The next morning, Eliot went into Raelyn's bedroom to wake her up, to find that she wasn't there. Well, that wasn't too unusual, but it wasn't normal for her to make her bed until after breakfast. It was probably nothing. Just as he thought, she was in the kitchen, but something wasn't right. She had her motorcycle jacket on and her bag over her shoulder, headed for the door. "Going somewhere?"
She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "Home. Portland."
"I said we were taking a break for a day or two. We're not done."
She seemed to be intentionally not looking at him. "Yeah, I am."
"What the hell are you talking about?" She didn't answer. "Hiwoni, Raelyn," he commanded.
Her shoulders slumped. She turned around looking defeated. Her voice shook. "I'm done. I quit. You're getting what you want. I'll go back to Portland, get my stuff together, then come back to Texas, and get a job on some ranch, maybe make this place profitable."
He stared into her eyes. She seemed so unfamiliar, so distant. "Where is this coming from? We've been fighting about this since you were seventeen, and now that we've had a blow out and you're getting your way, you're going to quit?"
She tried to sigh, but it stuck in her throat. "You've always been angry. Angry, I can handle. Angry, I'm used to. But last night, you were disappointed. I never saw that. And I never want to see it again. So-"
"No. Absolutely not." He reached over and took the bag off her shoulder. "You can't live your life for me. I didn't live my life to please my father, and you won't either. We both know, if you walk out now, you're just going to hate me, and I'm not going to take that. I've seen your dedication to this job. I trust that you're doing the best you can. And I've seen the things you can do. You've taken the little things I taught you, and made it your is not what I wanted for you. But I could have done a whole lot worse. Now, take your jacket off, put your bag back in your room, and take some time to relax because day after tomorrow, I'm gonna kick your ass for this mess."
He hadn't seen a smile like that since he'd given her Charlie. She hadn't hugged him that tight since she ran away from her mother. And he didn't regret a thing that lead up to it.
"I may regret this," Eliot said to himself. Raelyn had convinced him that in the midst of their break, they should go out, blow off some steam without getting bruises, so she dragged him to a bar that was also a dance hall, the kind of down-home country place you'd expect in Texas. Every pair of feet had cowboy boots on. It was pretty homey, really.
"You act like you don't do this monthly. You're just uncomfortable because I'm here. Come on, Dad. Have fun. Don't cock-block me, and I'll return the favor."
Eliot cringed as she sauntered into the crowd in her painted-on jeans, cropped tank top, and leather jacket. His eyes followed her curiously as several people seemed to greet her with familiarity, like she came here regularly. Then again, she grew up in this town until fifteen, and she made trips back here a lot to visit Charlie. It wasn't improbable that this was a home bar for her. She made her way to the bar. The bartenders and her seemed very friendly. He saw Raelyn gesture to himself and decided to join her.
The male bartender put out his hand for Eliot to shake. The woman left to take another order. "How ya doin', man? It's not often Jamie brings a guy in here."
Raelyn nudged the bartender. "I just work with him, Jack. He's not a boyfriend."
Eliot took a clue from the use of the cover name and story and accepted Jack's hand, "Wes Abernathy, nice to meet you."
"Of course. Jamie doesn't do boyfriends. More like boy toys. And girl toys. Plus, you look like you could be her father."
Through gritted teeth, he agreed, "Don't I?"
"Like I said, Jack," Raelyn said, her voice pitching higher, as she surreptitiously patted Eliot's shoulder to calm him, "I'll take care of the tab for me and Wes tonight. I'll have a rum and coke and he'll have a Shiner beer."
"What?" Eliot wanted to try and argue, but it was a Tuesday so the drinks were delivered immediately. Raelyn took hers and disappeared.
After a second beer, Eliot was actually feeling pretty comfortable, so he went to prowl the dance floor. He was flirting with a petite blonde when he picked up on a conversation behind him.
"That was fun, thanks." It was Raelyn. Then he heard a man laughing. "Alright, cowboy, song's over, you can let go."
"One more dance, sweetheart."
"Why don't you give someone else a turn?"
"Come on, baby, I know you like me."
"You're gonna wanna get your hands off me real soon." Eliot glanced behind him to see a guy pressed up against Raelyn, and she looked like she was on the edge of her temper.
"Come on, baby, you don't gotta play hard to get."
"I told you to get off me." She gave him a shove.
"You're gonna pay for that, bitch." He lunged at her and Eliot prepared himself for a show.