Page 7 of Before the Bond
Several people laughed.
I watched her make the rounds — smiling, chatting up customers, reading the room between pours. There was something else about her, too, however.
Her eyes moved around quickly. She wasn’t just serving. She was observing who entered the bar, which tables needed what, what a customer was apt to say or do. It was the behavior ofsomeone who knew her territory and would make you play by her rules.
“Making an order anytime soon?”
The voice caught me off guard. I looked up and noticed Stella somehow made her way right in front of me. She was still smiling.
“Sorry,” I said. Heat crept up my neck. “I was just taking in the scenery.”
Stella laughed. “Don’t worry,” she said. “No one here’s going to bite you. At least as far as I’m concerned. Ain’t that right, boys?”
The last part was directed to the men, who regarded her with a nod.
Stella leaned over the counter a little more and gave me a once over.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts,” she said. “You new?”
“Yep,” I replied. “Temporary assignment. Travel nurse."
"How temporary?"
"A few weeks, maybe. Depends on the case."
She nodded, the way people nodded when they were filing information away. "You get used to that? Moving around?"
"It's what I do." I said it the way I always said it — practiced and detached.
“Well, I’ll be,” she said with a smile.
Stella looked around and lowered her voice. “Why don’t I set you up with a drink? On the house. It’s the least I can do for a new guest.”
“Oh, there’s no need for that —”
“I insist,” Stella said as she waved her hand dismissively. Her smile turned into a playful grin. “Just don’t tell anyone.”
I smiled despite myself.
I told Stella I was driving, but Stella said that was what mocktails were for. After she tended to a few tables, she hurried back to me, handed me the drink, and we chatted.
Stella gave me the lay of the land: the diner was good for breakfast and terrible for dinner. The general store owner knew everything about everyone and wasn't above sharing. The family clinic was decent for basics but if anything serious came up, you wanted to drive to the bigger clinic.
I asked about the town.
Stella considered it. "Small," she said. "Strange, in a way nobody really talks about."
"Strange how?"
“Werewolves, for one!” the man Stella called “Ted” cried out in the background.
People in his corner buzzed in agreement.
I chuckled. “Werewolves?”
Stella rolled her eyes. "People here like to believe in local legends.” She noticed my glass emptying and refilled it. "There's a whole history of it, apparently. Mountain spirits, wolves that guarded the area, things that went through the forest at night. Old stories. You know how it is."
I finally remembered why I came here in the first place. “Speaking of stories, did you hear about anything strange happening the other night?”
