Whatever It Takes Read online

  Whatever It Takes

  Sliding Home, Volume 2

  Elizabeth Perry

  Published by Elizabeth Perry, 2018.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  WHATEVER IT TAKES

  First edition. March 7, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Elizabeth Perry.

  Written by Elizabeth Perry.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Also By Elizabeth Perry

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  Further Reading: Bet On It

  Also By Elizabeth Perry

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Avery

  “Avery! I need you to take on a couple of tables tonight, too, ok? Ashley called in sick.”

  I sigh hard, trying like hell not to let my expression show how I really feel about having to do even more work than I already do.

  “Awesome, Linda.” I force a tight smile as I glance up at the bar manager who immediately dismisses me before walking away.

  Linda is a complete bitch. I hate Linda...

  No, I don’t hate Linda. I just really, really do not like her.

  Hate is a damn strong word, and it is reserved for far worse people than her.

  She is just a bitter woman who gets her kicks out of overworking the poor desperate souls like myself that are forced to try to earn a living here, in Big Wills Bar.

  That really is the name, which is pretty damn funny, since Will the owner? Well, he is actually a tiny ass little man.

  The big must be for his ego. There is no other explanation for the name then, unless...

  Eww...

  I shudder, before forcing my mind on something else.

  “Hey there, sweet thang. Can I get a Jack and Coke? With a side of your digits?”

  I smile sweetly at the weaselly looking man across the bar from me before grabbing the Jack and pouring his drink. I hand it across the bar to him.

  “Jack and Coke. Minus the digits.”

  He grumbles something, before tossing a few bills at me. I cut my eyes at his back as he turns to go.

  “You know, you’d make better tips if you flirted a little bit. And maybe handed out a fake number or two.” Lainey, my co-bartender hisses to me, as I shove the crappy tip into our jar.

  “I’m not flirting. And I’m not handing out fake numbers. I’m making drinks, and that’s about it.”

  “Girl.” She shakes her head, before rolling her huge green eyes at me. “Sex sells, in case you haven’t noticed. We’re here to make money, not start a feminist movement. It wouldn’t kill you to flirt a little bit.”

  “It might,” I mutter, before heading back down to my end of the bar. I can’t even remember the last time that I openly flirted.

  It was ages ago, back when I believed in love and romance.

  These days?

  Pssh. No way.

  The last time that I flirted, I ended up dating yet another waste of space, who, again, fooled me into believing that he was something that he wasn’t.

  And by something that he wasn’t, I mean someone who wasn’t married, with a family.

  I still feel sick over it, but not nearly as sick as I do for my son Jackson, who by the way, was the only good thing that piece of shit gave me.

  The second that Rob found out that I was pregnant? He totally freaked. And by freaked, I mean turned into the most raging crazy person on the face of this planet. He threatened me in every way possible, and since he was one of my professors, I had no choice but to keep my head down and shut my mouth.

  Until the semester ended, that is.

  After that? I transferred schools. But only right after I decided to meet up with his wife to let her know exactly what kind of man she was married to.

  I was already feeling awful for having been the other woman, and I couldn’t live with myself had I not told her.

  I mean, hell. I’ve totally been in her position before. Too damn many women have been...and it always feels awful.

  I felt that she deserved to know.

  So, I Facebook stalked her for a few days, waited until she posted something on one of those yard sale sites that everyone seems to use these days, and bam.

  I met up with her and spilled the beans.

  What I hadn’t expected though?

  Was that she totally didn’t even care...

  I had sat there in total shock for at least a full two minutes, with my mouth wide open as she had simply shrugged over the fact that her husband had an affair that was about to result in a child.

  And in that moment, I was done.

  I completely lost my faith in relationships and honestly? My faith in humanity as well.

  I transferred to grad school in Chicago, gave birth to my son Jackson who is hands down, my life’s greatest blessing, and have busted my ass all by myself ever since, hell-bent on making something out of my life and giving Jacks everything that he deserves.

  Still currently working on that...

  Grad school ended up being a bit harder than I imagined as a single mother with a small child, so I’m currently taking a small break.

  But I will finish, and then?

  Ba-bye Big Wills Bar.

  The rest of the night goes by pretty fast, especially since it’s a Friday night, and there is a home baseball game in town.

  Wills is right in the center of downtown Chicago, directly across from the stadium and the hotels that flank either side of it, so we have the absolute primo location during baseball and football season.

  When there aren’t home games in town, we still are busy with just the normal traffic of people, but game nights kick things up a notch.

  I try to always be working during game nights, because, well?

  This girls gotta make some money. I do fairly well here, although, it never seems to be quite enough to live comfortably and still get all of my bills paid on time.

