grady barrett (ashadowgrows) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-02-06 11:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #june 2018, dahlia, grady, nick |
Who: Grady, Nick and Dahlia
When: Evening, Wednesday June 6th
Where: The Back Porch
Status: Complete
To Grady, turning forty seven wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just one more year closer to fifty and if he was being honest with himself, he would have preferred to ignore his birthday all together… this year and every year following. But Nick had texted about getting together for drinks and since the rest of the week had been pretty quiet, work wise…. Grady relented and agreed. The majority of his life was spent working and when he was home, he was generally alone or with Jen, so why the hell not meet up with a friend and have a beer or two? It might make him feel less like a workaholic hermit.
He met Nick at the Back Porch around eight thirty and while Grady knew the Lucas brothers weren’t huge fans of cops drinking in their bar, they’d never given him grief for it. He was a paying customer like everyone else and as long as they didn’t cause any problems, Grady could ignore them as well as they ignored him.
He spotted Nick as soon as he walked in and Grady saluted the guy on his way to the table. “Drinking on a weeknight,” he said with a grin as he shrugged out of his jacket. “You trying to kill me?”
Making male friends who were around his age and actually interesting to hang out with had proven kind of challenging for Nick in Point Pleasant so far. He knew that was partly his own fault, as he tended to get engrossed in his own work and life and got lazy about keeping up with people. That, and his relationship with Adalyn had bloomed into the kind that made him want to spend the vast majority of his free time with her. But he’d had a good rapport with the sheriff of Point Pleasant since they’d met the first time, and they’d gotten together for drinks a few times afterward and Nick had always enjoyed himself. Grady managed to be a nice, funny guy, even saddled with his position in town, and being a dad to teenagers. Nick had to respect that.
When Grady had mentioned his birthday and his lack of plans for it, Nick knew he couldn’t let that stand, so he’d invited the guy out. Everybody deserved some drinks and a little fun on their birthday. Maybe they could play some darts or some pool or something and just have a good time. When the birthday boy arrived, Nick grinned and spread his arms to welcome him, giving Grady a few good-natured thumps on the arm as he sat down. “Nah, you’re tough, you can handle it,” he said, still beaming. “Special occasion, right?”
"Birthdays stop being a special occasion when you turn thirty," Grady groused, though he was mostly joking. Honestly, he was ready for a beer and an evening where he could just turn his brain off. As long as he didn't get called into work for something, he would consider this a successful birthday. And he was glad to be out with someone he considered to be a friend. One who didn't work with him, which was a bonus. Grady enjoyed the company of his deputies, but they all tended to talk about work when they grabbed a drink together, and he knew some of them held back a bit, considering he was their boss. Nick was a good guy and sometimes Grady forgot that he hadn't grown up in Point Pleasant. The guy seemed as much of a native of this place as Grady himself. Settled in his chair, Grady took a glance around the bar before focusing on Nick. "How're things? How's the book coming?"
Nick made a dismissive sound with his lips and waved off the first part. “Just turn thirty again,” he counseled, giving a shrug. “Why should women get to be the only ones cheating time.” He was joking too, both of them were obviously well past thirty, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t party! At least in Nick’s opinion. He was the sheriff of a cursed, haunted-as-fuck town, so he couldn’t imagine Grady’s stress level, but that was all the more reason for him to unwind properly sometimes. Nick was craning his neck to locate a waitress, and he gestured her over as Grady asked how he was. The man needed a drink, and Nick needed a refill. “Things are great,” he answered after the waitress had held up one finger to him. He smiled brightly at Grady. “Books are going well ... I’m finally past the planning stages and writing now, so it usually goes faster from here.” He chuckled. “How’s it going with you? Did you have to work today?”
"Hey, that's great! Mark me down for one of those... advanced copy things when you finish," Grady said with a grin. He did like to read when he had time and he had read one of two of Nick's books in the past. It would be pretty damn interesting to read about Point Pleasant from Nick's point of view, that was for sure. "I worked this morning but things were pretty routine, which essentially means boring. Spent a couple of hours with Jen before I came out. So yeah, things are... you know, the same." He trailed off when the waitress appeared and Grady ordered a beer, deciding it probably wouldn't be good for his physical well being if he jumped into hard liquor. When she wandered off, Grady did his best not to watch. She was too young and he was too old and he definitely didn't need to feel like a dirty old man on his birthday. Releasing a breath, he looked at Nick. "I sound pretty damn boring, don't I?"
He already knew he would be thrilled when the time came to sprinkle advanced copies around Point Pleasant. Nick might not have made very many close male friends, but he had plenty of acquaintances who were interested in his work. In Nick’s now-extensive experience, everybody loved reading weird shit about their hometown, even if they’d heard the same stories all their lives, and everyone wanted to know if they’d made it into the book. Nick ordered another bourbon and coke while the waitress was there, then met Grady’s eyes again. “Not at all,” he told him without missing a beat. “You sound like a reasonable adult. I’d say around this place, you deserve a boring work day for your birthday. Speaking of ...” Nick grinned at him and reached under the table to grab a dark blue gift bag. He pulled it up and put it in front of Grady with a satisfying thunk. “Happy birthday. I almost got you the bag with a sparkly unicorn on it, so be grateful for small favors at least.”
A reasonable adult. He was pretty sure Jen would point out that 'reasonable adult' meant boring. Chuckling, Grady watched as Nick set a bag on the table. Then his brows lifted and he felt mildly uncomfortable at the idea of getting a gift. Not because it was Nick, but... any kind of gift. Even so, it would be rude not to accept it and Grady did appreciate the gesture. "You didn't have to do that," Grady said, pulling the bag toward him so he could reach inside. Pulling out the bottle of scotch and the folding knife, his smile widened. He ran his thumb over the leather holder for the knife, impressed. "These are great. Though I'm kind of bummed that you didn't get the sparkly unicorn bag though. I guess I forgot to tell you about my unicorn collection at home." The scotch was a really good choice and it was probably too much of a faux pas to open it here in a bar. He could enjoy it later. "Appreciate it, Nick."
