Chapter 9
Lex let out a heavy worn out sigh as he looked up from his laptop computer screen and out across the nightclub where all the happy couples, or well, mostly happy couples, were enjoying their evening out. He spotted his partner, Ned Matthews, sitting in a secluded corner, enjoying an intimate moment with a female companion - not his wife. Lex thought he recognized her but couldn't be sure, but he stopped trying to follow all of Ned's countless affairs long ago.
"Heya, Lex." Cloe, Ned's daughter, though one could not tell by looking at her, approached his table, his favourite drink, an Old Fashioned, perched on her tray.
"Hi Cloe." Lex glanced up at her with amused interest. Cloe was dressed in a very sexy electric blue tube top and a pair of slinky black leather hot pants. She looked amazing, and she knew it. Lex just hoped Ned didn't see her in her outfit; otherwise her over-protective father may force her to quit her job. "How's it going?"
Cloe shrugged, setting his drink down then taking the seat opposite his at the table. She crossed her legs and flipped her long smooth hair over her shoulders so that it cascaded down her back and down to her waist before she replied. "It's alright. Very busy. It's like a Friday night out there. But the tips are better. Much better."
"Couldn't have anything to do with that outfit, now could it?" Lex chuckled, enjoying the delicate pink tinge that had crept up Cloe's cheeks at his playful teasing. Though Cloe was nearly six years younger than Lex, they had always been close friends. Lex could still remember her as a young teenager coming into her daddy's office, tears streaming down her face because of her latest heartbreak.
"Of course not." Cloe chuckled, shaking her head. But Lex noticed she repositioned her long flowing hair over her shoulders so that it looked as if she were wearing a shirt with far more material.
"So, how's Amber doing?"
A look of amused annoyance crossed Cloe's face as she shook her head in dismay. "The new girl? Well, she's definitely new. She knows absolutely nothing about alcoholic beverages, let alone waitressing. She wore the worst shoes possible for her first day and she keeps tripping up and spilling drinks, as you are very well aware of."
Lex cringed, thinking of his ruined suit, but quickly pushed it out of his mind. "Are you saying she's hopeless?"
"Hopeless? No." Cloe shook her head. "Inexperienced, yes, but no worse than I was on my first day. Remember?"
Lex shuddered at the memory. "Oh yeah. We're still recovering from those losses."
"Ha, ha." Cloe rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Actually, Amber might be a bit better than I was. Even though she keeps tripping up she's remained pleasant and got quite a few tips."
"Well, that's good, isn't it?"
"Not for me." Cloe fake pouted. "I think she'll catch on, though. The customers really seem to like her. She's really sweet. Where did you find her?"
"She's Ebony's new roommate." Lex informed her, wondering just where Ebony had found her. In their conversation earlier in the day Amber had mentioned that she was from the country, but never really specified where. When he thought back on it, she had been very vague in all of her answers, almost as if she were hiding something.
"Oh, poor girl." Cloe made a face. "She has to live with Salene and Danni. Anyway, I best be going. The customers may like Amber, but they still want their drinks and I'm afraid she'll be a bit lost out there without me."
"Alright. Catch you later, Clo." Lex waved his head waitress off as she hurriedly got to her feet and made her way back into the main room of the nightclub, leaving Lex alone once again to stare at his computer screen in hopes the long-familiar screen name 'Miss Zulu Knots' may appear.
/
By the time Amber had staggered home that evening, well after eleven o'clock, the beach house was dark and quiet. Her feet were killing her, reminding her that she should not have worn her black clogs on her first day. They weren't even broken in yet and now her feet had several festering blisters to show for it.
"Ugh." She moaned softly, kicking her shoes off and feeling the plush carpet between her bare toes. "I never want to go back there again."
"Bad first day?" The lights suddenly flickered on as a deep masculine voice sounded from the living room.
"Jay!" Amber gasped, her hand reaching for her throat. "You startled me. I didn't know anyone was in here."
