well
that
explains everything.” Bethany sipped her martini as if we were discussing the weather. I could feel angry tears forming as my heart hammered in my throat. “Trapping him with a couple of replacement babies. Nice move.”

“Bethany!” Tamryn snapped, and everyone’s head whipped in her direction. “I suggest you get your ass away from my sister and out of my sight before something bad happens to you.”

“Come on, Tamryn.” Bethany slurred, her tone dismissive.

“Don’t Tamryn me, you hateful bitch. You have three seconds to be somewhere else.” Bethany blinked back and forth between me and Tamryn, confusion blossoming on her face.

“But, Robbie and Michael are fraternity brothers, don’t—”

“One.” Tamryn counter, her voice so icy it chilled my blood.

Bethany almost knocked down a waiter in her attempt to look casual while fleeing in terror. Jay clambered out of the booth and raced out the door after her.

“Oh, shit! Where’s he going?” Stacy asked, wide eyed.

“Please let me out.” I whispered to Paul again.

“Molly...” Dan gently reached for my arm, but I pulled away.

“Just give me a minute.” I mumbled, fleeing to the ladies’ room. I hurried into an empty stall and sat with my head in my hands. I didn’t cry, I was not about to give that woman the satisfaction of making me cry, but it was a struggle to deny her argument. It was as if Bethany could see into my soul and had taken inventory of my darkest fears.

“Molly?” Tamryn’s raspy alto voice was very distinct as it echoed through the empty restroom.