Nick knew he didn’t have to get Grady a present, he already planned to pay for all of his drinks that night, but he happened to like shopping for other people, and he had plenty of money to burn. Every man needed a good knife to carry around with him, and who didn’t like expensive scotch? Plus, he was willing to bet that Grady hadn’t gotten many gifts today, and Nick wanted to do something nice for him. He looked pleased too, which gave Nick that rush of happiness that came from giving somebody something they liked. He laughed a bit and shook his head. “I’ll remember that for next time, more unicorns,” he said with a lopsided grin. He wasn’t going to make a big deal about it so as not to embarrass Grady, but he was jazzed that he’d picked good things. “No problem, my brother,” he said. Their drinks arrived a moment later, and Nick lifted his to his friend. “So cheers, here’s to you making it another trip around the sun.”
"I guess that's always something to celebrate." Grady lifted his beer in response before taking a drink. This was nice, especially since his original plans had been to order a pizza and watch the baseball game by himself. Nick was an interesting guy, someone Grady could live vicariously through, in what was hopefully a non-pathetic sort of way. Setting his glass back down on the table, Grady grinned at Nick and cocked a brow. "So what else have you been up to? Spending all your time writing, or are you still seeing Ms. Rayner?" He didn't know much about their relationship beyond what Nick mentioned when they met for drinks. Grady knew Mr. Rayner much better and had a good rapport with the man... or he had before the guy fell into a coma.
Nick was always happy to talk about Addie, and it showed in the bright smile he gave Grady when he brought her up. He couldn’t help it -- she just lit him up from the inside. Nick had experienced those kinds of feelings for a woman only a couple of times in his life, and not in many years. He tried not to gush about her to anybody who would listen, but sometimes he just couldn’t help himself, and Grady had asked directly, so he felt excused. “Honestly, I’ve probably slacked off on writing time because I’ve been seeing Ms. Rayner,” he answered with a little laugh. “She’s incredible. So yeah, those two are mostly what I’ve been doing with my time. Getting out and running more, now that the weather’s better. Nothing really exciting.” Except being in love, but that went without saying. “What about you? You seeing anybody?”
"Glad to hear it." Grady was well aware of the age difference between Nick and Adalyn, but that was definitely none of his business. If Nick was happy and it was a consenting relationship, then good for the both of them. Grady took another drink of his beer before shaking his head and shooting Nick an amused look. "No. The hours I work make it difficult to meet anyone... the job itself makes it even harder to maintain anything even if I did. I couldn't even tell you the last time..." He had been intimate with a woman. It had been a couple of years, which he understood was probably insane, but things were what they were. Grady had never been a casual dater, or a one night stand kind of guy. "Between work and making sure Jen is safe, there's just not a lot of time for it. Especially in a town where everyone knows everyone else's business... doesn't leave much intrigue or mystery." He grinned faintly. "Reasonable adult, right?"
Besides sometimes joking around about it with Addie, Nick didn’t talk much about their age difference. She was a grown, smart, accomplished adult who could make her own decisions, and she wasn’t even in her early twenties anymore, so Nick didn’t fret about it now. If Addie was happy dating his old ass, he was thrilled to be with her. It was just more motivation to go running and keep in shape, stay ahead of a slowing metabolism. Grady’s answer didn’t surprise Nick, and he heard the unspoken part with some true masculine sympathy. Grady had never struck him as the type to casually sleep around, which was probably a bad look for an authority figure anyway. Nick knew he was divorced, probably a serial monogamist stuck in a long dry spell, poor guy. “Aw, there’s got to be some lonely young widow or new lady in town who’s caught your eye,” he insisted with a grin. “New people come to this town all the time, it’s actually kind of weird. It’s the gravity. We need to get you a date, man, you gotta take care of yourself too, you know?”
Grady tried to think about the people he had spoken to recently, anyone he might have seen out and about. He had worked the Memorial Day parade, but that had been a job and he had been focused on making sure people had a good time without getting hurt. "People come to this town all the time, but they also leave," he pointed out. "I try to steer clear of the widows. I feel like they'd want more of my time than I could give them. New ladies in town, well... I'd have to lie about... this place. Or explain it to them, and that opens a can of worms that I'm not sure I have the capability of handling." He cocked a brow at Nick. "You got lucky enough to wrangle a local, so I'm sure this place's history came with the territory. And besides, I take care of myself. I just take care of... myself." He grimaced before chuckling and lifting his beer again. "The pickin's are slim in a small town."
Nick knew it was about more than sex, of course. Companionship with someone you really truly vibed with was an amazing force to have in one’s life, and now that he felt like he had it, he wanted everybody else to have it too. That probably made him obnoxious, but whatever. Grady was a good guy who’d paid his dues to his family, and more than his fair share to his town. He deserved some happiness. Nick nodded along to parts of what Grady said though, able to see how he would be put in an awkward position with the truth of this place, trying to bond with someone who didn’t know. Nick was still keeping some secrets from Adalyn, but they could at least discuss the supernatural openly. “Yeah, I hear ya,” he said with genuine sympathy. Nick took a swallow from his glass, then gave the other man a grin. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled for you. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees, you know? Maybe you’ll get lucky too.”
"Yeah, maybe." It amused him that Nick was willing to keep his eyes "peeled" for Grady, but he understood where Nick was coming from. When someone was blissfully happy in a relationship, it was natural to want the same for others. Grady remembered exactly how he had behaved after he met Alison. That felt like so long ago though and he felt older and wiser and maybe a bit more cynical. He felt maybe a little uncomfortable talking about his lack of a love life... or sex life. Not because it was Nick, but because it was a reminder of how routine his life had become with work and going home to a mostly empty house. He loved Jen, of course, and despite constantly worrying about her safety, he was glad she'd decided to stay in Point Pleasant with him even after Hunter moved back to Portland. But there were days he found himself simply going through the motions and it could be a bit depressing. Grady opted to push past that, because it was his birthday and he was having a good time. So he raised his glass to Nick. "If you see an attractive, single woman who is open to the unexplainable and willing to put up with long hours and stress drinking, send her my way." He cocked a brow and shot Nick a bemused look. "Preferably age appropriate for me."
He gave a belly laugh at that, because all of those were very specific things that were all entirely necessary to be the sheriff’s woman, he was sure. Plus the good natured jab at the end. “Hey, that was not my fault, she came onto me first,” Nick said with a grin. That might not have been entirely true, Nick couldn’t really remember anymore, and he was okay with that. He lifted his own glass before he took a swallow, giving an appreciative little hiss at the way it burned on the way down. He was tempted to counsel Grady some more on his love life, but Nick had enough self awareness to know that he wasn’t actually an expert. He just wanted the best for his friends, and Grady had become one during his time here. Certain things weren’t going to change for him, but surely there was room for a relationship somewhere in there, some lightness and joy. They all needed that, didn’t they? Nick didn’t want to dwell on what Grady was lacking though, so he finished off his drink and set the glass down with a clunk and cocked an eyebrow. “Darts? Or pool? What do you feel like losing at?”
