Your Neighborhood Regular: The Neighborhood #9 Read online

  Your Neighborhood Regular

  The Neighborhood #9

  Tarrah Anders

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Dear Friends,

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Tarrah Anders

  COPYRIGHT © 2019– TARRAH ANDERS

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.

  Tarrah Anders | Tarrah Anders, LLC [email protected] |www.tarrahanders.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Book Formatting: Tarrah Anders, LLC

  Cover: Jess Bryant Designs

  Ordering Information: Your Neighborhood Regular

  ISBN: 9780463690659

  A book shouldn’t be judged by it’s cover.

  One

  The smooth wood of the bar top under my hand immediately relaxes me from a long workday while I sink into the bar stool at The Neighborhood Bar in the small town of Mercy, my home. My closest friend, Cooper sits beside me fumbling on his phone then looks over at me.

  “Hey man, finally. I thought you were standing me up,” he smirks.

  “I forgot that I didn’t take a shower all day and thought that I should do that before I went out in public.”

  “I love how you want to smell good for me, watch out though, I’m a taken man,” Cooper jokes with a giggle of his eyebrows.

  “You’re not my type sorry buddy.”

  “What is your type?” Cooper turns his body towards me asking.

  “Female,” I respond grabbing the drink that Noah placed in front of me.

  “So, what you’re saying is that I don’t have a chance?” Cooper asks.

  “Nope, sorry,” I shake my head.

  “Very well then. I hope it’s okay, I invited Nyd and Mads to join us tonight. Nydia has been working late shifts this past week and I’ve been passed the fuck out by the time she comes home, so we haven’t seen one another very much this week.”

  “That’s cool,” I say before sipping my beer.

  I haven’t been around Nydia much. Cooper and I became fast friends earlier this year, just after he and Nydia started to date. He was relatively new to town, only just settling in Mercy earlier this year.

  Nydia walks in and behind her trails her friend, Madison. I’ve seen her from time to time in town, but we’ve never really talked. She’s gorgeous with fiery red hair and blue eyes, the color of a beautiful clear sky. Her lips are ruby red and turned up into a cautious smile as her eyes roam the bar as she takes note of her surroundings with a twinge of discomfort.

  Nydia leans in, places her hands on Cooper and kisses his cheek with a smile and Madison stands beside her awkwardly.

  Both Cooper and I swivel around in the bar stools and lean back on the bar behind us now.

  “Ladies,” Cooper greets them. “You know my friend, Lewis?”

  “Hey Lew,” Nydia waves.

  “I’m Madison,” she leans forward and holds out her hand.

  “Lewis,” I reply, my hand encasing hers. “Nice to officially meet you.”

  “I thought this was a small town and everyone knew everyone?” Cooper asks looking between everyone.

  “Well, we’ve seen each other around town, but we’ve never really talked or any of that.” I reply.

  “Yeah, I know he hangs out here, but you know me. I really don’t drink, so I don’t ever come in here,” Madison explains.

  “You know that now there’s the entertainment area, right?” Nydia points back to the addition to the bar that just opened up.

  “Let’s get a booth and stop talking about how Madison and I have never really talked before,” I point over to the back wall.

  The four of us travel to the back of the bar and grab a booth. Nydia sits beside Cooper, resulting in Madison and I to sit beside one another.

  The sweet smell of oranges wafts my way as she brushes her hair off her shoulder. With a glance across the booth to Nydia and Cooper who are sitting closely and whispering to another oblivious to the outside world and nestled in their own, I turn my body to Madison and place my hand behind her on the top of the booth.

  “Well then,” I begin, “you work with Nydia, right?”

  “For now, I just finished nursing school and will be starting to work at Luke’s office here in town. I guess his nurse that he brought here from Hollybrooke is retiring soon.”

  “The older spunky lady with the blue in her hair?” I ask.

  “She’s currently got pink and purple, but yeah her,” Madison smiles with a nod.

  “That’s pretty cool,” I nod and take a small sip of my beer as Rhi, one of the bar’s waitresses, walks up to the booth.

  “Hey guys, you gonna eat or what?” Rhi asks smacking her gum, holding her pen in the air with her ticket book ready.

  “Hey Rhi, I’ll take the usual, wait no, does Percy have any shredded pork?” I ask.

  “Let me double check,” she says, swaying her hips and running to the kitchen.

  “So, you have a usual order?” Madison asks.

  “Don’t you know, he’s the bar regular,” Cooper chimes in.

  “I know you’re here a lot, but I didn’t know you had special status. You don’t seem like a drunk,” Madison observes looking me up and down.

