Bear Flesh Delights

Chapter 3

Judy and Ashley showed up at the van just about the same time that Amelia stepped out her front door. The three women smiled at each other excitedly as they got in, with Amelia shutting the door behind them. Since Ashley was sitting up front, Amelia decided to ask Judy more about herself rather than talk to their handsome driver.

“So, I heard Joe say he’s known Ashley since she was ten?” she asked curiously. “How old is she now?”

“Twenty-one,” said Judy with a smirk. “And Joe must be well aware of it, too, since he’s never asked her anywhere until now. He probably hasn’t spoken to Ashley because she was too young to go out to the kinds of places he would probably want to take her. But unfortunately it’s probably you who inspired this outing, rather than her. I hope she’s aware of that fact, since she tends to be too sensitive for her own good.”

“Something tells me maybe I should pay more attention to Skylar then?” Amelia asked uncertainly, making sure Joe couldn’t hear what she was saying.

“Hey now, what are you two talking about back there?” Joe teased as he looked in the rear view mirror. “You’re not talking about how cute I am, are you? Ashley would love to get in on that conversation if you are.”

“Wow, somebody’s sure got a swelled head,” Amelia commented dryly.

“Maybe,” he laughed, grinning suggestively at the thought. “But really, I just know how females can be when they put their heads together, and I’m the only guy in here. Unless of course you two were talking about Skylar instead?”

“We weren’t talking about either one,” Amelia protested. “I was just asking how old Ashley is now.”

Smirking even more, Joe replied, “So what you’re really saying is that you want to know how old I am, right?”

“I never—” Amelia began, then stopped herself. He wasn’t wrong about that, at least. She was more interested in his age than the age of Judy’s younger sister. “Fine, then. How old are you, Joe?”

“Glad you asked,” he chuckled. “I’ve just turned twenty-nine this week.”

“Oh? Well, happy birthday then,” she said. “My birthday is next month.”

“Should I ask the lady her upcoming age?” he grinned. They came to a stop just as he said this, and she looked curiously out the window to discover they’d reached the highway that would take them into town.

“You would ask a lady her age?” she chuckled. “You are a bold man, Joe West. I’ll be twenty-eight.”

“Well, it makes more sense now, then,” he replied.

“What makes more sense?” she asked.

“Your sudden desire to make a change,” he shrugged. “That is why you came out here, isn’t it? You have ‘get away from it all’ written all over you.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” she agreed. “Too bad it’s only a temporary reprieve.”

“You never can tell,” he commented dryly. “This place has a way of selecting its residents whether they expect it to or not.”

Joe pulled into the parking lot of a little bar and grill that Amelia had spotted earlier in the day. The place looked warm and inviting, and the people who were seated at a little table just outside the door were engaged in a lively discussion of some kind. However, when they spotted the new arrivals they stopped what they were doing to include them as well.

“Hey, Joe, we just saw Skylar go in a few minutes ago, so we thought you might be along soon,” said the man in a friendly tone when they were all out of the van and heading for the door. “Who are your friends?”

“A couple of the Bench girls, and their newest neighbor,” said Joe with a smile. “Amelia’s never been to Greenville before, so Skylar and I offered to show her the ropes tonight.”

“You know there’s a beach party tomorrow, right?” he asked as he stepped over and extended a hand to Amelia. She shook it as he said, “Dale Carter, ma’am. And might I say it’ll be a pleasure to have such a pretty lady in our midst?”

“Thanks,” she answered shyly. “You can say that all you want.”

“You old smoothie,” Joe scoffed good-naturedly.

The four of them stepped through the door to the lounge. The sound of the man’s laughter, followed behind them, making Amelia smirk.

They soon spotted Skylar sitting at a table for six, waiting for them. In one corner of the bar was a huge television which he watched with interest. Amelia noticed that it was tuned in to a hunting show.

“Hi, Skylar,” said Amelia with a grin, making sure to inflect the words exactly the same way she had the first time she’d said them.

“Hello, Amelia,” he said with a smirk. “Would you like a drink?”

“I’m not much of a drinker,” she admitted as she came and sat down in the chair beside his. “What have you got there, is that white wine?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty good,” he said. “Have a taste, I promise I don’t have cooties.”

Blushing slightly, she tilted her head to meet his glass when he brought it to her lips, dutifully taking a little sip. “It’s not bad,” she said with a smile. “Sweeter than I thought it would be.”

Skylar nodded and held up a hand to get the waitress’ attention.

“Hey, there, what can I do for you?” she asked as she looked Amelia over. “You must be the new girl out at the Henderson cabin.”

“Yes, I am,” she said.

“Did you want some white wine too, or something else?” asked Skylar.

“The wine is good,” Amelia answered. “And a water as well, please.”

“So you know, we do have a two drink minimum around here,” said the waitress. Skylar raised a brow at her, and she added, “But I suppose that is two drinks, isn’t it? Silly me. I’ll just go get them for you right away.”

Amelia caught the look Skylar had given the girl, like he was giving her some sort of a warning, but she didn’t care to discover what it meant. Instead, she chose to simply enjoy the company and not speculate on small town drama.

Judy’s eyes also followed the waitress as she walked away. Conspiratorially, she leaned across the table to say, “That’s Nathan Harper’s only daughter, Ruth. She can be a real pain if she wants to be, so you should probably be nice to her. I’m amazed she backed off on the two drink thing so easily. I wonder if she and Skylar have had a run-in before this.”

“We have, actually,” Skylar confirmed, surprising Judy with his ability to hear her over the music and the television. “Out at the hunting lodge where I work. She used to work there until her attitude landed her with a pink slip. If there’s one thing they don’t tolerate out there, it’s employees badgering the customers. So she knows better than to mess with me.”