"I don't believe that for a second," Grady said with a laugh. He had met Adalyn Rayner plenty of times and it was hard to imagine her coming onto anyone. She was just so bright and bubbly and that's how he pictured her even now. Obviously Nick knew her much better than Grady ever would and he was okay with that. The young lady made Nick happy and that was the important thing. Downing most of his beer in his next swallow, Grady nodded. "I have a steady hand so I can probably kick your ass at either. Why don't we start with pool and if you have any cash left after, we can throw a game of darts."
A steady hand was a good trait for someone who might need to wield a gun at any time, and it turned out to be a boon when it came to bar games too. Nick didn’t mind losing, and he was happy to buy Grady more beers and lay more twenties down for a couple of hours while they drank and talked shit and generally just enjoyed themselves. Hanging out at the Porch wasn’t exactly the same as giving him a wild night out on the town, but it was the closest one could come in Point Pleasant, and Grady seemed to enjoy himself. That was the important thing.
One of the most important things about moving into a new town was finding a good bar, in Dahlia Jordan’s opinion. Seeing as how she’d only just arrived the day before, she could forgive herself for going to the only bar she’d found so far. It was a dive, but Dahlia was fairly comfortable in dives, so that didn’t bother her. She just hoped they didn’t water their drinks down. It was already late when she walked in, but they were open for hours yet, and she was slightly surprised and bemused by how many people were actually in the small place for a Wednesday night. Maybe they were the after-after church crowd. Running a hand through her short curls to fluff them a bit, she went to sit at the bar, her dark gaze doing a quick scan of the other patrons. All men. Unsurprising. Dahlia smiled faintly at the sullen-looking man behind the counter and ordered a Long Island.
Grady honestly had no idea if he was better than Nick at pool or if Nick was letting Grady win because it was his birthday. Either way, after a few beers, he hadn't really cared. He was having fun and again, he was reminded of how nice it was to have a friend that he didn't work with. When Dahlia walked in, he was taking another drink as Nick lined up his shot. It wasn't that he hadn't seen women in the Porch before, but it was rare for him to see women come in alone. The women in town tended to flock to Dragonfly unless they were a bit... prickly around the edges, like Bailey. Grady wasn't fond of thinking that way, but it was all based on his own observations. She wasn't familiar to him either and Grady poked Nick's arm with his cue stick. "Hey, you recognize her at all?"
Nick looked up and followed Grady’s gaze to the new arrival at the bar. She was just in jeans and a light jacket, from what he could tell from the side view, but the curves of a woman stood out in a bar full of testosterone. So did that dark red lipstick. Most of the time, the only girls at the Porch were staff, in Nick’s experience. She didn’t look familiar to him, and he shook his head as he focused on his shot again. Nick hit the white ball and straightened up as the rest of them clacked around, grinning at Grady. “Nope,” he said, reaching for his current beer. Nick took a swig, glancing over at the woman again. “You need a wingman?” he asked, nudging Grady with his elbow. It seemed a bit too on the nose for a beautiful mystery woman to walk in on Grady’s birthday when they’d been talking about his dry spell, but Nick couldn’t resist giving him some shit about it. Especially since she’d obviously caught his eye.
Grady tore his gaze away from her to look at Nick again. "What? No, I mean... no, no wingman." He huffed out a laugh and walked around the pool table to search for a shot. "I was just wondering if you knew her. Small town and everything. Newbies tend to stick out like a sore thumb." Setting his glass down, Grady lined up his shot before he raised his gaze to Nick, one brow raised. "Define wingman. I mean, what would you do?" He didn't want this to turn into some kind of high school thing where he had to send a friend over to a pretty girl to gauge her interest. For all Grady knew, this woman was married or just visiting. Honestly, if he hadn't been drinking, he would have probably appreciated her from afar and that would have been it.
Nick perched his ass on the edge of the stool next to the tall table their drinks were resting on, watching Grady circle the table, just filled with tipsy amusement. “Uh huh, just wondering,” he echoed incredulously. He grinned and tilted his head from side to side, mentally bypassing how sad it was that Grady had never had a wingman before. “I would just go get us another round, introduce myself, look for a wedding ring, ask if she’s new in town ... see if she wants to join us, play the winner,” he suggested just off the top of his head. The woman was definitely attractive, at least from here, but he had no intentions of flirting with her on Grady’s behalf, or regressing into silly ‘my friend thinks you’re hot’ sort of stuff. “... which looks like it will be you,” Nick added with a chuckle.
Unaware she was being sized up to be approached -- though it wouldn’t shock her in the slightest -- Dahlia got her drink and paid cash for it, taking a sip before she stood up again. Carrying her Long Island with her, she moved over to the jukebox to start browsing through it. The music in here sucked at the moment, and she thought it would be fun to liven the place up a bit. She was aware of eyes on her, and she could feel attraction aimed her way through her ability, but she didn’t think much about it. That was the lot of every decent-looking woman in a place like this at this time of night. Sucking some alcohol down through the straw in her drink, she found a few songs that were decent, and dipped into her pocket to feed the machine some money.
Grady refocused on the pool table, taking his shot before he straightened, feeling a little foolish for even considering asking Nick to go talk to the lady nearby. He was a grown ass man, he should be able to do it himself. But when was the last time he spoke to a woman who wasn't Bailey? Or a witness? He tried to think of a decent opening line, but his mind had gone completely blank. Instead, there was the mental image of him stuttering and stammering like a complete idiot. Which was exactly why he didn't date anymore. Glancing over at the bar, Grady noticed she had left it, but was now at the juke box. Feeling awkward all over again, Grady rubbed the nape of his neck. "Should I... give her a quarter? Is that... what do you think?"
