Suede to Rest Read Online Free Page B

unmarked building through a back door. The interior was dimly lit. Two men shot darts next to a vacant pool table. A mirror behind the bar was painted with the words
The Broadside Tavern
in gold paint. Charlie took a seat at the bar and gestured for me to sit next to her. When the bartender appeared, she ordered.
    â€œIrish Car Bomb. You want one, too?” she asked me.
    I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, so I shook my head. “I’ll have a beer,” I said, even though I’d never developed a taste for it.
    The drinks arrived. A shot glass and a tall mug of dark brown beer for her, and a pale ale for me. Charlie dropped her shot glass into her beer and drank half of the resulting mixture.
    â€œSo, what was it like?” she asked.
    â€œWhat was what like?”
    â€œThe store. You said you were inside. I’ve always wondered about that place.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI’ve been staring at the gate since I opened my auto shop.”
    Staring at a closed gate was a pretty lackluster excuse for what seemed to be more than passing interest in the store, but if I weren’t sitting in the bar talking to Charlie, I wasn’t sure where I’d be. The possibility existed that I’d be sitting in the bar by myself, and that wasn’t something I was used to doing.
    â€œIt’s still filled with fabric, though there’s a good chance most of it’s damaged. I’ll have to go through the inventory pretty carefully to see if any of it can be salvaged, but that’s a big job.”
    â€œYou actually care about the fabric?” she asked, taking another pull of her drink. Her eyes flickered to my barely touched beer and I gulped as much as I could, satisfying my thirst before the bitter taste kicked in.
    â€œI work for a dress company in Los Angeles. There’s a big market for stuff like that, even if it’s damaged. Depends on how bad it is. The inventory has been in there for a while, so I don’t really know what I’m going to find when I start digging through it.”
    â€œSo you plan to stick around long enough to dig through the inventory?”
    â€œAs opposed to what?”
    â€œSelling and going back home.”
    It was like she and Ken had compared notes and agreed to push the same buttons. “That store has been in my family for a long time. I’m not selling until I know what I’m selling.”
    â€œInteresting.”
    I bristled. “I don’t think it’s all that interesting. I think most people would do what I’m doing.”
    â€œThat’s where you’re wrong, Polyester. Most people would take the money and run.” She took another drink. “It’s an old store that’s been closed for a decade. Hard to believe there’s something in there that might be of value.”
    â€œEven harder to believe at one time the metal gate actually opened.”
    â€œRust?”
    I nodded.
    â€œNothing a little motor oil and determination can’t fix. I bet you have bigger problems than the gate.”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œYou’ll find out soon enough if you stick around. And if you don’t want to stick around, I’m sure you can find a buyer.”
    â€œI’ve already had an offer,” I said, my lips loosened by the beer. “But I don’t want to make a rash decision. I feel like it’s my heritage, my family. My great-uncle left it to me, and I don’t want to rush into any kind of deal that takes it away from me.”
    â€œThat’s smart. You should take your time, do your thing. Check out the inventory and decide what
you
want to do with it. Maybe you should keep it and move here. This town needs another Monroe. With your uncle Marius gone, it’s up to you.”
    â€œYou knew my uncle?”
    â€œI knew
of
your uncle. Smart man.” She finished off her dark brown drink and motioned to the bartender for two more before I had