guess I’m just on edge.”
Jim nodded. “I think we all are. Except for Courtney.
Where is that girl?”
“I’ll give her another half hour,” Dawn said. “Then
I’ll call her. Don’t want to wake her if she was up all night.”
“Now that sounds more like the Dawn I know,” Jim said.
“I’ll be in my office, if you need me.”
The half hour window that Dawn had given Courtney
quickly turned into forty-five minutes, then an hour. Even after Gabe arrived
and the bar opened for business, there was no sign of the redheaded waitress.
Dawn imagined Courtney bouncing through the front door of the bar and sharing
with everyone how wonderful her night with the great Gavin Mosley was, but even
at one-thirty, there was no sign of her.
The last of Dawn’s frustration and anger with
Courtney’s lateness faded by time two rolled around. The first customers of the
day had just been seated, but there was still nothing to be seen of her friend.
No call, no text to Gabe’s cell, nothing to indicate that Courtney knew she was
late for work.
“Hey, Jim,” Dawn said as she poked her head into the
owner’s office. “Can you watch the tables for a second? I’m just going to call
Courtney’s mom and make sure she’s just hung-over or forgetful or something.”
“I was about to do the same,” Jim said. “But I think
she’d prefer if you called. Tell her I’m disappointed in her.”
It was a thin attempt at a joke, but Dawn told him she
would as he left the dark closet he called an office. There was barely enough
space for the old table that doubled as a desk, or Jim’s old Compaq computer
and an even older rotary phone.
Dawn hadn’t owned a cell phone in over two years, and
that meant she’d gotten quite good at remembering people’s numbers without the
aid of a contact list. She stuck her finger in the loop of the dial and began
to run it around until the she completed the number to Courtney’s house.
“Hello?” a familiar voice answered, though it was
strained with worry.
“Hey, Mrs. Frey?” Dawn said. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, I’m sure it is,” the woman on the other end of
the call said. “I was just going to call you girls at the bar.”
That seemed to be an ongoing theme.
“Um,” Dawn said, realizing she might not have the best
news for Courtney’s mother. “See, I was actually calling to see if Courtney is
there.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Frey said, her voice a thin whisper. “No, I
haven’t seen her. I thought she maybe just went to work early.”
“I’m really sorry,” Dawn said. “She isn’t here. I know
she probably doesn’t want you knowing this, but she left with a customer not
long before close. She didn’t leave you his number or anything, did she?”
“No, dear, she didn’t,” Mrs. Frey said, her voice
cracking.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Dawn insisted. “She left with
that baseball player who moved to town, Gavin-somebody.”
“Mosley,” Mrs. Frey said. “Well, that’s probably it.
She’s done nothing but talk about him since her brother saw him. I can’t blame
her for being a little enthusiastic.”
“Me either,” Dawn said, trying to sound relieved, but
it wouldn’t come. “Can you just get her to call the bar when she does get home?
Just so Jim can chew her out a little.”
That wasn’t entirely why. Dawn was really starting to
worry, and she knew it wouldn’t get better until she talked to Courtney
herself.
“Of course I can,” Mrs. Frey said. “She’s going to get
an earful from me, too.”
Their banter was meant to reassure one another, but it
didn’t seem to be going well. Maybe if a hiker who, if rumor was to be
believed, was about Courtney’s age hadn’t been found dead in town, they
wouldn’t be so alarmed. With everything going on, though, both women were
struggling to act like they really believed everything would be okay.
Once she was done on the phone, Dawn had to force
herself to go back to business as usual at
Jim nodded. “I think we all are. Except for Courtney.
Where is that girl?”
“I’ll give her another half hour,” Dawn said. “Then
I’ll call her. Don’t want to wake her if she was up all night.”
“Now that sounds more like the Dawn I know,” Jim said.
“I’ll be in my office, if you need me.”
The half hour window that Dawn had given Courtney
quickly turned into forty-five minutes, then an hour. Even after Gabe arrived
and the bar opened for business, there was no sign of the redheaded waitress.
Dawn imagined Courtney bouncing through the front door of the bar and sharing
with everyone how wonderful her night with the great Gavin Mosley was, but even
at one-thirty, there was no sign of her.
The last of Dawn’s frustration and anger with
Courtney’s lateness faded by time two rolled around. The first customers of the
day had just been seated, but there was still nothing to be seen of her friend.
No call, no text to Gabe’s cell, nothing to indicate that Courtney knew she was
late for work.
“Hey, Jim,” Dawn said as she poked her head into the
owner’s office. “Can you watch the tables for a second? I’m just going to call
Courtney’s mom and make sure she’s just hung-over or forgetful or something.”
“I was about to do the same,” Jim said. “But I think
she’d prefer if you called. Tell her I’m disappointed in her.”
It was a thin attempt at a joke, but Dawn told him she
would as he left the dark closet he called an office. There was barely enough
space for the old table that doubled as a desk, or Jim’s old Compaq computer
and an even older rotary phone.
Dawn hadn’t owned a cell phone in over two years, and
that meant she’d gotten quite good at remembering people’s numbers without the
aid of a contact list. She stuck her finger in the loop of the dial and began
to run it around until the she completed the number to Courtney’s house.
“Hello?” a familiar voice answered, though it was
strained with worry.
“Hey, Mrs. Frey?” Dawn said. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, I’m sure it is,” the woman on the other end of
the call said. “I was just going to call you girls at the bar.”
That seemed to be an ongoing theme.
“Um,” Dawn said, realizing she might not have the best
news for Courtney’s mother. “See, I was actually calling to see if Courtney is
there.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Frey said, her voice a thin whisper. “No, I
haven’t seen her. I thought she maybe just went to work early.”
“I’m really sorry,” Dawn said. “She isn’t here. I know
she probably doesn’t want you knowing this, but she left with a customer not
long before close. She didn’t leave you his number or anything, did she?”
“No, dear, she didn’t,” Mrs. Frey said, her voice
cracking.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Dawn insisted. “She left with
that baseball player who moved to town, Gavin-somebody.”
“Mosley,” Mrs. Frey said. “Well, that’s probably it.
She’s done nothing but talk about him since her brother saw him. I can’t blame
her for being a little enthusiastic.”
“Me either,” Dawn said, trying to sound relieved, but
it wouldn’t come. “Can you just get her to call the bar when she does get home?
Just so Jim can chew her out a little.”
That wasn’t entirely why. Dawn was really starting to
worry, and she knew it wouldn’t get better until she talked to Courtney
herself.
“Of course I can,” Mrs. Frey said. “She’s going to get
an earful from me, too.”
Their banter was meant to reassure one another, but it
didn’t seem to be going well. Maybe if a hiker who, if rumor was to be
believed, was about Courtney’s age hadn’t been found dead in town, they
wouldn’t be so alarmed. With everything going on, though, both women were
struggling to act like they really believed everything would be okay.
Once she was done on the phone, Dawn had to force
herself to go back to business as usual at
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