The Bartender's Daughter

Chapter 12

"You've got to be kidding me..." I muttered as I closed the door softly behind me. The room was absolutely breath taking. It was a purple-y theme: the curtains were a light purple, the bedspread was a dark-purple with some white design on them, and the chairs by the fireplace were covered in a lilac flower pattern; the flooring was a plush, tan carpet that felt incredibly soft under my feet. I wandered over to the windows and sat on the window seat (which was, you guessed it, was purple) that looked over the incredible landscaping and forest that surrounded the property. Out in the distance I could see the mountains and I smiled.

Despite being in a pretty shitty situation, my surroundings were stunning.

I meandered over the bathroom (with purple towels and throw rugs) and after spending ten minutes trying to figure out how to turn the shower on, I managed to get the water to a decently warm level. I stripped and climbed into the shower, turning on the little radio they had in there to classic rock.

Okay not going to lie, I probably spent over an hour in that shower. It was huge so I utilized that space for dancing while I shampooed and conditioned twice, shaved, and found a fluffy lufa and some nice-smelling body wash. Okay so two-thirds of the shower was probably me dancing and singing but can you blame a girl who in the same day was held at gun point, built a bomb out of kitchen chemicals, and found out that she could die because they guy she thought was attractive at the beach was actually wanted by a multi-national, seemingly very rich comapny because he "knew something he wasn't supposed to." I certainly deserved a nice, long, god-damn shower.

After American Pie blasted through the speakers, I finally turned off the shower and dried off with one of the super-plush towels. I stepped into the bathroom and looked into a closet where I found a bathrobe. A deep, almost black, purple bathrobe.

"Is everything in here purple?" I asked aloud as I tied the belt tightly around my waist. I opened the bathroom door and my room was bathed in the light of the sunset, casting everything in an orangey-pinkish glow. Over on the table by the bed a platter of food sat covered, waiting for me.

"Oh my god, whoever sent this truely loves me." I uncovered the food and a sandwich, potato chips, and another fresh bowl of fruit sat waiting. I brought the tray over to the window seat and watched the sunset over the forest and mountains. I sighed as bit into a chip and I thought about my father.

He was probably working the bar now with Phil and Laura walking around the tables and serving. He was probably worried too, but he wouldn't show it on his face until he was alone in his little back office, scanning over the books, trying to make sense of the numbers. He would narrow his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose and rub his temples in frustration. He would think, for a second, about calling me down from my room to do them for him as he sat there watching me punch away in the calculator. He knew I could take care of myself, he raised me that way because he knew some day I would leave and he wanted to make sure I would be okay. He was a protective dad, but he understood the limits of parenthood.

"Oh I wish I could call you dad. You'd probably laugh at the things I've done today." And he would. As soon as I finished my story about making the bomb he'd burst out laughing and congratulate me. Cause that's just the type of guy my dad was.

I sighed one last time as I moved away from the window and onto the bed were I turned the light on and started braiding my hair when my bedroom door opened.

"Hey Alli I- Oh." Jack stood in my doorway, and one look at me in my robe sent his face turning red as a tomato.

"Hi Jack. Can I help you?" I pulled the robe over my knees and continued braiding my hair. I wasn't naked, I had undergarments on, but I certainly wasn't clothed either.

"I was just, uh, may I come in?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck and looking everywhere but where I was sitting.

"Sure." I smiled and he walked in and sat on the edge of my bed and looked down at the hem of his shirt he was picking at. I noticed he had changed from his t-shirt from earlier and his hair looked a little damp from a shower. "Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to see how you were..." I raised my eyebrow and he cleared his throat. "And just update you on what was going on with the plans and everything."

I nodded and tied the end of my braid with a hair tie. There was always a formality with him recently; I kind of missed the old Jack I had worked with at the bar. "Right, what are we doing?"

He kept his eyes on mine with such a strange intensity I had to look away. "We're leaving the day after tomorrow. We're flying over to London, staying in the hotel for a day or two, then going to the ball."

"How are we getting there?"

Jack smiled. "Private jet."

"Awesome!" I jumped up and hugged Jack who squeezed me back. I pulled away from him, still smiling at the thought of riding on a private jet, when I realized Jack's arms were still around my waist and my robe had started to get a super deep V-neck. I blushed, pulling away from him and retying my robe quickly.

"Thanks for, uh, earlier today with the guy and everything. And not treating me like I was an extra 100 pounds you have to lug around," I told him, holding my robe tightly.

He gave a small laugh. "I think you helped me more then I helped you. You were amazing today." I blushed and tried to surpress a smile. "But why didn't you tell me before you could do all that stuff?"

I shrugged took a step back away from him. "You never asked." He opened his mouth to protest but I held up my hand. "It's okay, I understand that for the most part you were just watching to make sure those guys didn't really come around to wreck havoc."

"Alli I'm sorry-"

"It's okay Jack." I touched his shoulder and delievered a small smile. I was beginning to understand how this whole situation between us was working, and it wasn't really how I thought it was in the beginning. But that's okay I guess, as long as by the end of the day my dad and myself and everyone around me would be okay.

"I'll see you in the morning, okay?" I said, giving him a slight push towards my door.

"Sure Alli. If you need anything I'm right down the hall, second door on your right." He turned, shoulders slightly slumped, and exited my room quietly.

I stood in the middle of the room, starring at the door for a few minutes before turning off the lights and climbing into bed. I didn't understand Jack. At first he was so serious and brooding, and then he was fun and I loved hanging out with him, and the he was back to the secretive thing and not telling me what's going on. Now I hate to call him rude, but it was a little inconsiderate of him.

"He must have not had a lot of relationships growing up..." I muttered as I turned over to face the windows. The robe was so comfy I had decided to sleep in it.

As I lay there, gazing mindlessly at the curtains and thinking about everything that lay behind them, I fell into a deep, calming sleep.