  Living in Chicago is expensive. Coming from a small town in Michigan, I was truly not expecting just how much more things cost here.

  I feel like I’m having to work twice as hard just to survive and keep my lights from getting shut off.

  The fact that my landlord keeps hiking up the already ridiculously overpriced rent isn’t helping things either.

  That being said, I might should be taking Lainey up on her advice on how to make more money, but dammit all, I do not want to have to flirt to earn money.

  My flirt is dead.

  Plus? I really don’t like talking to strange people all that much, and I can’t stand drunk people unless I am also drunk.

  This job is not up my alley at all.

  But, I currently have no other options for employment, since I can only work at night when my angel of a neighbor is home and able to watch Jacks.

  Plus, I need to make cash asap, and I need a job where I leave with cash, every damn
day.

  Since stripping and prostitution are pretty much the only other two jobs that pay in cash on the same day, bartending is the only one where I can keep the little shred of dignity that I have left.

  “Avery, would it kill you to smile?” Linda throws her hands up in the air at me, standing directly behind me, causing me to have to sidestep her to get to the wall of liquor bottles.

  “Would it kill you to move?” I mutter, before plastering a smile on my face and turning back around to the line of customers at the bar.

  Linda makes me hate this job even more...

  But that’s ok. Working this crap job, with the crap hours and the even crappier environment only fuel my fire.

  They give me the extra push that I need on the days where I just don’t feel like doing it all anymore. The days that I want to stay in bed for the extra couple of hours in the morning, instead of rolling my ass out of my very comfortable bed, waking up my son, dragging him across town and getting myself to school.

  Well, at least when I was in school.

  But either way, these moments give me drive and push me towards my goals.

  Yes.

  I will not be a bartender forever. Someday, when I finally get my ass completely done with school, I will have a much better job, more free time, and actually, have a life.

  And when that day comes, I am never setting foot inside of a bar again.

  “Hey, hot stuff. I’ve been waiting here for a long time. And while I love to see you shaking that ass back there, I’m about to die from dehydration. Can I get my damn drink now?”

  I grab a bottle of beer and thrust it across the counter at the fat, balding man while narrowing my eyes.

  “I would hate for you to die,” I mutter, before snatching his money off the counter.

  “I thought bartenders were supposed to be friendly. You know, flirty, happy, ready to lend a listening ear to all of the sad folks who need it?”

  I roll my eyes at the man in front of me, who unfortunately can’t see me because his head is tipped downwards towards his beer, baseball hat snug against his brow.

  “I’m a bartender, not a shrink. You need a drink? Or are you just here to dish out stupid questions?”

  His lips turn upwards, and before I know it, he lifts his head, staring at me with the brightest blue eyes that I have ever seen.

  Except, I’ve seen them before, and as recognition sets in?

  My heart literally plummets to the floor.

  Holy shit.

  He blinks hard, as recognition sets in for him also, and then, there we are, staring at each other, with matching shocked expressions.

  “Avery?”

  I nod slowly, still in complete and utter shock, as I fix my eyes on the man in front of me.

  “Eric.”

  He nods slowly, as his eyes rake over my now trembling body. I grip onto the bar top, trying to keep myself from swaying, but it’s no use.

  I suddenly feel so damn weak in the knees that I could keel right over.

  Of all the people in the whole damn world who could waltz into this bar tonight, it had to be him? Eric freaking Wayne?

  Fuck my life.

  This man...good God...

  The damage that he did to me is indescribable. Compared to Rob? Well, let’s just say that he makes Rob look like a damn saint.

  Because the man in front of me couldn’t have hurt me any more than he did, had he reached right into my chest and ripped my heart right out of it.

  This person standing in front of me, is the absolute reason for at least a million tears shed, too many damn sleepless nights to count...a near mental breakdown.

  And I never wanted to see him again...ever.

  Eric was my high school boyfriend, my very first love, the very first man to promise me the entire world only to crush my heart.

  I mean, he wrecked me. I had believed him when he told me that I was the only person he would ever love, and then he dropped me like yesterday’s news the very second that something better came along.

  He was the reason that I didn’t date for almost five years until I fell into the arms of someone like Rob, to begin with.

  He was the sole reason that I vowed to never love anyone like that again.

  Yet, here he is, sitting directly across from me, staring me up and down, with his ridiculously sexy smile and piercing blue eyes.

  I hate the way my heart flutters at the sight of him.

  I mean, sure. It’s probably just because he is ridiculously good-looking, which is pretty depressing because I really hoped that he would end up ugly.

  But he hasn’t. He’s actually even better looking than I remember because the person in my memory? Was a boy. The person standing in front of me is a man...and what a man he has become.

