Page 37 of Baby, It’s You (Clairesville #1)

Olive

One week later

T he past few days have been a whirlwind.

Hunter and I filmed another episode for the series, and he already posted it.

I was worried when we met up on Monday that things would be awkward after the text he sent me, but he acted completely normal.

He didn’t bring it up once and that was a huge relief for me.

This time Hunter picked something off a wall for our video, and it was easy to find the woman because she put her first and last name under her writing.

It said: Today’s my 21 st birthday! - Hannah Glesby, 2003 .

Once we tracked down Hannah, who lived only a few miles from the bar in a residential neighborhood, she was happy to tell her tale.

Hannah is now a stay-at-home mother of four, married to a plumber named Ron.

She laughed as she told us about how her friends handed her shots all night at Whiskey Jane's and she ended up throwing up out the window of her best friend’s car the whole ride home.

Hannah said it was still one of the best nights of her life and she’d danced on top of the bar while screaming Shania Twain.

By the time Hunter finished filming her story, we were both smiling and laughing along with her.

Since Mr. Purngast’s video was uploaded last week, there has been a ton of attention on the series.

Comments began pouring in, saying funny things like “I’ve never wanted to see a men’s bathroom so badly,” or “Currently planning my trip to Clairesville so I can eat a sandwich on the sidewalk like Freddie Finnely.”

The internet went insane learning about the past of this beloved author. Everyone was calling him an inspiration for sharing his history of addiction and overcoming so many struggles to come out on top.

Thanks to that interview and Mr. Purngast’s generous donation, we have now raised over $750,000 for the bar.

That doesn’t even include the money the videos are generating from being monetized.

Hunter said the balance is around $11,000 right now so I am growing increasingly hopeful that we will hit our goal.

I set down the bar glass that I’m currently drying and walk towards the front door, peeking outside for Tripp’s car in the parking lot, knowing he will be here any moment.

He usually comes in early on karaoke nights because he doesn't want to stick around for the chaos at night—his words. He has been nicer to me the past two days and I’ve been shocked by his change in behavior, but I will take what I can get.

I’m relieved to see that his car isn’t here yet and I walk over to pick some music on the jukebox. I pick “White Room” by Cream and turn around at the same time the bar door jingles open.

“Hey, Olive Oil,” Rick says as he walks towards the counter and pulls out the chair he always sits in.

“Hey, Rick. Coffee?”

He nods and takes his daily newspaper from under his arm. “Of course.”

I go behind the bar and pour him a fresh, hot cup of coffee in a mug, then slide it towards him. He acknowledges it and thanks me, barely glancing up. His usual smile is nowhere to be seen and that worries me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him, cutting to the chase. There’s no room for bullshit when we have known each other for ten years.

“I just visited Jane.” He meets my eyes and sighs. “It’s not looking good.”

“I know,” I quietly respond.

When I visited her last week and yesterday, she was completely out of it, not even acknowledging my presence.

I just sat beside her and squeezed her hand the whole time while she blankly stared at the TV.

Jane no longer recognizes me, and her cough continues to wreck her lungs.

I can hear her wheeze as she draws each breath, and it doesn’t seem like having an oxygen tank is even helping her at this point.

I hate seeing her in this type of pain. She is so confused, no longer caring about anything or wanting to eat.

I tried to lift some broth to her mouth when I visited yesterday, but she just shook her head no and pushed it away.

I feel selfish for wanting her to hold on, to live, so I don’t have to lose her.

I’m just not ready to let go. I need her.

Rick reaches out and takes my hand, seeing that I’m deep in thought. “She was the best thing about this bar, I always said.”

I nod my head, agreeing with him as he continues, “That is until I met you. You are just like her. Strong. I know she would be so proud of you and everything you are trying to do to save the bar, if she knew.”

Hearing those words, a dam releases inside of me and tears flow down my face.

I squeeze his hand back. “Thank you.”

Tripp walks through the door then, spoiling our moment. “Geez, who died?” he snorts when he sees the tears streaming down my cheeks. Rick stares at him, a stern expression across his brow, as I turn away and wipe at my face quickly, hiding my emotion.

“Is everything prepped for tonight?” Tripp asks me as he shuffles through some papers.

“Yes,” I curtly respond. Like I don’t know what I’m doing after running this place for years alone. I’ve handled hundreds of karaoke nights at this point; I could practically get everything ready in my sleep.

