Double the Fun

Trevor’s face was a dark shade of red, and he kept looking around as if he was afraid their little tiff would be heard. Jane couldn’t hear what was being said, but when Trevor started advancing on Missy, bringing back a slew of horrid memories from her date with him, Jane took a step forward, intent on protecting a woman who had done nothing but start shit with her. Missy shoved him away and stormed into Slick’s. She took one look at Jane, scowled, and stalked over to a table in her section. Of course.

Well, shit, now she had to deal with Missy in a shitty mood. Steeling herself, she walked over to Missy and stood at the table. “What can I get for you?” Jane kept her gaze steady when Missy glowered at her.

“Just give me a Coke.” Missy speared her hands through her hair and looked away.

Jane didn’t stick around, just got the drink and went back to waiting on her other tables. Several hours passed with Missy doing nothing but sitting at the booth, sucking down the free refills. The numerous times Jane asked if Missy wanted anything else, Missy responded curtly and told her to fuck off. Jane left her the hell alone. But just because she told Jane to leave her alone, that didn’t stop Missy from glaring at her for the rest of her shift. Awkward didn’t even begin to describe the situation.

Whatever she and Trevor fought about, it was sticking with Missy and making her rude and bitchy. When Jane’s shift ended, she was anxious to see the guys. She admitted she had been acting like a fool, letting all of this get between them. No doubt, it would be hard for all of them if it really did turn out that Rys had fathered Christa’s baby, but they wouldn’t know for sure until Christa had the baby and they did a DNA test. Jane knew this was going to be the hardest months of her life, but she wanted to get through it with Rys and William.

It was already dark by the time she grabbed her purse and said goodbye to Lonnie. She glanced at Missy’s table and relaxed when she saw she had finally decided to leave. The little bell above the door dinged when she exited. Her piece-of-shit car sat right under the lone parking lot light in full view.

“Jane.”

Jane whirled around and stared at Missy. She was against the side of the building, her leg cocked on the brick. A cigarette hung from her lips, and she inhaled deeply. The end lit up a bright orange. Nothing more was said, and Jane didn’t know if she should ignore Missy and go to her car or see what she wanted. Obviously, Missy had something on her mind, but Jane didn’t know if it was something she wanted to hear. She really wasn’t in the mood to hear her shit, especially if it had to do with Trevor.

“Come here.”

Jane held her purse tighter and glanced around. She wasn’t afraid of Missy, but it was no secret the girl was a dirty fighter. Jane, on the other hand, wasn’t a fighter at all. She was fine being pleasantly ignorant in her bubble of safety. She had been roughed up enough by her father to last a lifetime.

Missy exhaled almost as if she were annoyed over Jane’s refusal to move. She inhaled deeply once more, flicked the butt away, and pushed off the wall. “Seriously, I’m not gonna beat you up or anything. I just want to talk to you.”

“Listen, Missy, I’m tired and really not in the mood for Trevor bullshit.”

Missy stared at her hard, but it wasn’t the hateful glare Jane was accustomed too. When she exhaled this time, it sounded more sad than anything else. “I was going to talk to you in there”—she tilted her head toward Slick’s—“but I know how nosy these damn people are, so I thought maybe we could talk in your car?”

Missy didn’t sound like her normal demanding, bitchy self, which confused and intrigued Jane. What the hell could Missy really tell her? After a suspended moment, Jane nodded and made her way toward her car. The sound of Missy’s heels clicking on the pavement was loud in the otherwise silent parking lot. They climbed into her car, and Jane rolled the window down to let some of the cool air in. They sat in silence for several minutes, and Jane could tell Missy was struggling with whatever it was she was trying to say. Jane didn’t rush her, because she knew whatever bomb was about to be dropped was clearly hard for Missy to say.

“Listen…” Missy cursed under her breath and turned in her seat, staring right in Jane’s eyes. “I know about all the drama with Rys and Christa. Fuck, the whole damn town knows, because Christa thinks everyone should hear her business.”