He was a grown ass man, but he looked like a little boy at the moment, unsure and shy, and Nick couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his idea. “Tell her you’ve got handcuffs in the car if she’s into that -- no no, don’t,” he said, highly amused by all of this. He did feel for Grady though, the poor guy looked so out of his element. “I think you should just go up and say hello and introduce yourself,” he said with actual sincerity. “Do you even have a quarter? Who carries cash anymore, Jesus. I mean, totally offer to break some dollar bills for her if she needs some, tell her Caden Lucas is an asshole and you’ll take that bullet for her. She’s just a person, talk to her like a person, see how it goes.” That was his best genuine advice, it had worked for him more often than not, but Nick was vaguely aware he had quite a bit of confidence in comparison to a lot of other men. He did a lot of schmoozing in his career, and it started to come naturally after a while.
"I mean, I have change in my jacket pocket." And as he was saying it, it sounded pretty lame. How had he ever gotten Alison to marry him? Grady glanced at the woman again. She was still at the juke box and he was aware that his window was probably closing. She would either choose a song or someone else would approach her. Nick had suggested talking to her like a person, so maybe he should just talk to her like a person. "All right. I'm going to try it out and see how it goes. If you see me do this..." Grady gave Nick a thumbs down. "... that means come save me from complete disaster." He set the pool cue down and picked up his beer, just needing something in his hand that couldn't be construed as a weapon. As Grady approached the woman, he told himself that he was a cop and he talked to people every day without issue. Stepping up beside her, Grady realized she was even more beautiful up close than she had been across the bar. "Hi," he said, feeling as though that in itself was a terrible way to start the conversation. "I... uh... do you need change?"
Dahlia had found that she didn’t have enough quarters in her pockets to get the line of songs she wanted, and she was looking the jukebox over for some sign of the modern world -- this was a cheap bar, but what machine didn’t have a credit card slot anymore? She felt someone walking up behind her, like an image coming out of the background blur and coming into focus. Dahlia knew it was a man nervous to talk to her before he even spoke. Ordinarily that might have been annoying, but there was something about just how nervous he was that softened it somehow. She looked over at him with a faint smile on her lips. She hadn’t dressed up really, just jeans and a tank top under her favorite snug hoodie, but Dahlia didn’t set foot in a bar without lipstick on, it was like war paint. “Hi,” she replied. “I do actually ... all I had were dimes and some Canadian coins. And this jukebox is from a century ago, obviously.” Dahlia shot it a disapproving look.
"I think it's supposed to add character," Grady said of the jukebox. "But then again, modernized improvements are slow to make it to Point Pleasant. Here..." He set his beer down on top of the jukebox and pulled out his wallet to tug a dollar bill from it. He remembered Nick laughing about anyone carrying cash anymore, but again, it never hurt to be prepared, right? What if Jen needed lunch money, or someone on the street was hungry? Grady walked over to the bar, catching Caden Lucas's eye and holding up the cash. "Change?" He had been prepared for the surly look and sigh of annoyance that seemed synonymous with the Lucas brothers, but he got four quarters with little pushback. Turning back to the woman, Grady offered her the change. "All I ask in return is that you don't play Freebird or anything resembling country."
Her eyes followed the man as he moved toward the bar, and Dahlia briefly marveled at the comfort he displayed with leaving his beer unattended with her. She could’ve easily roofied him while his back was turned. Men. Dahlia was smiling a bit more when he returned. It was a gentlemanly gesture, and she touched his palm a bit more than was necessary to pick up the offered change. Physical contact always made her gift stronger, and something wary in her stomach relaxed a bit. She couldn’t feel that he had any ill-intentioned emotions toward her, and that was always a good sign. “What, you don’t mainline country music in a place like this?” she teased with a pointed glance around. “Don’t worry, I have some taste.” She fed the quarters into the machine, then paused and looked over at him again, one eyebrow lifted. “You wanna pick one? Your dollar, you get a say.”
"Honestly, given who owns this place, I'd be surprised if you found any country options to begin with." The Lucas family always seemed more like a classic rock kind of family than anything with southern twang. Grady picked up his beer again and considered her offer, his gaze roaming over the juke box. "How about this... I let you choose the songs and you agree to play a game of pool with me. My friend Nick over there is pretty terrible and it's been a while since I've had a challenging game." He gestured over to where Nick was standing. Obviously Nick wasn't terrible but this woman didn't need to know that. And if Nick really was wanting to be a wingman, he could play along too.
A small smile still playing at her lips, Dahlia looked over toward the pool table, noting that Friend Nick was tall and handsome himself, and watching them while trying to look like he wasn’t. Her dark eyes ticked back to the one who’d been brave enough to approach her, some amusement dancing in them. This was all so transparent, but that made it kind of adorable. “Mmhmm, checks out, he looks like he can’t handle a stick,” she said. Dahlia looked at the jukebox again and punched in the buttons for the songs she’d already scouted out, then plucked her drink off the top of it to take another sip as she turned back to Grady. “A dollar is pretty cheap for my time, so I hope you can make it worth my while,” she said, her tone light and a bit flirtatious.
Grady was observant enough to know that this woman wasn't fooled by the lie about Nick but she seemed amused, so that was encouraging. He would rather see amusement than annoyance. "Don't be fooled by his appearance. That's just to keep his lady satisfied. Honestly, he's more of an intellect than an athlete." He released a sigh of pity and shook his head briefly in Nick's direction. "But you're right, a dollar isn't much for a game of pool. I'll buy you a drink? Or... I'll buy your next drink, since you very clearly already have one in your hand." He was tempted to offer her a ride home, or dinner, or something that was probably Too Much for only knowing someone for three minutes. Thankfully he knew to keep his mouth shut on all of that as not to frighten her off too soon.
Dahlia laughed softly at his assessment of Friend Nick, noting the way he slipped the mention that Nick was not single in there pretty smoothly. She didn’t feel an ounce of disappointment. This one was plenty tall, dark, and handsome himself, and he just had a good vibe about him. Dahlia had not come to this dive bar looking for a hookup or even anybody to flirt with, but now that there was an attractive man in front of her, offering to buy her drinks, she thought she could roll with it. Hell, why not. She would be saddled with a teenager to take care of soon enough, might as well stay out late and enjoy herself while she could. “That sounds like a deal,” she told him. Dahlia started to turn her body to walk toward the pool table, then paused and lightly touched her chest. “I’m Dahlia, by the way,” she said. He hadn’t asked her name yet, or given his, but from the feel of him it was easy to chalk that up to nerves rather than bad manners.