  His arms strain against his t-shirt, the material so tight against his skin that I can see the outline of what lies beneath...which, fuck.

  It looks so good that I can actually feel my mouth watering.

  He looks more like a model than just some guy at my bar, with his olive skin, and that chiseled jaw with the slightest hint of stubble...his silky black hair sticking out underneath his hat and those eyes...

  Fuck me, those eyes.

  They get me every damn time.

  It’s complete and total bullshit.

  And it needs to stop, now.

  I swallow hard, forcing my face to remain cold, firmly trying to get myself together. I simply need to keep my cool and get this man his drink, so that he can carry on with whatever business has brought him in here today.

  “Avery, damn.” Those stupid eyes of his turn hot as he looks me up and down, much like a cougar would, stalking its prey. Except I am not dumb enough to be preyed on by this guy again.

  No way.

  “You look amazing.”

  “You always were a bull shitter with the words, Eric. What can I get for you to drink so that you can be on your way?”

  I nod towards his glass, which is nearly empty, making him tilt his head and stare at me hard.

  “Jesus, Ave’s. I haven’t seen you in years, and it’s like that?”

  “Not seeing you in years has been a blessing. And yes, it’s like that. I’m working and I’m busy. Do you need a drink? Because if not, you’re taking up prime real estate here.” I motion across the bar top, to the line forming behind him.

  “Ah, yeah. Gin and tonic please.” He thrusts his glass forward. A beautiful blond pushes her way through the crowd to the front of the bar, waving her arms at me and shaking her head.

  “No, no. Just a beer. He will have just a beer.”

  She’s huffing and puffing by the time she gets my attention, placing one hand across her very large stomach and the other on Eric’s shoulder.

  “Really?” I hear him groan, as I turn around grabbing a beer and thrusting it towards him. “In case no one told you, you aren’t our mom anymore.”

  “Nope. But I’m about to be a mom, so, deal with it. You guys have to be up bright and early tomorrow. No room for a hangover.”

  He narrows his eyes at her, but the smile on his face gives off that he isn’t actually mad. I hate that after all this time, I can still read the emotions on his face like a book.

  She flashes me a huge toothy grin before motioning towards a large table behind a rope over in the corner of the bar.

  “Hi, sorry to bother you and all, but I talked to someone, maybe a Linda, earlier? About reserving that table over there.” Pregnant woman nods her head to the large round table tucked off in the corner.

  “Is it ok for us to just go and sit down?”

  “Sure.” Inwardly I cringe, knowing damn well that I am going to have to wait on this table, surely filled with Eric and his buddies.

  “Great.” She flashes me a huge pearly white smile, before snapping her fingers to Eric to go and sit down. His eyes flash back to mine for a brief second, but I don’t meet them. I quickly dismiss him with the coldest look that I can manage, before turn
ing my attention back to the blond.

  “I’m Laci by the way. Obviously, I won’t be drinking,” she pats her stomach, “But if you could just keep the water coming for me, I would really appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem.” I smile back at her, noticing just how damn tired she looks. “You sure you just want water? Nothing with a little caffeine?”

  She frowns, before looking over her shoulder quickly before glancing back to me.

  “I would about kill for a diet coke. But my husband is an absolute freak about me being pregnant, and no way would he be ok with the caffeine.”

  I can’t help myself...I just can’t. Before I can even stop myself, the words leave my lips.

  “Is that your husband? Eric? The one who just walked away?”

  Her eyes widen, and she laughs, a huge belly laugh as her head tips back.

  “Good God, no.” She shakes her head, a huge smile spreading across her lips.

  “I am a patient woman, but that? Would take a woman much more patient than I could ever be, even on my best day. I belong to that one.” She nods her head towards another gorgeous man in the process of sitting down at the table. “That one is my hubby.”

  “Ah. Ok.” The relief that fills me from her words is ridiculous. I totally shouldn’t care whether or not she is Eric’s wife.

  Yet for some unknown reason...I totally do.

  She shakes her head before sighing. “Anyhow, water it is for me. And as for the guys? If any of them order a mixed drink, just bring them a Miller Lite. No questions, just the beer. And if they try to give you any shit, I promise. I will handle it. They know better than to try to be drinking the hard stuff on a game night.”

  “Game night?”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention. We’re all with the Carolina Rays. Some of the guys from the team are coming, and then there’s my husband and I. Hope that’s ok since we’re the opposing team, and they just beat your home team.”

  She flashes me another grin, as I hand her the water.

  “Should be fine.” I grit my teeth together, glancing over at the table, where Eric sits, his eyes still boring into the side of my head.

  It’s going to be anything but fine.

  I haven’t as much as uttered his name in over six years, and now, I have to actually serve him?