I looked over at Gladys, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her toss back a shot with Larry, one of our older regulars. She was laughing and carrying on like she didn’t have a care in the world. It wasn’t a sight I’d seen very often. Gladys was always so worried about making sure everything was running smoothly that she rarely took a moment to just stop and take a break. It was good to see her so happy. Over the past year, she’d been like a grandmother to me, always looking out for me and giving advice. It meant the world to me.
When Gladys started to pour a fourth shot, I turned to Country and asked, “She never drinks like this. You think we should get her to slow down a bit?”
“Nah, she deserves to have a good time. We all do. It’s been a long fucking week.”
“You’re not kidding,” Rafe grumbled.
I hadn’t seen much of Rafe over the past couple of days. I figured he was just busy at the club, but there was something in his tone that made me wonder if there was more to it. I was hoping he might give me a clue, but before he had a chance to say anything more, Country turned his attention to me and asked, “You still planning to start bartending at Stilettos next week?”
“That’s the plan.”
“You know the clientele is a lot different over there. You play your cards right, and you’ll make bank in tips.” Country leaned forward and snickered. “Damn shame you aren’t really into chicks. It would be like working in a fucking candy store if you were.”
“I’m sure it would be.” I glanced over at Rafe and smiled. “But unfortunately for me, I don’t do chicks.”
“I still can’t believe you fucked with me like that. Hell, one look at you and my mind went straight to hot-as-fuck girl-on-girl action. Damn near gave me a hard-on every time I walked into the fucking bar.” His eyes skirted over to Rafe with disgust. “Now, that’s all fucked up, thanks to you.”
“How was I the one who fucked that up? You’re the thickhead who jumped to conclusions.”
“You know damn well this shit’s on you.” Country’s lips pursed in a pout. “You come in here and make her think you’re some fucking hero by offering to fix the damn cooler. You and that pretty boy face and pearly whites. Fuck. Poor girl didn’t stand a chance.”
“Come on, brother. It’s not like I convinced her to trade teams or something,” Rafe argued.
“Fuck, I can’t even look at her without seeing you all up in her.” Country looked back over to me and leaned towards me with his nose in the air, sniffing like some wild dog. “Hell, I can practically smell you on her.”
“I’d think that would’ve made you want her even more,” Rafe goaded. “Her good looks and my—”
While neither of them had said anything too terribly bad, I feared it was coming, so before Rafe could finish his thought, I waved my hand in front of them. “You do realize I’m standing right here.”
“Yeah, baby. We know.” Rafe stepped over to me and slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “We were just fucking around.”
“Just making sure.” I cocked my eyebrow. “Man, it doesn’t take much for you two to get carried away, does it?”
“That’s because Rafe always takes shit too far,” Country tattled like a spoiled younger brother. “Always.”
Rafe shrugged with a playful smile. “Don’t start no shit, and there won’t be no shit.”
“You’re a real pain in the ass. You know that, right?”
“No more than you, brother.” Rafe chuckled, then quickly changed the subject by asking me, “Your car still running okay?”
“Yes, it’s great, thanks to you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t gotten in touch with the mechanic like you did.” I still had no idea what Rafe had said to the owner of the shop, but after he called and talked to him, the guy was buttery sweet to me. Even gave me a really good deal on a second-hand transmission. To my relief, the whole thing was less than a hundred dollars, and there was no way that would’ve happened if Rafe hadn’t have stepped in. “I really do appreciate you helping out with that.”
“Glad to do it.”
As much as I was enjoying talking to Rafe and Country, I could hear several of the customers grumbling, and I knew why. My orders were piling up by the second. “I need to get back at it, but I’ll come by in a bit.”
“Take your time.” Country stood as he continued, “We’ve gotta hit the road anyway.”
“What? You’re leaving?” I asked, sounding more than a little disappointed.
“Yeah, we gotta get back over to the clubhouse for church,” Country answered. “Just stopped by here on the way.”
“I thought you’d be able to stay for a while.”
“We did, too, but we got the call on our way over here.” Rafe leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “Hopefully, it won’t be too long. Either way, we’ll be back to help you close.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” I didn’t want him to feel obligated to help. “We can handle it.”
“We’ll be back,” Rafe replied firmly, and I knew not to waste my breath arguing. As they started to leave, Rafe looked over his shoulder and said, “Try to keep a handle on Gladys, and don’t let her get too carried away until we get back.”
“I’ll do what I can, but I’m not making any promises.”
As soon as they were both out the door, I got busy catching up on drink orders. Since they seemed to be the rowdiest of the bunch, I started with the folks sitting at the bar—starting with Gladys. I walked up behind her and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Hey there, boss. You doing okay?”
“Never better.” She reached for the bottle of tequila, then motioned for me to come sit with them. “Come have a drink with us.”
“Love to, but I’ve got a little catching up to do first.”
“They can wait, child. You need to be enjoying yourself too.”
“Seeing you have a good time is the only enjoyment I need.” I gave her a quick hug, then said, “I’ll be back in a bit.”
I left Gladys to carry on with her celebration and got busy making drinks. After I was caught up at the counter, I made my way to the back of the bar and checked in on my tables. When I came up on my first booth, I was surprised to find Ford sitting there alone. He was wearing his usual denim overalls, farming cap, and worn-out boots. Ford had never been one to fix up for the folks at the bar, and tonight was no different. I gave him a friendly smile as I said, “Hey, what are you doing sitting over here all by your lonesome?”
“Just taking a moment to myself, I guess.” He motioned his hand to the empty bench in front of him. “Why don’t you take a load off for a minute? I’ve got something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Okay, but I only have a minute. I still have a few tables to check on.”
“Won’t take long.”
Curious to see what was on his mind, I laid my drink tray down on the table, then slid into the booth. “What’s on your mind?”