"You make a habit of talking to yourself?" He jested, winking at her. Amber noticed that even fully clothed, Jay was still an incredibly good looking man, his tight navy blue tee shirt stretching over his well developed chest and arm muscles.
"Not usually." Amber shook her head in amusement, removing the claw she had used to hold her hair up that evening. She ran her fingers through her hair, loosening it from the tight feeling she had had all evening long. "Just tonight."
"Why don't you come sit on the couch and I'll bring you something to drink." Jay suggested, gesturing over to the sofa he had been lounging on only moments before. "We can sort of get to know one another."
"That'd be nice." Amber smiled, feeling her cheeks flush with heat. "But you have to promise to wake me up if I fall asleep on you."
"I promise." Jay chuckled. "What will you have?"
"Anything without any caffeine. I want to sleep tonight."
Jay nodded then headed out of the living room while Amber settled herself on the couch, tucking her legs under her body and nestling them deep inside the comfortable fabric of the sofa. Jay returned moments later with two IBC Root Beers, a playful expression on his face.
"Well, just about everything we have will keep you up for the rest of the night except for these." Jay explained, tossing her one of the dark beer-looking bottles.
"Ooo, root beer, my favourite." Amber giggled, opening up the bottle and taking a deep swig of the frothy beverage.
"Well, from the smell of you, I would say blue After Shocks are your favourite." Jay chuckled, a huge grin on his face, as he took a seat on the couch beside Amber.
Amber wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yeah, I know. I had a little accident at The Monsoon."
"Just a little one?"
Amber blushed and took another sip of her soda. "So," She quickly changed the subject, hoping that Jay couldn't see her crimson cheeks in the dim lighting. "Are you a lifeguard or something?"
Jay nodded. "Yup. Been one for about three years now. Nothing better."
"Wow. I'm impressed." Amber smiled flirtatiously at him. "I was a guard at our community pool for a summer, but I couldn't hack it. The kids drove me nuts with all their fake drownings."
Jay let out a loud laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "Yeah, I get one of those at least every day. I've learned to tell the difference, though. So, where exactly did you say you were from?"
"Eketahuna, near Whangarei." Amber stated, running her fingers through her golden locks. "Have you heard of it?"
"Up north, right?"
"Yup." Amber nodded. "It's so boring there. Nothing ever happens."
"Is that why you came to Seal Beach, for adventure?" Jay queried.
"Not exactly." Amber pursed her lips, her thoughts travelling to Bray. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing at that exact moment. Normally this time of night they were together. Tiny tears began to prick the back of her eyes as she thought of how she and Bray were supposed to be on their honeymoon.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." Jay said softly, reaching over and squeezing her hand gently. "But if you need a listening ear, I'm here for you."
Amber smiled a weak smile at him, blinking away the tears. "I don't know if Ebony mentioned it or not, but I was engaged before I came here. The night before our wedding, though, I found out he had been cheating on me with my best friend. Obviously, I broke it off. But that wasn't enough. I couldn't stand the thought of seeing them together day in and day out so I left. I had to."
"What an idiot." Jay growled, pulling Amber close to him in a comforting hug. "What a complete idiot."
"No," Amber shook her head; the tears slipping down her cheeks. "Bray's a smart guy, it's just, well, I don't know what it was."
"Any guy who cheats on you is an idiot, Amber." Jay insisted, brushing away her tears. "You're gorgeous. And even though I really don't know you, I can tell you have a beautiful personality. This Bray was stupid. Terribly stupid."
/
Trudy stared vacantly at her reflection in the mirror, her heart heavy in her chest. "You've really blown it this time, Tru." She murmured softly, running her fingers through her long brunette hair. She had been thinking of getting it cut for the past several months, but Amber had always convinced her to keep it long.
"Well, Amber's not here to talk you out of this time." She stated, looking down at the long pair of sheers she had taken from her mother's sewing kit. She knew it was pretty foolish to cut her own hair, but she knew that if she waited until morning she would chicken out.
Picking up the scissors, she grasped her hair in one hand and cut off the entire length up to her shoulders. "No going back now." She squeezed her eyes shut and began to cut.