  “That’s because I’m not.” I reply, trying to act like this line of questioning doesn’t bother me. I don’t like to talk much about myself or the past and the reasoning that I’m always here at the bar, has nothing to do with why I’m a regular at The Neighborhood Bar.

  Two

  After we ate some of the finest food in town - no disrespect to the diner- the four of us went to the new part of the bar. We played some pool and overall had a good time. It was close to midnight before we notice the late hour and determine that it is time to end our evening.

  I walk Madison home, as Cooper and Nydia head back to his place for the night. Since Madison lives on the way to my apartment, it works well for us to continue chatting as I make sure that she gets home safely. Besides, I do not want the night to end.

  “So, where are you from?” Madison asks.

  “I’m from Hollybrooke. So, I’m local, just not Mercy local,” I reply.

  “What made you move to Mercy?” she asks.

  “Honestly? I wanted to be by people.” I say while placing my hands in my pockets feeling a little embarrassed.

  “In the city, there’s a lot more people than there are in Mercy,” she says.

  “Oh, I know, but in a city, sometimes surrounded by a lot of people, you can still feel very much alone. I wanted to live somewhere like Mercy, wher
e I felt at home. Where people know you and talk to you. You don’t get that in the city, at least in my experience, you don’t.”

  “How long have you lived here then?” she asks.

  “It’s been about six years now, I moved here right after graduating college.”

  “That’s cool. I don’t think we ever got to what you did for a living. But it looks like we can add that to the next time that we hang out,” Madison says stopping at a small apartment building.

  “Would you maybe, wanna hang out again?” I ask trying to convey that I’m not shocked.

  “Sure, you seem nice enough,” she smiles placing her hand on my arm, trailing down to my palm and fitting her hand and fingers with mine.

  “I would love to hang out again,” I reply.

  “Good. Well, then come into the diner tomorrow for lunch, I have the morning shift and we can, I don’t know, grab a bite or something?” she asks with a tilt of her head in question.

  “I can do that,” I reply.

  “Good, I’m glad,” she takes a step closer to me and leans up on her tiptoes then places a kiss gently on my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, thank you for walking me home.”

  “My pleasure,” I say stunned with the turn of events of the night.

  I watch her walk away and wait until she opens her front door, wave at me, then disappear inside her apartment. I turn around and walk the two additional blocks to my place and sit on the couch in darkness.

  I’m not a loner by any means, I’m very friendly, and I talk to everyone at the bar. Especially since I work from home and don’t do much talking to others during the day. Occasionally, after a long and hectic day, I will go to the bar and take shots with the bartenders that work and own The Neighborhood.

  After Madison’s earlier random comment about being surprised about not being an alcoholic, it didn’t occur to me that my hanging out at the bar would have anyone thinking that. But now, after an evening between friends, I have another chance to hang out with Madison and hopefully, I can get to know her better.

  When Madison asked me about being lonely in the city, I was terrified that I would have divulged too much information and would have to tell her my life story and the real reasoning behind always being at the bar.

  I make the mental note to thank Cooper for inviting them tomorrow and get ready for some sleep before I need to get my workday started in the morning.

  I wake up early and stretch as I roll out of bed. I stumble through the darkness of my apartment until I turn on the dim lights in the kitchen to get my computer started up quickly and begin my workday.

  I work in computer engineering creating software for several large companies all around the world. I will sometimes spend hours of my day sitting at my desk without getting up as I get so engrossed in my work. I set up an alarm so that way I make sure to meet Madison at the diner and get to work.

  I shower before heading to the diner and walk in looking for Madison. After a moment, she walks out from the back, while folding up her apron and shoving it into her purse. She looks up and our eyes meet, we smile at one another and I raise my hand in an awkward wave, likely with a goofy smile.

  “Hey there,” she greets walking up to me, leaning up on her tip toes and kissing my cheek.

  “Hey, how has your day been?” I ask her with a smile.

  “It’s been a day, but now that you’re here, I’m excited.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, do you want to eat here for lunch or go to the bar?” I ask her offering her the only two places in town to eat.

  She looks around the diner and scrunches her nose.

  “Let’s go to the bar. I haven’t actually eaten there in a minute, and it would be a nice break from this place.”

  I offer her my arm; she ropes hers through, I lead her out the diner and down the street to the bar.

  Rather than going to my usual barstool, I lead her over to the booths in the back of the space.

  For a few moments, we’re awkwardly quiet. After our lunch order is taken, our eyes lock and I smile.

  “So, Madison,” I begin, “tell me a little about yourself?”

