The Lakes

Chapter 11

11

She crossed to the parking lot quickly; the air had really cooled down. She focused on the drive home trying to keep her mind off of Jeremy. She showered, dressed, readied herself and made it to Waves by 7:30. She texted Jocelyn just before she walked in. But as she reached for the bare-chested mermaid who also served as the means of opening the large, old and rotting wooden door she was grabbed by the waist and flung around against the side of the building.

Instinctively she reached for her pepper spray in her purse and just as she pulled it out she saw Tommy's smiling face.

"Hey beautiful!" he said innocently.

"Tommy, what the hell do you think you're doing? I almost sprayed you," she said putting the bottle back into her purse.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about the beauty queens?"

"Huh?"

"Jocelyn and Phoebe. They've been hounding me for the past thirty minutes!"

"Shit," she said leaning against the wall, "I told them I would let them know when I got here. Joc made it sound like she wouldn't come unless she knew I was here. I was going to warn you about them but then my boss asked me to stay and have a drink with his son and..."

"Well, it's too late now, they're in there and they are hungry." She smirked and let out a little laugh.

"Aw poor baby has two beautiful women fighting over him?" she said in a mocking baby voice pinching his cheek in an overly-dramatic way.

"Very funny," he said gently removing her hand. "Would you please get in there and distract them for a minute. I told them I was coming out here to smoke."

"You don't smoke."

"I know!" he said allowing his irritation to seep though. "I just told them that so I could get a damn break!"

"I'm on it," she said pushing him away at the chest. "Just don't grab any other girls out here, they might actually spray you."

He snorted as she walked in.

The place was packed but she still saw Jocelyn and Phoebe almost immediately. They were perched on two stools in the center of the bar, their bags and jackets slung across the stool to Jocelyn's right.

Almost every man in the bar had their eyes locked on them. They actually looked kind of ridiculous in Chris' opinion. Jocelyn was wearing tight cream pants and a black silky bustier. Phoebe had on a jade green halter top and tight black pants. Their hair was bright, curled, bouncy and pulled half up on Jocelyn, and all the way up on Phoebe. They both donned stilettos and lots of makeup. Chris preferred their natural work-week look.

She looked down at herself. She had thrown on her favorite jeans, complete with real holes, not the one's Abercrombie created, a long sleeved cotton stretchy red shirt that gathered at her breasts and boat shoes. She had air-dried her hair feeling like it could use a break from the heat of the dryer and curling iron, and she'd put on a minimal amount of makeup in her rush to beat them here.

So much for that.

She walked up and Jocelyn turned seductively in her bar stool and yelled, "Chris! You made it! Where have you been?" She threw her arms around her as if they hadn't seen each other just three hours ago.

"I told you I would text you when I got here."

"Oh that's okay, Phoebe wanted to see the dreamy Tommy," she said turning to her sister and messing with a few loose hairs that draped her face.