Blood & Butlers Page 6

  Six

  The next day all the rain that came rolling through the night before is gone, and what is left is a sunny, beautiful morning. It was too gorgeous to not eat outside. Darren was kind enough to accommodate my request and clean the white, iron table and chairs.

  Amy meets me downstairs, so Darren can walk us outside. He leads us to the door that is on the right-hand side of the staircase. The door opens to a sunroom that acts as a mini-greenhouse with another door leading to the gardens.

  The sun is warm on my skin, and the breeze carries the smell of Haciendas in the air. Amy and I sit down at the metal table and look at the massive garden as Darren serves breakfast. He asked me earlier what I wanted to eat, and I requested something simple, like an omelet or pancakes. Darren must have misheard me as he brings out trays of bacon, eggs made three different ways, toast, and pancakes. There is no way that Amy and I can eat all of this food.

  I shouldn’t be surprised, dinner the night before was just as extravagant, but I still sat there with a bewildered look on my face.

  As Darren pours orange juice in my glass, Amy smiles at me in delight, “Oh Lizzy! How can you beat this view and this service? I really think you should just keep the manor!” She insists as she helps herself to some bacon.

  “The manor is too big for one person. Besides, Amy tells me you just graduated from school. I’m sure you will want to find a job in the city or explore the world,” Darren says as he places the pitcher of juice in the middle of the table.

  Darren is right. It hasn’t been that long since we graduated. I was too focused on trying to get mom’s house in order; I forgot how to live my life. I wonder what mom would say if she knew I was left with a manor as big as three houses. She would probably laugh or urge me to keep it. If there were two things in life my mother wanted, it was a roof over my head and food in my stomach. Here, I have both.

  “I haven’t decided what I want to do. I appreciate you two giving me insight, but I need to figure this out for myself,” I state firmly. To be honest, I am starting to get irritated with the two of them. Both are trying to convince me one way or the other. I would much rather figure things out for myself.

  Darren takes some empty plates. “You are correct, Miss. Elizabeth, you can take as much time as you need.”

  I happen to take a glance at Amy as she eats her toast, and if looks could kill, Darren would be six feet under. To relieve the tension, I clear my throat and wiggle my hand at the blonde in front of me.

  “Hey, since we have some time to ourselves, did you want to do something tonight?”

  Amy taps a finger to her lips as she thinks for a moment. “We could watch a movie,” she suggests shrugging a shoulder.

  I almost want to laugh. Amy is the life of the party, and she just wants to watch a movie?

  “No! We didn’t get to celebrate our graduation properly. There’s a new club in town, well at least I think it’s new, called Viper? I think we should check it out,” I recommend.

  It’s been too long since I went out to dance or have a good time. Not to mention, I hardly had any time with Amy since my mother’s death. After everything that happened, even I needed to go out and let loose a little.

  “Come on, we can go to the mall and get outfits. I’ll even buy you the first drink,” I coax.

  For some reason, Amy looks concerned and glances at Darren, who says nothing and saunters away. After a while, she agrees. “Okay. If you want to go to Viper, we can go.”

  “Great! Let’s get going and try to find some cute outfits for tonight,” I beam.

  I can’t stop grinning as we finish our breakfast. Going out tonight is the real stress relief I need. I also want to repay Amy for all the emotional help she is. I feel like I took away some of her fun in the past weeks when she tried to get me to go out. It is only right that I try to make it up to her.

  *

  The mall isn’t packed during the day, and we find a parking spot close to the doors. Amy insists that we take her car since it’s newer, and my car would most likely leave us stranded. I laugh silently to myself because I knew it is true. My car is so old that I could probably pass it off as an antique.

  It is nice to go out with Amy and keep my mind off the manor. Thankfully she didn’t mention any of it while we walked through different shops.

  “Come on, Lizzy. Pick something so we can get ready,” Amy whines.

  One thing Amy hates is my indecisive nature, I knew this, but it didn't stop me from second-guessing every option I pick. I would choose something and feel good about it but put it back because I was unsure.

  “I’m looking. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a dress.” I whine back, and we both laugh.

  “Here, I’ll help.” She offers.

  The two of us rummage through the racks of clothes, in the woman’s department store, to find the perfect dress.

  “Here, what about this?” She smiles, pulling a short, black dress with one sleeve off of the rack. I’m not sure just by looking at the dress. It seems too skinny and tight.

  “Come on, try it on,” she pleads.

  Sighing, I grab the dress from her and walk into the dressing room. After getting undressed, I slipped the fabric over my head and shoved my arm through the left, and only, sleeve. Once I pull down the material to the middle of my thighs, I was impressed with how the dress fit.

  The fabric is smooth like velvet, and it's classy. The dress goes well with my figure and looks good against my chestnut brown hair. A bang on my dressing room door startles me as Amy’s voice rings throughout the hallowed room.

  “Hey! I want to see it! Don’t tell me you took it off already!”

  I grunt softly and unlock my door to show her the dress, smoothing down the sides as I step out.