“Good, good,” Tripp says as he still doesn’t even look up from the papers.

I notice some earwax on the edge of his ear canal and want to gag.

He looks up at me then and I break eye contact with his ear, plastering a fake smile on my face.

He nods at me once and walks through the kitchen door, towards the office.

I turn to Rick once he walks off and roll my eyes.

Rick shakes his head, sharing my feelings.

The rest of the day goes by quickly and before I know it, it’s 8 P.M. I hurry to the women’s bathroom so I can throw on some mauve lipstick and change into my animal print outfit.

I brought the tiger print orange dress that I usually wear for this theme.

It hugs my body but also has stretch, so I can still move easily behind the bar.

Hunter is coming by tonight to film. He’s also bringing Eddie, who wanted a redemption after he didn’t get to do karaoke on his birthday. I told Hunter that Eddie can have the first song of the night, and he gladly relayed the message. They should be coming in the door any minute now.

I’m starting to feel a little nervous. Lust, just lust. I have been thinking about his text nonstop since he sent it, the curiosity getting the best of me.

Maybe if I did kiss Hunter, I could get him out of my head.

If he’s a bad kisser, then that will instantly handle the problem.

If he’s a good kisser, I will dissociate until we finish filming the series.

I leave the bathroom and walk behind the bar, pouring myself a generous shot of tequila and quickly downing it.

“Whoa,” I hear Rob say from the kitchen window behind me. “Everything good?”

“Perfect.” I turn and plaster a forced smile in his direction as I smooth down my dress. “Just a little jittery about tonight.”

“Since when does karaoke make you nervous?”

I hear the bell chime behind me; Rob’s eyes meet someone entering the bar.

“Oh. Now I see.” He smiles and looks back at me with a wink.

I turn around to see Hunter and Eddie strolling towards me. They look like two Calvin Klein models. I glance over my shoulder so I can shut Rob down about whatever he is assuming, but he is no longer in the window. I scoff and then walk up to the bar counter.

“What will it be, gentlemen?” I grin and motion to the liquor bottles as they slide onto the bar stools in front of me.

Hunter has on the cheetah shirt from his closet and Eddie is wearing a silky zebra print shirt that clings to his pecs underneath.

I don’t know how either of these guys are single.

Eddie speaks up first. “Four shots of gin and some Limp Bizkit, please.”

“In the mood to ‘Break Stuff’?” I joke, naming the band’s most popular song.

“Yeah, I am actually,” he responds. “One of the guys that helped me develop my app stole my concept and is now making an AI app with the same intent.”

“What?” I ask, sliding the shots towards them both. “How can he do that?”

Eddie shrugs. “I will be asking my lawyer the same thing in the morning.”

Hunter claps him on the back with one hand. “It will be okay, man. Don’t worry.”

Eddie shakes his head and throws back his first shot as Hunter continues to calm him down.

His constant reassurance and care for other people makes my heart beat quicker.

Hunter is so attentive to everyone around him.

He always knows what to say to make someone feel at ease and I wonder if that trait is something he’s always carried.

I think of him as a shy kid, being more intuitive than everyone else.

Always sitting back and observing everything around him before he spoke.

I can imagine Hunter being the childhood friend that you could turn to if your parents got divorced or you flunked a class.

I wonder if he would have wanted to be friends with me back in the day.

When I was living in a trailer park, basically raising myself, he was living a completely different life in a nice area, with loving parents.

Hunter waves his hand in front of my face and chuckles. I realize he has been talking to me this whole time, as I was deep in my thoughts.

“Sorry!” I laugh sheepishly. “I’ve been zoning out a ton today. What did you say?”

“It’s okay.” He blows a curl out of his eyes. “I was asking if it’s okay for me to start filming some shots?”

“Yeah, of course.” I give a thumbs-up. “Go right on ahead.”

“Thanks.” He half smiles and looks at me like he wants to say something else.

“What?” I ask him.

Hunter's eyes sparkle with mischief as he raises an eyebrow. “In a non-creepy, just friends way, you look beautiful tonight.” His gaze lingers on me for a moment before he taps his hand against the bar top once, and then walks off to set up his equipment.

It’s at that moment that I decide, I’m going to kiss him tonight. Lust wins.