Chapter 6

Dominique went to work and interviewed for a new bartender over the next week. The last interview she sat up was one she didn't want to. It was her ex-fiancée. They had been young and dumb but he had hurt her in ways she never would've thought possible. She hadn't seen him in two years. Why had she set this up? She had a right not to interview him. But knowing him, he would try to pull some crap and say it was illegal and drag her through the mud.

She sighed and walked out to the bar. Her blood ran cold as she saw the son of a bitch who broke her two years ago. It had taken her forever to get her life back together. She was just starting her business when their relationship had ended. It took Post and Melissa helping with the club to keep it going while she fought to come back from the deadness she had inside. She was so depressed that she had tried to kill herself. If Melissa hadn't been checking on her every day, she would be dead. Her stomach was pumped to remove all the pills and alcohol she'd consumed.

Dominique sat in front of Tim and looked at him. He hadn't changed. Same blonde hair, green eyes, and stupid grin. She had tried to forgive him and move on but seeing him today let her know that she still hadn't. She opened her notebook and pulled out his resume.

"Mr. Lithe, I've reviewed your application. Frankly, your work record doesn't speak well."

"Dominique, its been a while. How have you been?"

"Mr. Lithe, this is an interview. I would appreciate it if you remained professional."

"Aw, come on. I'm just trying to make small talk. You know, playing catch up on the past two years. Just want to know how you've been."

"How I've been? You didn't stick around or care to find out when you decided it was over. When you decided to go fuck that whore of yours. How's that going by the way?"

Tim looked at his hands and then looked back up at her. "She wasn't a permanent thing. Just a bit of fun."

"So she left you too, huh? Not surprising. Well, since this isn't really an interview anymore, I'll tell you how I've been. After you did what you did, I broke down. Started drinking a lot. Found out I was pregnant. Lost the baby from stress and all the drinking I had done before I found out. Three months pregnant," Dominique spat at him.

Tim looked shocked. "Was it mine?"

Dominique almost jumped over the table and strangled him. All she could think of was murdering him right where he sat.

"Yes, you jackass. I'm not a whore like you!" Dominique spat.

"I didn't mean that, Dom. Just didn't know. I'm sorry. I never meant for any of that to happen. I was stupid. But I actually am looking for a job. I didn't just apply because I knew this was your bar. I figured it would mess with my chances of actually getting hired though."

Dominique decided not to tell him she had been so devastated over losing him and the baby that she had tried to kill herself. What was the sense of giving him that power? She sighed, wanting this interview or whatever it was to just be over. She closed her notebook and stood up.

"Thank you for coming in, Mr. Lithe. I will consider every applicant as I make my decision."

"Why didn't you tell me? About the baby I mean?"

"What difference would that have made? At the time I found out, I didn't ever want to see you again. If I was going to keep it, I never would have told you. I didn't want to be anywhere around you, let alone raising a child with you."

"That's messed up, Dom. No matter our issues, I would have helped raise my child."

"Don't call me that ever again. You have no right to call me any pet names. Ever."

"Ok, Ms. Reed. Thank you for your time," Tim said as he stood up.

He held out his hand and she begrudgingly shook it. She showed him to the door and locked it. It was hours before time to open. She went to her office and closed the door. Once she was in her chair, she burst into tears. How could the asshole that turned her world into ashes still upset her so much? Why was she letting him get to her? She pulled the necklace she always wore out from under her shirt. She looked at it and cried some more. Her baby had been so tiny but she had the tiny body cremated. The ashes of Lily Rose that were in the necklace were all she had left.

She thought of her daughter often. She would be almost two now. She wondered what she would look like. Would she have looked like her? Would her hair color be so black that it almost looked blue in the sunlight like hers? Would she have her bright green eyes? Or would she look like her father? Would she be strong-willed like her mother? She imagined her toddling around the office. Dominique felt her heart breaking all over again. She opened her desk drawer and took one of her pills. She hated them but her depression had never gone away.

She sighed and got up to splash water on her face. She didn't want anyone to know she had been crying. It was none of their business what she was going through. She hadn't even told Melissa about the medication. No need in her worrying about Dominique taking them all at once to end it. She had been managing her depression until today. Now she felt like she had been set way back in her progress. Maybe Melissa was right. Maybe she needed to get back out there and date. Maybe she could find some type of happiness.

Did she really want to put herself through that again though? Was she willing to put herself back out there and have to wade through the bullshit to find someone? And what if she didn't? What if there wasn't someone out there for her? She shook her head. If she reached thirty and there was no one for her, she would simply have a baby by herself. There was always artificial insemination. She muttered yeah right to herself and got back to work.