I went to take the one-hundred-dollar bill from her before her hand came down on top of mine.
“I want a conversation with my daughter,” she said.
Her eyes held onto mine as a look came over them. A mixture of emptiness and curiosity. I wasn’t sure what deck of cards my mother was playing with tonight, but I didn’t smell any booze on her breath. I looked over at Lindy who was watching the entire exchange, and she nodded her head to urge me on.
“Okay,” I said.
I poured my mother’s shot and slid it to her as I cashed her out. I handed her a wad of money back that she stuck in her pocket, then she threw the bitter whiskey back. She swallowed deep and grimaced hard, really making a show of it as she wiggled her tits.
I rolled my eyes as the men around her stared.
“Another,” she said.
“So much for that conversation,” I said, murmuring.
Shot after shot was fed to her, and each time she made a show of paying me. Like she wanted to show that she was abiding by the rules or some shit. It was a disgusting display, and I still wasn’t sure what her endgame was. But the drunker she got, the looser her tongue became, and I soon found out what it was she really came to address with me.
“I heard about your little venture,” she said, slurring a bit.
I felt my blood run cold as my eyes connected with hers.
“You think you and your friend over here are some big shots. Going off and opening stuff,” my mother said.
“Yeah. Big shots,” I said.
I poured my mother another shot of whiskey and she slid a twenty-dollar bill my way.
“Keep the change,” she said. “You’ll need it for your thing.”
“I’m good on that front, actually,” I said.
I cashed her out for that shot and handed her money right back to her.
>
“You think you can just leave me high and dry. After all I did for you. Does your boss know you’re quitting?” she asked before slamming the shot down her throat in another elaborate display to attract male attention.
“Haven’t told him anything about it, no,” I said.
“Hey, look everyone! The bartender’s gonna open her own shit show!”
I saw Lindy approaching us out of the corner of my eye as I groaned.
“She thinks she’s better than all of us. Thinks she’s above having to serve us good paying customers our drinks.”
The entire bar was beginning to stare at her as Lindy nudged me out of the way.
“Gracie, it’s time for you to go home,” Lindy said.
“You think you can take my daughter from me. But you’re mistaken, you bitch.”
“Mom, that’s enough,” I said.
“What do we have here?”
I whipped my head up at the sound of Adam’s voice as he approached the bar.
“Sounds like we have someone who’s had too much to drink,” Jacob said.