Page 9 of Everyone Loved Her
“Only on dates, usually,” he chuckled. “She’s probably out back smoking a cigarette. You can tell her she owes you one now.”
I met his hazy blue eyes, hating the familiarity they held. “You look like someone I maybe know,” I admitted, shaking my head. “I don’t know why.”
“Well, doesn’t everyone around look familiar?” he joked, cracking a lopsided grin. “But my guess is that if you thought about it, you’d know who I was, ‘cause I sure as heck know whoyouare.”
My stomach did a somersault. “How?”
“You knew my older brother,” hesaid flatly.
“Dylan Myers,” I said his name, picturing the little kid that used to chase my brother and Garrett around the ranch every chance he got. My head felt light in the moment of realization, my voice thick as the disparity of time revealed itself right in front of me. “You’re all grown up.”
“Yeah, that’s what happens,” he chuckled, though there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “And now look at me, bartending and enabling my alcoholic older brother. He doesn’t show his face when I work though. He knows I’ll cut him off.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I nodded, remaining silent as I tried to picture what that looked like—roles reversed, Garrett no longer the role model he once was. He ruined it himself though. It was his own fault. There was no doubt about that.
“Have a good evening, Beth,” Dylan told me finally, giving the bar top a double hit with his fist as he pushed off and headed toward the happy couple. “I’d steer clear of the back door.”
I furrowed my brow, not even remotely knowing where, said back door, was. With a sigh and now desperation to get out, I headed for the bathrooms, just to check on Sarah and let her know I was leaving. I weaved my way through the thin crowd to the same hallway that she had disappeared down.
However, when I stepped into the dimly lit area...
I realized it wasn’t the bathrooms at all.Is this the back door?
The only thing in the hallway was a door at the end—that had a bright neon redexitsign overhead. I walked the length of it just to double check that there wasn’t some odd bathroom I had missed from where I had been standing.
But no... Sarah Armitage had lied about where she was going.
I let out a heavy sigh, wondering if she was late for one of her many dates or if something else was bothering her. After all, shehadseemed pretty nervous after her phone had started blowing up. Regardless of her reasons, I was still left there—and there was no way I was going to stay. I glanced back at the thickening crowd behind me and decided to take the same route Sarah had, ignoring the warning from Dylan, a reminder of my own personal ghost.
The warm breeze blew through my hair, and even with the humidity, it was refreshing in comparison to the smokey bar. I blinked my eyes a few times, adjusting to the darkness that swallowed me as the door clicked shut.
Why are there no lights back here?
I didn’t let myself ponder the question long, the crunching of something just off to the left sending a shiver down my spine. My head whipped in the direction, and I squinted into the blackness, trying to make out what was there. The noise grew, and my entire body went rigid, ready to sprint away at any moment.
“Sarah?” I took a couple of stiff stepsawayfrom the sound, and suddenly the back lot was flooded with light from above me. However, I had no time to ponder the faulty motion lights with the sight of a ghost standing right there in front of me, staring at me with those haunting blue eyes.
“Beth?” He looked at me with pure disbelief. “I knew you were back in town, but I neverthought you’d show uphere...What’re you doing?”
“Um…” I couldn’t find the words at first as I took in the sight of Garrett Myers. “I… I met a friend here for drinks. She left through this door, and I was just leaving to head home.” I felt myself fighting the urge to ramble, to fill the silence with meaningless words. However, I stopped myself, holding my tongue and digging my nails into the leather strap of my purse.
He studied me for a few moments, his expression impossible to read. “I haven’t seen you in so long. You look great.” His voice was strained as his gaze slid down the long length of my auburn hair.
My vision grew blurry, my heart pounded in the side of my head, and I fought once again to find the words. “I’m just looking for Sarah. She came out this way, and I… I was here to see her…”
He shook his head. “Why? You never liked her.”
I blew out a sigh. “I’m not seventeen anymore, Garrett. I don’t care about high school politics, and I have no attachments to this place, either.”
Garrett rocked back on his heels, his boots crunching on the gravel. “No attachments. Is that what you meant when?—”
“Imean, I don’t come home much,” I cut him off, the sound of his familiar voice making my stomach knot up so tight I might double over. I tried not to look too hard at him, but I noticed that his face looked weathered beyond his thirty-six years now. His shoulders were still broad and muscular, but they slumped like he’d just lost a war. I knew he had turned to the bottle after my brother passed, but I didn’t realize it was likethis.
Why is he out here in the dark like this?
“It’s really good to see you.” He took a step toward me, and my heart jumped as he came further into the light. There was a dark stain on his gray T-shirt, and I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting to it. “I work down at the mechanic shop these days,” he said, having noticed me staring. “I should’ve gone home to change before coming out, but you know, everyone knows me.Everyonehatesme, especially you, I’m sure.” His voice was slightly slurred and his eyes were visibly bloodshot. “In case you were wondering, I’m known as the town drunk toeveryonenow. That’s what I grew up to be, while you’re out making big bucks and screwing some high-class, fancylawyer from New York City.”
I bit my lip so hard a copper taste filled my mouth and wrapped my arms around myself. “Well, thatfancylawyer from New York City left me for his Instagram model intern.” I didn’t know why I was telling him, but here I was, not having seen him since the worst night of my life, and I was unable to shut up—just like always.