Dahlia. It was a pretty name and Grady very nearly introduced himself as Sheriff Barrett since that was more or less what he was called on a daily basis in this town. But that was ridiculous and he caught himself before it slipped out. "Grady. It's nice to meet you, Dahlia." Would shaking her hand be too much? It felt too formal. Probably definitely too formal. So he gave her a smile and gestured at Nick with the hand holding his beer while leading Dahlia to the pool table. "This is Nick Cooke. Nick, this is Dahlia. She's uh, here to rescue you from losing any more money to me tonight."
It was all Nick could do not to fist pump when he saw the both of them approaching. He was so proud of Grady, he was practically bursting with it, but he tried to tamp it down so as not to blow it for the poor guy. He was still smiling bright as introductions were made, though, and he gave Dahlia a nod, keeping both hands on the pool cue he was holding onto. “Nice to meet you, and let me thank you in advance, he’s cleaning me out,” he said, dedicated to his doofus wingman role. Nick didn’t mind in the slightest, especially if all this ended with Grady getting laid. Or at least enjoying his birthday even more.
Grady, Grady ... why was that familiar? Dahlia thought she remembered the name from an old movie or something. It was a little unusual though, and she always appreciated that. The emotions rolling off of Friend Nick almost made her laugh, but she managed to keep that in check too, giving him a nod back and chuckling. “What can I say, I always have to help out a damsel in distress,” she joked. Taking a long swallow from her drink before setting it down, she accepted the pool cue that Nick didn’t hesitate to offer, then smiled at Grady. “Rack ‘em up, let’s see what you got.”
Grady set his beer down, clapping Nick on the back before he moved to rack up a new game. He thought it went without saying that Nick didn't have to stick around all night if he didn't want to. Of course, if his friend wanted to then Grady would be okay with that too. This had been their night out, after all.
It was about a half hour later that Nick mentioned something about Adalyn texting and they said goodnight to each other with Nick wishing him a happy birthday again before he headed out. That left Grady and Dahlia finishing up their last game and he didn't even mind that Dahlia beat him twice. She was on par with Grady's skill level of pool so it made the game fun and challenging. When they finished up Grady noted it was nearly midnight and he hoped Jen was okay at home alone. "Thanks for the company," Grady told Dahlia after slipping his phone back into his pocket. "I hope I didn't derail any of your plans tonight."
Playing pool with these guys turned out to be more fun than Dahlia would have expected. Maybe she’d been on the road too long. But it was nice to relax and get pleasantly tipsy and loose and giggle over the missed shots and celebrate the good ones. Grady was pretty good, like she was, but not obnoxiously so. It didn’t surprise her when Nick made his exit, she was sure that was to give them some space to get acquainted, and while Dahlia took note of the ‘happy birthday,’ she didn’t say anything about it right away. When the billiards part of the evening seemed all said and done, Dahlia put her cue stick back on the wall and turned a smile on Grady. “Didn’t have any to derail,” she answered with a shrug, moving in closer again and leaning one hip against the pool table. “I just rolled into town yesterday, so all I wanted was to have a few drinks. This made it way better. Happy birthday, by the way.” Her smile widened a bit.
"Yeah, thanks." He felt a bit awkward being wished a happy birthday by his own friends let alone a woman who didn't know him all that well. With the pool game over, Grady felt like he ought to let her go now. He had work in the morning as well, but Grady found he wasn't exactly ready to go home. It probably had something to do with the company. It was too chilly to suggest going for a walk so Grady motioned to the table. "One more drink? Maybe some coffee?" Without the pool cue in his hands he might feel even more uncertain of himself, so coffee worked for him and it would give him a reason to sit down and ask her some questions. Nothing that seemed as though he was interrogating her, but if she just rolled into town... well, that benefited him. "I could tell you a little bit about Point Pleasant, if you have any curiosities."
Dahlia had nothing to get up early for, but even if she did, she found herself glad that Grady wasn’t saying goodnight yet. She’d been eyeing him up a lot during their pool game, and she definitely found him attractive, even during a competitive sort of activity. A lot of guys failed that test. But he seemed nice and he’d made some funny quips, and he filled out his jeans nicely when he bent over for a shot, so why not. Dahlia wrinkled her nose in thought for a second, then laughed lightly. “Coffee’s probably the smarter option, otherwise you’ll have to take me home,” she said, then glanced over toward the bar. “How bad is the coffee here? Should I prepare myself?”
He wouldn't have minded driving her home, but he knew what a pain in the ass it could be to have to come back for one's car after a night of drinking. "It's not that bad," he promised, gesturing for her to sit. "I mean, it's not the best but it's drinkable. Go ahead and have a seat, I'll take care of it." It had been a while since he had this much to drink and while he wasn't drunk he was definitely old enough to know that he'd probably have a headache in the morning if he didn't take care of it tonight. Grady made quick work of getting two coffees while he paid for them as well. It was quieting down in the bar but for the regulars who liked to stick around until closing, so Grady knew he ought to be mindful of people who might want to watch or try to listen in on his conversation with Dahlia. Grady didn't do a lot of socializing outside of work and he would rather not be the topic of any town gossip tomorrow.
"Here you go," Grady said, setting the coffee cup down in front of her. He dropped a couple of creamer cups down with it, just in case she didn't take it black. Grady sat and got comfortable, trying to remind himself not to sound like he was prying too hard into her personal life. It was hard to turn off that part of his brain sometimes. "So you said you rolled into town yesterday? Visiting family?"
Dahlia checked her phone while Grady got coffee, and sent a text to one of the friends she’d left behind in Charlotte. 2nd night, already met a cute guy at a bar. crazy right? She smiled to herself and tucked it back into her pocket as Grady came back and settled in. Dahlia leaned her arms on the table and wrapped her fingers around the coffee mug. It was chilly here at night, even in June. She was going to have to get used to that. “You could say that,” she said, giving a wry sort of smile. “I’m adopting family, sort of ... see, my half-brother ... well, it’s a long sad story. My niece lives here, her mom’s gone missing, and I’m the only next of kin who’s ... available.” Dahlia gave a faint chuckle that didn’t have a lot of humor in it. “She turns eighteen in a few months, I came up to look after her until then. She’s staying with a friend right now until I find a place to rent.”
