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When we eventually make into the restaurant, I take a look around at the eclectic decor. Every table and chair is a different style or color, the red walls are covered in Hoover Damn history and pictures. The restaurant is small but people are packed into this place. It’s noisy as people all around us are deep in conversation. I grasp Bryce’s hand tighter.
We find a table for two in the far corner. The food smells delectable. There’s an aroma of spices in the air. I can smell bacon and hamburgers. It’s making my mouth water. We look at the menu and order two drinks and two cheeseburgers.
“So, how was last night? Was it pretty calm?” I ask Bryce.
“Nope. It was crazy last night. We arrested forty-three people on the strip.” Bryce shakes his head. “People don’t know their limits.”
“Wow!” My eyes go wide with shock.
“Yeah, the crazy was out in full force last night. Made for an interesting time. What did you do last night?” He reaches across the table and puts my hand in mine.
“Um, nothing.” I shrug. There’s nothing I really wanted to do last night. Other than cuddle with Bryce, that is.
Bryce tilts his head to the side. “You didn’t go by Vicki?”
“No. New Year’s Eve really isn’t my thing. Actually, I’ve never celebrated it. You know how it goes with crowds and me, so …” I trail off. Out on the strip was the last place I wanted to be with all those people.
The server soon returns with our food and places it in front of us. I reach over and steal Bryce’s pickles. He laughs in response, snatching one of my fries.
“The Great Pickle Sniper,” The corner of his mouth curls up, and he winks at me.
We eat silently for a few minutes before Bryce finally speaks again.
“I never really had a good New Year’s Eve. Probably why I started making sure I worked them every year.” He seems heavy in thought.
“What do you mean?” I stop eating for a minute to listen.
“My ex,” Bryce clears his throat. “She was an ugly drunk. You know I don’t normally drink; it’s just not my thing. I see what it does to people, so I always choose to be the one with my head on straight.”
He waves his hand around dismissively. I take a sip of my drink, waiting for me.
“Anyway, so parties, holidays, or special occasions, if she drank a lot, there was always trouble.” He pauses, his face pulls into a grimace. “One New Year’s Eve, we were at a friend’s house partying. I, of course, drove us and was the designated driver. My ex drank the moment she walked through the door and by nine, she’s completely trashed. At one point, she accused some random girl there of sleeping with me. She started throwing food, throwing punches, and dumping drinks on this poor girl. Surprisingly, we didn’t get kicked out for her outburst.
“Then, about an hour later, she was sitting on the couch with some people and leaned over and upchucked all over this other poor woman’s dress. I think she was like the aunt or something to the person throwing the party. I can’t remember. My ex was an absolute nightmare.” His eyes appear haunted by all the things he’s remembering from his past. “She was a different person when she drank. She didn’t know her limits. Or if she did, she didn’t care.”
I frown. It breaks my heart to hear that his ex was cruel and selfish.
Finally I compose myself. “And you don’t drink because you’d rather be the one taking care of people than being taken care of, like your ex.” It’s a statement. That bit of him is clear as day. Bryce would always rather help someone than be the one needing help.
He clears his throat, nodding. “She was a complete and total nightmare. Like I said, that’s why I just started working holidays and the day of the parties that I knew about a head of time. Then I wouldn’t have to go.”
“She sounds like a blast, Bryce.” I roll my eyes, and he laughs.
“She still calls me, you know. Texts me, too. She’s thousands of miles away and yet she still bothers me. I thought escaping to this side of the country was enough distance between us, but technology makes us closer than ever.” His words drip with sarcasm.
“She still tries to contact you? Why?” Panic sets in instantaneously. My stomach rolls, and I feel a pressure on my chest.
“First, you have nothing to worry about. I want nothing to do with her. Now, this is just speculation, but I think the guy she cheated on me with cast her to the side. He probably grew tired of her. She wants to crawl back to me now. But she won’t come out here, so I don’t have to worry about it.” Bryce takes a sip of his water.
“Why won’t she?” I inquire curiously. The thought that I won’t have to worry about her relieves my stress.
“Well, first off, she hates Vegas. She hates the weather, the dryness, and everything about it. Whenever I’s suggest us taking a trip out here, she refused to hear any of it. Second, she hates to fly. It has to be a good reason for her to get on a plane, and I am not that good of a reason, according to her. Neither was a vacation, no matter what she said. She knows and I know that she won’t get on a plane to come here. That’s why she’s trying to get me back to Florida. Third, all her friends and family are out there. She’ll never leave them. Not even for me.”
He chuckles darkly, eating a french fry.
“There was a time where I wanted to apply to other departments, so naturally I had talked to her about where she would move to if we could. She flipped out. She said she would never move; there’d be no way. It’d never happen.”
“Bryce, she sounds a little unstable.” I joke.