  Amy gives a low whistle and twirls her finger. “Do a little turn for me,” she teases. Rolling my eyes, I did as she asks and slowly turn around in a circle. Amy claps her hands together with excitement, “C’est Magnifique!”

  I laugh until I see the price tag. My heart drops, and all the color drains from my face. This dress is over my budget, there is no way I can afford it.

  “Amy,” I whisper, taking a quick look around to make sure none of the workers can hear me. “This dress is expensive; I’m not going to be able to pay for it.”

  The dress looks so good on me, and now it’s out of my reach. Talk about a mood killer. I didn’t have a chance to wallow in self-pity as Amy clicks her tongue and tears the price tag off.

  “Go into the dressing room and change, I will buy the dress for you.” She commands.

  My eyes widen as far as they can go, there is no way I am going to let her pay for it! Amy shakes her head and places a finger on my lips as if she knew what I am going to say.

  “Don’t even think about it. This is my graduation gift to you,” she says sternly, her bright blue eyes staring at me intensely.

  Without another word, she walks away to the front register. Her blonde, pixie cut head bobbing around the racks until she gets in line. I smile to myself as I shut my dressing room door. I am genuinely thankful to have a friend like Amy. She is always there to look out for me and makes sure I a, taken care of. I’ll have to remember to get her a killer Christmas gift now.

  After I am dressed back into my clothes, I walk out to meet Amy with a shopping bag in hand. Carefully she puts the dress into the bag and hands it over to me. I grab the thin handles and stare down at it for a minute.

  “Amy, you really didn’t have to do that,” I start, but Amy only grins and wraps an arm around my shoulders, giving me a small squeeze.

  “Lizzy, I wanted to. It’s a gift from me to you. Besides, if we took any longer, the mall would close with us inside,” she giggles.

  “Thank you, Amy. I am grateful to have a friend like you.”

  “Likewise. Now, onward to the club!” She cheers.

  Seven

  It didn’t take us long to get ready once we were home. My hair is simple
with a little, wavy curl at the end, and I put on some light makeup. I want to try and keep my look classy to go along with my dress.

  Darren says nothing at first when he sees us. He stares for a while before opening the door with a smile and wishing us to have fun. He is acting strange. Well, stranger than yesterday. Ever since Amy and I agreed to go out this morning, he was keeping his distance for most of the day. If he wanted to come out with us, he could have asked. Although trying to picture someone like Darren at a club only makes me laugh in my head. He probably wouldn’t dance and stay close to the wall all night, a complete wallflower.

  Amy drives us to the club and parks on a side street. I am nervous about our little adventure tonight, and it's making my pulse race. The chilly breeze is welcomed on my flush face as I try everything to stay calm. I'm not exactly an ace getting into clubs being underage. I don’t turn twenty-one for another few weeks, so I have to rely on Amy to get us into clubs. She would flirt with the bouncers or come up with a story to get us into the building every time. It got to the point where the staff knew Amy well enough to just let us in. However, this was in New York, with a new club in a different state, I’m not sure how she is going to pull this off.

  My pulse begins to beat faster as panic heightens in my heart, and I grab Amy's arm without thinking. Her shiny sequin red dress nearly blinds me under the lamplight as she quickly turns around to look at me.

  “I think this is a bad idea, we’re going to get caught this time,” I plead. I also start to feel bad because if we get caught, it will be my fault. This excursion was my idea in the first place.

  Amy smiles and places a hand on mine. “You say this every time, and guess what? We have yet to get caught. Don’t worry about it,” she calmly says as she begins to pull me along with her once more.

  Sure, I get scared every single time we did this, but it’s always a thrill when we succeed. Of course, Amy goes out a lot more than me, she is gone practically every night. For some reason, this time is different. I think it has something to do with me being in my hometown and across the street from the lawyer’s office. It’s like I’m afraid of bumping into someone that might know me.

  As we get closer to the front doors, my hands itch and grow clammy. A bouncer is standing in the doorway wearing a black T-shirt with Viper spray painted in neon green across the chest. He is wearing so much black that he blends in with the dark building behind him. Amy strolls up to the bouncer with confidence as I stay close next to her. The bouncer looks at us for a long moment and holds out a hand. “ID, please,” he grunts.

  I watch as Amy search through her tiny purse and pretends to look for her ID. After a few minutes, she pouts and gazes up at the burly bouncer. “Oh no, I can’t find it. I must have left it at home,” she frowns.

  The bouncer is unphased as he held out his hand a little longer and then crosses his arms over his chest. I watch as his muscles flex under his tight shirt from irritation. “Sorry. No ID, no entry,” he huffs.

  Amy isn’t one to give up easily. Gently she lays her hand on the bouncer’s arm, stroking her thumb on his skin. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you let us in for one hour, I promise we will leave right away,” she coos, using her friendly charm to win him over. Amy has this way with men. I’ve seen her do it multiple times, she would sweet talk them, and it was like they were under a spell. I wish I had half of the confidence she has.