A long sad story seemed to be the norm here in Point Pleasant but he didn't want to point that out to Dahlia right now. If she was new to town, the last thing Grady needed to do was put her off of this place right away. "That's really commendable of you," Grady said. He should have been able to pinpoint exactly who Dahlia was talking about, but given how many people went missing in this town, it was hard to narrow it down. And he hated that fact. "If you don't mind me being nosy, who's her mother?"
Was it commendable? Dahlia wasn’t sure. She had her own reasons for stepping up that weren’t entirely altruistic, but she wasn’t going to get into all that at the moment with a cute stranger. Dahlia hummed as she sipped her coffee. “Tamara Hunt ... I guess it’s still Hunt, I’m not sure if she changed her name back after the divorce,” she said, her brow furrowing briefly. “But my niece is Elodie Hunt, at least.” Dahlia paused, then arched a brow at him. “Sound familiar? I know this is a small-ass town ...” And everybody knew everybody in small ass towns, right? Dahlia had no idea where Tamara had disappeared off to, maybe she’d abandoned her daughter, maybe something worse had happened, but the grandmother was gone too, and she was still fuzzy on the details of where Elodie had been since then. Dahlia’s brother Jack wasn’t the most reliable narrator.
Elodie and Tamara Hunt did sound familiar to Grady. Jacquelyn Fischer had died in the hospital back in January. Tamara Hunt had been listed as her emergency contact, but they hadn't been able to find her to inform her of her mother's death. Elodie had been gone too. Some of the deputies assumed they left town due to all of the bullshit, but considering nothing of theirs had been taken, Grady had had his doubts. And then Jacquelyn's brothers had shown up to empty out the house. Grady hadn't known Elodie was still in town. Or back in town. He tried to keep his expression neutral and he took a drink of his coffee to sort his thoughts. "It sounds familiar," he said finally, giving Dahlia a faint smile. "Has Elodie told you anything about her mother leaving town?"
It was a noticeably longer pause than Dahlia would’ve expected, just asking if Grady knew her niece. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. She knew that Elodie was more than a handful, to put it mildly, if her brother was to be believed about anything. God, she hoped that Elodie hadn’t caused trouble with this guy already, and now he was just totally soured on her. “Not yet,” she answered. “But I’ve barely spoken to her on the phone, she just knows I’m coming and that’s about it. So I’m sure we’ll dive deeper. ... why, did you know her?” There were much more pleasant topics of conversation for this sort of encounter, the whole thing was a bummer, but if there was something Dahlia needed to be warned about, she wanted to find out what it was.
"Not personally, no." Grady forced a more genuine smile. It felt like he was dipping into work mode so he tried to keep his tone and posture casual enough. "All that I know is her grandmother passed and then she and her mom had disappeared. A lot of people assumed they had just left town. I wasn't aware that she was back... or maybe she hadn't left at all." As he spoke, he recalled the group of people who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances off of Witcham Road. And how many of them had returned. Elodie Hunt hadn't been on the list of the missing, but Grady had been confident there were others who hadn't been reported. "I don't think there's anything for you to worry about. I hope she's doing well." And yes, Grady wanted to talk to her about her mother, but that was work and he didn't want to be Sheriff Barrett tonight.
Dahlia’s brows rose at the news that Jacquelyn had died. That was something Elodie hadn’t told her, and neither had anybody else. Did they even know? She wasn’t distraught by it, really, she hadn’t known the woman from Eve, coming from the other side of the family, but it all just pointed to a more complicated story than she’d been given. It was going to be a rough few weeks, she had a feeling. Dahlia was curious as to how Grady knew all this -- was he a doctor? Law enforcement? Just a small town gossip? -- but she didn’t really want to ask. Hanging out in dive bars and flirting with strangers was supposed to be an escapist activity. “Thank you, I hope she is too,” she said, giving him a half-smile. Dahlia waved a dismissive hand, then picked up her coffee again. “I’ll find out tomorrow, I guess. Meantime ... what’s your deal? Come here often? What’s your sign?” She grinned at her own cliches, teasing but curious too, and took another sip.
Grady laughed. "What's my deal? God, I don't think we have that kind of time." He picked up his coffee again. "I don't come here a lot. Nick brought me here because I don't think he could bear to think of me at home on my birthday." Not to mention the fact that the owners weren't real fond of him, nor he of them. "As for my sign, you know what, I really don't know. I've never looked and I've never had anyone tell me." He chuckled. "I know, I know. I'm pretty fascinating, aren't I? What about you? I guess I know some of your deal now, but... where are you from?"
He had a nice laugh, she decided. His smile did good things to his face, but she’d always been partial to smile lines and dimples. They were half-hidden in beard, but that had its own appeal too. “I think you’re a Gemini ... but I don’t pay attention to that shit either, so don’t ask me what that’s supposed to mean,” Dahlia admitted, amused. She knew that ‘what’s your deal’ was a vague sort of question, so she was obviously going to have to be more specific to get him to talk about himself. “I’m coming directly from Charlotte, North Carolina ... but I’m originally from Florida. I’ve lived a lot of different places, so I don’t know that I’m really from anywhere. My turn ...” She flashed a grin and then narrowed her eyes as she looked him over again in an assessing manner. “You’re too good-looking to be home alone on your birthday at this age, unless ... divorced, I’m guessing? Any kids?”
Cocking a brow, Grady sipped his coffee, amused that she'd know him as a Gemini without knowing what it's supposed to mean. He had no idea what it was either and figured maybe he'd look it up later. Or ask Jen. She was a smart kid, so she'd probably know. "Charlotte's a beautiful city," Grady said, feeling both flattered that she found him good looking, which, yeah he'd already assumed since she was spending her evening there talking to him, and also a little uneasy that she'd guessed he was divorced. He supposed it was better that she know, given the situation, but Grady always felt like a bit of a failure when his marriage came up in conversation. "What age do you think I am?" he asked, a teasing spark in his eye. "But yeah, divorced. I've got two kids, Hunter and Jen. They just graduated high school... twins. Jen lives with me, her brother with his mom in Portland. What about you? Any kids?"
