Read Taking Charge for Free Online Page B

coming because…” Milo began,
looking uncomfortable.
    “Milo, do you want to keep your job?” Robyn
questioned.
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Then get cleaning up!”
     
     
    The door opened almost cautiously, and then Robyn
caught sight of Sarah for the first time in nine years.
    Her friend seemed taller, but she had the same
familiar dark, wavy hair that sat around her shoulders. She wore a
gray business suit, and black designer glasses rested on her face.
She was an adult. Robyn should have expected it, but hadn’t. Part
of her thought Sarah would still resemble the picture she had in
her head—a sixteen year old student wearing a spaghetti-strapped
sundress and Converse sneakers.
    “Hey! About time! I thought I was going to get a
beating from the Hells Angels,” Robyn joked as she smiled at her
friend.
    “Robyn! It’s so good to see you!” Sarah said. She
rushed to the bar and put her arms around her friend, hugging her
tightly.
    “You too,” Robyn replied, patting her on the
back.
    “There were motorcycles roaring up the road. What’s
happened?”
    “That was the biker gang. I’ve taken over. You’re
looking at the new manager of Eddie’s Roadhouse!”
    “Mickey! Jeez! What have you been feeding him? You’re
so…wide!” Robyn exclaimed as Sarah’s stocky, tawny-haired boyfriend
entered the building.
    “Can I take that as a compliment?” Mickey asked
her.
    “Of course. Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Robyn said,
smiling at her friends.
    “Listen, we ran into…” Sarah began as the entrance
door opened again.
    Before Sarah could finish her sentence, Brad walked
into the bar. Robyn felt her stomach tighten as she looked at a
taller, more muscular version of the boy she had left behind. He
was still athletic in build, but had filled out a lot since high
school. He was broader, and his blond hair was shaved close to his
head. His eyes were still as blue as the ocean, though, and he
smiled the second he saw her.
    “…Brad,” Sarah finished as he walked up to the bar to
join them.
    “Hey,” Brad greeted, looking at Robyn with something
close to admiration in his expression.
    “Hey, wow, everyone must eat a lot of greens around
here, you’ve all gotten massive,” Robyn stated, her cheeks
flushing.
    “Whereas you don’t look any different,” Brad said,
smiling bashfully.
    “That’s because I’m not different, at all. Just the
same old Robyn! God, well, this is so weird,” Robyn said.
    “Where’s Nancy? Is she here?” Sarah asked, setting
the pizzas down on the countertop.
    “She left with the biker gang, temporarily, I expect.
She didn’t seem like the type of woman to take things lying down.
Well, perhaps some things, if you know what I mean, but I don’t
want to think about that. Anyway, now all I need to do is get rid
of the sleeping tramp and the teenagers. Who wants to help? There’s
a Bud in it for you,” Robyn offered.
    “Just one?” Mickey asked.
    “Okay, a pitcher then. This is my dad’s profits we’re
talking about.”
    “Leave it to us,” Brad assured her, and he headed off
toward the group of teenagers who were now sitting down playing
Spin the Bottle.
    Robyn let out a heavy sigh and took a long swig from
her bottle of beer.
    “It’s so good to see you, but we could have met
somewhere nicer. This place smells really bad,” Sarah remarked,
opening up a pizza box and taking out a slice.
    “I know,” Robyn answered.
    “And it’s really dirty. I mean, I don’t know if I
really want to even have a drink here,” Sarah continued.
    “I know.”
    “Sorry.”
    “No, it’s okay, you’re right. The place is wrecked,”
Robyn admitted.
    “What are you going to do?”
    “I’m going to clean it, decorate it, and re-launch
it,” Robyn informed her.
    “That’s going to be a hell of a job,” Sarah
replied.
    “I know, but hey, I’ve got nothing else to do,” Robyn
answered with a half-hearted smile.

Chapter Six
     
    “I can’t tell you how good this