  “Well, I’m basically an open book, what exactly do you want to know?”

  “Have you always wanted to be a nurse?” I ask.

  “Not always. Growing up, I wanted to be a business owner, but then when I lost my dad, I was influenced by the nurses at Hollybrooke General. So, I changed my mind on paths to take and began looking into my options in the medical industry.”

  “Oh, I can see that. Is your dad okay?” I ask her.

  “He passed, but those nurses were by far the most amazing people that I’d ever met. They were life changing for me, and I saw all the hard work that they put into their patients and their families.”

  “Do you mind me asking how he passed?” I ask, hoping that I’m not prying too much.

  She looks to the side, takes a deep breath and puts a forced smile on her face.

  “He passed away from complications from a car accident. He was coming home from a business meeting in the city and just as he was about to leave the city, he was T-Boned by a drunk driver. The drunk driver also went to the hospital, but he only had a few broken ribs and a broken arm. But my dad had a lot of internal bleeding and a punctured lung that ultimately was the qualifying factor.”

  “Oh shit, I’m so sorry. Were you able to see him before it all happened?”

  “As soon as we got the call, mom and I went to HB General and yeah, we did get a chance. But I think that everything happened so quickly that I was just not understanding what really was going on.”

  “Shit, well I’m sorry to have brought the mood down, but I like that I’ve gotten to know you just a little deeper.” I say reaching for her hand across the table.

  “It’s okay. It’s kind of one of the reasons that I really don’t come into the bar much. And probably why I don’t really know you. I know that you’re a regular here, and that generally implies that you are a drunk. Except that I don’t get that vibe from you.”

  “Okay, so while I may be a bar regular, it’s purely for non-alcoholic reasonings.”

  “Care to elaborate?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

  “Alright, we’re getting even darker,” I joke.

  “Let’s look at it as building foundation and getting to know one another.”

  “Okay, okay. So, growing up, my mom and dad left the house a lot, and left me at home,” I begin. “I had little to no interaction while I was growing up. I went to school then home and that’s it. My parents weren’t around to ever allow me to have friends over and none of my friends’ parents ever were able to meet mine since they weren’t around. This continued throughout school and since then I like to be surrounded by other people and the bar is the best atmosphere for that,” I explain.

  “So, you go to the bar to just be around people and not for the drinking?” she asks for clarification.

  “Yup. I’m not really a huge drinker. Sure, I’ll have shit ass long days where I will take some extra shots, but I’m more just hanging at the bar for the social aspect.” I tell her.

  “You’re the Neighborhood Regular, but not in the negative way that everyone always assumes when they hear someone is always at the bar,” she says slowly to understand and clarify.

  “Exactly,” I nod.

  She blows out a breath and smiles, “Can I be completely honest with you?”

  “Of course,” I nod.

  “I haven’t taken the extra step to know you because of what I thought. After my dad died, I made a promise to myself that my future self would not get involved with someone who is an alcoholic, that’s what I thought of you. I’m sorry for pre-judging you,” she says.

  Three

  It bothered me hearing that Madison was pre-judging me and didn’t even think about getting to know me until we were thrown together by our friends. I understand about her feelings and how drinking has affected her life, but what I’m not understanding is how
she could judge others without getting to know them first.

  I sincerely like her and want to move past this, but part of me wants to look past her original generalization and show her the actual person that I am.

  Which is what I will do.

  I lean forward on the table, “I knew of you around town, but I’m a little shy and rarely allow myself to branch out of my comfort zone,” I tell her. “But I want to continue to get to know you, if you would like to do the same?”

  She looks at me for a moment, with a slow smile coming to her lips and a nod.

  I sit back in the booth just as our food is brought to us and we eat in silence with glances up and one another in observation.

  We sit in the booth for hours. We talk about our lives up until the moment we’re sitting here. I tell her embarrassing stories about me in high school and she tells me about her first days of waitressing when she would spill on customers. We lose track of time, until I can smell burgers and my stomach begins to growl.

  I look out the window, one of the only windows in the front of the bar and note that it’s dark outside.

  I lean forward, indicating that I have something to say to her, as she does the same.

  “I’m surprised that we haven’t gotten kicked out of here yet, we’ve been holding this booth ransom for hours.”

  She looks around and her eyes widen.

  “How long have we been here?” she asks.

  “I don’t know, but it’s dark out and we should probably get some dinner,” I offer.

  “Crap, I didn’t realize that we would be here so late, I promised my neighbor that I would babysit for her tonight, can I take a raincheck?” she asks looking at the time on her phone.