In a small town like this one, Dahlia was willing to bet that eligible bachelors were few and far between, and she couldn’t imagine that some lady here hadn’t tied Grady down with a ring at some point. She thought it had been a while back though, because she couldn’t tell that he used to wear said ring just by looking at his left hand. That was all well and good, along with the news that the ex-wife lived in another city. Dahlia didn’t do well with drama. Not that she had designs on this guy already ... but all situations were worth assessing, right? “Twins, wow, congratulations. They survived their whole childhood, so you apparently did a good job,” she said with good humor. “With that little tidbit ... I’d say you’re at least in your early-mid forties. But you don’t have to correct me if you want to keep it quiet, a lady never tells and all that.” Dahlia grinned at him. “Me though? No, no kids. I have had two divorces, and my exes could definitely be mistaken for overgrown children, so ...” She shrugged, hoping that wasn’t a turn-off for Grady, but she wasn’t going to lie about it. “What do you do for work?”
"I'd credit my ex-wife for keeping them alive to this point," he said. "My job has long, unpredictable hours. She held everything together. Which... is probably part of the reason why we're not married anymore. And you're pretty much spot on with my age. We'll go with mid-forties and leave it at that." He considered forty eight to be late forties now. Almost fifty. God. Hearing that she had been married twice was definitely not a turn off to Grady. He supposed it was something they had in common now and he felt less awkward about his own divorce knowing she had gone through the same thing, twice. Scratching the side of his nose, Grady cleared his throat and smiled faintly. They were getting to know one another and it wasn't likely she would get through another day or two without seeing him in uniform or hearing his name from someone else, so there was no use in fibbing about his job. "I'm the sheriff here. So I deal with overgrown children on a daily basis, believe it or not. What about you?"
Dahlia picked up on some relief from him that she’d been divorced too, and she was glad for it. Some men were awful hypocrites who assumed something must be wrong with a woman who’d been divorced, especially more than once. Dahlia was far from perfect and she knew it, but her biggest sins in her marriages had been having shitty taste in men. Grady seemed a little reluctant to tell him what he did for a living, and the answer made Dahlia’s brows raise again. Well, one of her vague guesses had been close, at least. “Wow,” she said slowly, with a little grin. “Sheriff, huh? That’s hot. But I could see that coming with long crazy hours, yeah.” She chuckled softly at the turn-about question and tilted her head from side to side. “Nothing so upstanding and respectable ... I’m an artist. I paint and do photography gigs to pay the bills. Needless to say, I’m not rich.” Dahlia gave him a half-smile. “You don’t need a sketch artist on the force, do you? I’m good at faces.”
Grady liked to think he was a perceptive person and a decent judge of character. Being divorced, even multiple times, wasn’t indicative of anything in his opinion. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn't. He had loved Alison and still did in his own way, but they had grown apart and he was the first to admit she deserved a hell of a lot better than what he could provide her. "We always need help on the force," Grady said. "We've got high turn around." He chuckled, aware of how that may reflect on him but it really said more about this town than anything else. If she stayed long enough, she would know. "What kind of painting do you do?"
Her former husbands had made plenty of mistakes, some of which Dahlia should’ve seen coming, she was convinced, but in truth it was difficult to be married to an empath. She had an edge in every argument and situation, which she tended to use when her temper was up. It was hard to feel every feeling your partner had too. It was the main reason Dahlia had been single for years now. She wasn’t serious about joining the police force and she hoped he recognized that as a joke, lest he start to think she was already some kind of stalker. Dahlia leaned back in her chair, still smiling a little. “A wide variety,” she said. “Some abstract expressionistic pieces, but I love to do portraits. With my own spin, of course. I love to get under people’s skin and see what makes them tick, then put it into my work.” She paused, then chuckled a bit. “I also do portraits of people’s pets in funny outfits, but most of those are for my Etsy store.”
"I bet those sell pretty well," Grady said, grinning a bit easier now. "I'd love to see some of your work sometime, if you're not shy about showing it. We have a street market in the summer too with local artists and vendors. I think it's every Monday and Thursday? Might be something to look into if you're interested." Grady had no idea how long she planned to stay but the least he could do is be helpful. He paused then studied her with mild curiosity and amusement. "How exactly do you get under people's skin? Do you have a process for that?"
Sadly, her pet portraits were what sold the best, Dahlia had to admit. Partly because they were smaller and more affordable, but also because people were obsessed with seeing their dogs and cats in stuffy French Revolution uniforms and pirate costumes and ruffles and lace. It was cute but a bit exasperating sometimes when Dahlia really wanted to create something with depth. She did have to eat, though, and Cute often paid the bills. “I’m not shy about much of anything,” she told Grady with a flirty lilt to her voice. “So I would love to show you, once I’m set up somewhere. Right now it’s just a bunch of canvas stuffed in the back of a van. I do have a sort of process, but it tends to be very personal and intimate to my subject, so it’s hard to describe.” She paused, then smiled a little wider at him. “I’d love to paint you, if you want some first hand experience.”
He might have been out of practice when it came to dating, but Grady knew flirting when he saw it... or heard it, in this case. He tried not to let it trip him up. It seemed as though he was ready for something resembling a social life so he would have to figure this out eventually. Hearing that she wanted to paint him brought a faint blush to his cheeks, one he hoped was hidden by his beard and the dim lighting in the bar. His body instantly agreed to let her do whatever she wanted to him and that was a feeling he hadn't experienced in quite some time. "I have to say I'm curious enough to almost say yes," Grady replied, his smile matching hers. "I don't know how good a paint subject I would be though. I have a hard time sitting still... unless you're able to paint from memory."
Dahlia couldn’t see the blush, but she could feel it -- the emotion behind it, anyway. She got the sense that Grady was pretty rusty with this kind of thing, and she wondered a bit if he’d dated at all after his divorce. “I take pictures for pose references,” she said, still smiling across the table at him. “With permission, of course. The pose is less important than the emotion in the painting. The essence of it.” Dahlia paused, then laughed at herself, reaching up to run her fingers through her dark curls a bit. “Fuck, that sounded pretentious, didn’t it? Artists are insufferable, not sure if you knew. But yes ... you can see some of my work first and decide if you really want to say that yes or not.” She picked up her coffee to sip on, a little bummed that she was getting to the bottom of the mug. It was late, Grady was a dad, this was probably coming to an end soon.
Grady chuckled. "I couldn't tell you about artists... I don't think I've met any personally, to be honest. I'll take your word for it though." He wasn't entirely sure he would let someone take his photo, but it never hurt to take a look at some of her paintings to see if she was the real deal. Grady knew art was subjective, but he had never been the type to go to a museum and ponder the meaning behind the paintings or photographs. If he saw something and liked it, that was generally the extent of his critique. He raised a brow, his hand still wrapped around his coffee cup. "Did you say you were still looking for a place to live? Where are you staying now?"