  The bouncer slowly breaks in to smile as he stares into her eyes. Slowly, he reaches down and lifts the red velvet rope to let us in. “One hour,” he teases with a love-drunk smile.

  Amy grins in success and pats his elbow. “One hour,” she winks and grabs my hand. Quickly, I'm pulled past the bouncer and through the threshold. Amy needed only one look and a smile, and she could get herself out of any situation. The girl amazes me sometimes.

  The loud bass of the music drums through my chest, drowning my thoughts and anxieties with the motions. The dance floor is full, and the bar proves to be challenging to get to. I manage to get through the swarm of people, with Amy at my side, to a couple of free bar stools.

  “Isn’t this fun?” Amy yells over the sound of loud techno music.

  The bar is dark with green glow sticks on the back mirror, and strobing lights flashing brightly in the corners of my eyes. It's a little too much for my senses, and I pray that Amy only wants to stay an hour.

  “Yeah, this is a blast!” I lie, not wanting to be the wet blanket.

  “What can I get you, ladies?"

  A male voice cuts through the booming base and gets our attention. The bartender's gold name tag glitters in the neon lights against his black shirt. Amy puckers her lips a little and leans in to read his name.

  “Can we get two specials, Jesse?” She requests.

  A sweet smile crosses his face as he pushes his long, brown hair out of the way and grabs a bottle. “Of course. Two specials, coming up.”

  I am mesmerized as I watch his tattooed arms get to work. He pours three different liquids into two cups, swirls them around with ice, and places cherries on top. “Here you go.” He gently places the glasses in front of us.

  “Thank you,” Amy smiles, handing Jesse a twenty-dollar bill. “Oh, and keep the change.”

  I take my drink and sip on it slowly, letting the warm feeling fill my stomach. Right now is a time to forget about the heartache of selling my childhood home and to let go of the lingering anger I have for my father. There is nothing more I want than to relax and enjoy my time with Amy.

  Amy already finishes her drink and leans into me so I can hear her over the loud music. The way she can drink and not get hungover always surprises me. “Don’t look now, but a total hottie is looking at you,” she whispers in my ear.

  Carefully I observe my surroundings and lock eyes with a guy who is staring at me from across the bar. My cheeks grow hot, and I quickly avert my eyes, focusing on Amy.

  “Yeah, I can see that,” I grimace and down the rest of my drink. The alcohol settles to the bottom of my glass and burns down my throat as I try to get my courage out of my stomach. “Amy, you know I’m not very good with guys. They find me boring,” I scoff.

  “Well, you seem to talk to Darren, okay,” she comments with a pleasant smile.

  My ears turn red and burn from embarrassment, or maybe the alcohol, I'm not sure. Darren is the last name I want to hear right now. I give Amy a sour look that only makes her laugh. Slowly, I smile and shrug my shoulders.

  “Darren confuses me. One moment he acts so proper like he is from a different time, and then he changes. He gets distant and ignores my questions. The man is too hot and cold for my liking,” I sigh, eating my gin-soaked, cherry garnish off the toothpick.

  Amy laughs as she plays with her empty glass. When she is finished, she eats the cherry off the toothpick like I did and pushes the cup towards the bartender.

  “Look, I know you’ve been through a lot. To go through the motions of your mother passing and now finding out you have a manor, you need to take some time for yourself. Live a little. Let your heart open up, you never know what will happen.” She says in a sing-song voice.

  In some ways, Amy is right. I did go through hell with school, my mother’s death, and now trying to figure out this manor issue. Tonight is my night to let loose and have fun. There should be no worries in my world. If I sell some items in the manor, I can pay off my mother’s medical debt with no issue. So, in all reality, I have nothing to worry about, I always have a plan.

  “You know, Amy. You’re right. I need to start having fun again and not worry so much.” I say with determination.

  We giggle and slowly get up from our stools to go to the dance floor, but I stop when I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I freeze and look over my shoulder to see the handsome stranger from across the bar. He has dark eyes and deep, mahogany hair. His baby face and bright smile are enough to make me swoon.

  “Hello. I know this may seem odd, but I couldn’t let you walk away without buying
you a drink first,” the handsome stranger grins.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Amy slowly step away to give me some space. I look up at him and smile. “Sure. One drink. I’m Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Lizzy.” I nervously introduce myself and hold out my hand to shake his.

  My anxiety is spiking as my body goes into autopilot. I could bang my head against the bar for acting like such an oddball. Who the hell shakes hand with anyone at the club?! Darren’s old fashion attitude is starting to rub off on me.

  “I’m Luke. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lizzy,” he chuckles and shakes my hand gently, seeming to be unphased by the odd gesture. His skin is warm and soft, with a firm grip. As soon as he lets go, he waves down the bartender to get two more drinks. I take advantage of this moment to look and see where Amy went to. I scan the crowd and begin to worry that I can't see her. The loud thumping of the music’s bass is keeping me from concentrating on Amy’s whereabouts.