She couldn’t predict if anyone would like her art, but Dahlia felt she had enough range to ensure anybody would like something she’d done. Whether Grady would let her use him as inspiration was a totally different story, she would see. She nodded a bit to his first question. “I’m going apartment hunting tomorrow. Hoping to get into one the same day or next, so I can move me and Elodie in. I’m staying at this place called Juniper? Super cute, but it’s too pricey for long-term. It seemed less of a risk for bedbugs than the other motel I found, out by the uh, strip club.” Dahlia gave an amused little snort. She very nearly invited him to come back to Juniper with her tonight, but she decided that might scare him off and bit her tongue. She wasn’t opposed to one night stands if the chemistry was right, but as the sheriff Grady probably had a public reputation to uphold.
"Juniper is a nice place," Grady said, deciding against regaling her with stories of haunted rooms. "But it's definitely a better fit for tourist season than for anyone looking to stay longer than a few days. Nick stayed there for a while before he found a place at Castle View. It's a nice apartment complex... affordable, especially if you're not expecting Elodie to help out with rent. Uh, if you're looking for a place with more privacy, Seaview is a small neighborhood with trailer homes. Affordable too." Grady paused, wishing he didn't sound so much like a damn real estate agent. "Uh, and you know, if you need any help moving in..." Was that too much? Maybe. But she could take him up on the offer or not. It just felt right to let her know he was available. Which he would be, if she asked.
Did this place have a tourist season? Dahlia was a little surprised to hear that, but she supposed it made sense. It was a lovely small town by the sea, people liked going to those. It made her a little more interested in the street market Grady had mentioned. Maybe she could actually sell some pieces here without paying an arm and a leg for shipping costs. Dahlia nodded a bit to the places he named, they sounded familiar from the exploring and online scouting she’d done already. Grady’s offer to help her move in was beyond sweet and made her smile, a touch of amusement in her eyes. “Are you sure? I know you’ve gotta be busy ...” If he was offering, she was willing to bet he would make time, but no need to be rude about it. Dahlia pressed her lips together briefly, then smiled again. “I’d really appreciate the help, though.” Future plans meant he would have to ask for her number, but she wasn’t going to point that out to him just yet.
"I'm sure," Grady said with a smile. "I have busy days, of course, but I'm also the boss, so... I don't think anyone is going to question it if I help out a new resident." Maybe he could get a look at Elodie too and ask her a few questions. He wouldn't pry too much or put her on the spot, but it would be nice to have some idea of what's happened to her over the past few months since her grandmother died and her mother went missing. Since he was well aware that he would need a way to contact her, and vice versa, Grady pulled out his cell phone and unlocked it before offering it across the table to Dahlia. "If you're comfortable giving me your number," he added, just so he didn't come across as presumptuous.
Dahlia kind of liked how Grady said he was the boss. She’d never really been attracted to authority in any real way, she had more of a defiant bent by nature, but men in uniform were hot. And the confidence she sensed behind Grady’s words was attractive. He might not be sure of himself when it came to approaching women, but he was good at his job. She watched as he offered her his phone, and her fingers immediately itched to snoop. Did he have any dating apps? Any pictures of his dick in his gallery? Other women? Often her curiosity wasn’t good for her, so Dahlia told herself not to ruin this as she accepted Grady’s phone. “If a girl can’t give her number to the local sheriff, who can she trust?” she said lightly, holding the phone delicately as she started to add herself as a contact. Dahlia paused to shoot him a teasing glance. “Although ... I didn’t ask to see your badge, so maybe that’s just a line. But you do have an air of authority, so if it’s a line, it suits you.” Once she was entered, Dahlia pushed the call button. She pulled her ringing phone out from her hoodie pocket, then offered Grady his own back as she declined the call. “And now I’ve got yours,” she said with a smile.
"I have my badge if you want to see it, but I think all you've got to do is ask the people in this bar who I am... most will probably sneer at me. That's a sure sign that I'm telling the truth." Grady smiled again, not at all bothered by that fact. He was aware that he had an authoritative presence about him. It just didn't tend to come across when he was trying to flirt with a woman. Granted, this was the first time he found himself flirting at all in quite some time, so it made sense that he would be a bit rusty. He certainly felt more comfortable now than he had when he first approached her. Taking his phone back, Grady slipped it back into his pocket, comfortable with the fact that she had his number too. "I feel bad that I've kept you out this late," he said, though that was mostly a lie. "Will you let me walk you to your car?"
She laughed a bit at the first part, glancing around the bar. Nobody was outright glaring at them, but she could imagine Grady hadn’t made a ton of friends amongst the dive-bar regulars during his tenure as sheriff. Dahlia’s attention came back to him when he spoke again, and she could tell that was a fib in a way that made her dimple at him. Such a gentleman, that was a novelty in a place like this, in Dahlia’s experience. Kind of rare in the world in general, these days. “I don’t feel bad about it,” she informed him in a soft tone. It didn’t even really feel that late to her, but she supposed she couldn’t keep a man with a real job and a teenage daughter out all night long. “I would like that,” she added, tucking her phone away again before she stood up.
Grady got to his feet and slipped on his jacket. He took one last sip of coffee before gesturing to Dahlia. He could walk her out and hopefully end an already great evening on a great note. Since he hadn't completely bungled this, he would likely drive home with a stupid grin on his face. It was a bit chilly outside but nothing intolerable. It was heaven compared to how it had been a couple months ago. "Do you happen to have any of your paintings tucked away in your car?" Grady asked, since he was curious and interested to see what kind of skill she had. Plus, it would give him a few extra minutes with her.
Dahlia led him toward her vehicle, which was currently a minivan that had seen better days and was packed to the gills with stuff at the moment. There was a U-Haul too, but the fine folks at Juniper had let her park that around the side of the building until she was moving in. Grady’s question made her smile as they approached and Dahlia fished her keys out of her pocket. “I do, but they’re packed in between a bunch of shit,” she said, then tilted a little smile at him and side-nodded toward the van. “I do have pictures in my phone though ... want to sit with me for a few while the engine warms up? I can show you some of my favorites.” Grady wasn’t the only one who was trying to squeeze every last second out of this encounter. Dahlia’s lips curled a bit further. “Promise I’m not a serial killer.”