She smiled as she handed him his favorite brew. “We’ve missed you, Jack.”
“Obviously, if nobody else has the cajones to do something about the doggone light. Anyway, you got a spoon I can borrow?”
“You’re not really going to do the spoon trick, are you?”
“I’m not only going to do it, I’m going to attach that spoon here and walk over to your brother’s table without having it fall off. I’m that good.”
“Here’s a spoon, but hang on a minute. I still have a couple of drinks to mix, and I want to walk over there with you.”
“Okay, then I’ll practice.” He began rubbing the bowl of the spoon over his nose.
“Dear God. I’m so sorry I left my camera upstairs.”
“A still camera could never capture the artistry of this move. You’d need a Hollywood film crew.”
“I’ll remember to call you the next time we get some Hollywood types in the bar.”
“Go mix your drinks.” Jack unsnapped his cuffs and rolled back his sleeves. “I have work to do.”
Josie somehow managed to put together a gin fizz and a strawberry margarita, although it took her twice as long because she kept glancing down the length of the bar where Jack was practicing with his spoon, much to the amusement of the others sitting at the bar.
When she’d placed the drinks on a tray for Carolyn, the night waitress, she hurried back to Jack and lifted the hinged part of the bar in order to join him on the other side. “Let’s go.”
“What?” He turned to her, his eyes crossed, and the spoon dangling from his nose.
She lost it, laughing so hard her ribs hurt.
“You need to walk ahead and announce me.” Jack turned around slowly, and the spoon remained suspended on his nose.
“If I can catch my breath.” Gasping helplessly, she started over toward Alex’s table.
Alex stared at her as if she’d lost her mind, which she probably had. Jack had that kind of effect on her.
“Presenting Jonathan Chance, Jr., and his famous suspended spoon act,” she said. “Don’t try this at home.” She stepped aside and swept a hand in Jack’s direction.
Jack walked slowly forward, and by now half the patrons of the bar were watching his progress and cheering him on.
“I’ll be goddamned.” Alex began to grin. “You weren’t kidding.”
“I wouldn’t kid about a skill this impressive,” Jack said. “I dare you to try it, Keller.” Still balancing the spoon, Jack sat down across from Alex. With a flourish he removed the spoon.
Alex gazed across the table at Jack. “I’ll take that challenge, Chance. Josie, another spoon, if you please.”
“I have one!” said someone at a neighboring table. “I always wanted to learn to do that.”
Jack glanced around as if assessing the crowd. “Many are called. Few are chosen.”
“I can do this.” Alex turned the spoon over in his hands. “I seem to remember you have to rub the bowl of the spoon over your nose a few times.”
“Want some pointers?” Jack asked helpfully.
“No, thanks. I’ll figure it out.”
By this time the band had caught on and was playing a countrified version of “A Spoonful of Sugar.”
Alex’s first attempt failed, but the second time he was more successful, keeping the spoon on for several seconds. “Okay,” he said. “I’m ready. Anybody got a stopwatch?”
“I’ve got five bucks says Chance can beat you!” someone shouted.
“I’ll put ten on Josie’s brother!” called someone else. “He’s a Chicago boy, like me!”
Josie stepped back and watched in admiration as Jack and Alex competed in the first annual Spirits and Spurs spoon-dangling contest. The customers gathered around the contestants as beer and laughter flowed freely. It was the liveliest group she’d seen in… well, ten months.
Alex and Jack took plenty of breaks, and drank their fair share of beer. After an hour, both men were laughing so hard that they had to call a halt to the contest. But Jack had accomplished his goal. They’d become drinking buddies, and Alex had agreed to be the DJ at Gabe and Morgan’s wedding reception.
Alex even went so far as to slap his new best friend on the back and thank him for providing some excellent entertainment. Then Alex came over to Josie and drew her aside. “I get it, now. I understand why you fell for the guy. He’s fun to be around, but… I still want you to be careful.”
“I will be.” Josie glanced over to the table, where Jack was trying to teach a few of the other customers the spoon trick. “I learned a hard lesson last October, and I’m not likely to forget it.”
Jack had achieved his stated goal. He and Alex were on speaking terms and Alex had accepted the DJ’s job for the wedding reception. Jack had also found a moment to apologize for trying to hit him when they’d first met, and Alex didn’t seem to hold a grudge about that. But Jack knew that Alex wouldn’t necessarily trust him to get involved with his sister.
That meant Jack’s other, more private goal was proving tough to accomplish. He wanted a chance to hold Josie before he drove home. Matter of fact, he wanted to do more than hold her. But he didn’t have an available spot to accomplish that, and besides, Alex couldn’t know about it.
He had decided to hang around and see if maybe Alex would go upstairs to bed before closing. As if Alex sensed that was Jack’s plan, he stuck like glue. Jack had to hand it to him, too. The guy had stamina.
Alex couldn’t dance country worth a lick, and he looked like a greenhorn in his jeans and Bulls T-shirt, but nevertheless he got out on the floor as if determined to learn the two-step. Plenty of women were willing to teach him. Jack saw a bright future for that boy when it came to the women of Shoshone.
As the magic hour of closing drew near, Jack meandered over to the bar where Josie was mixing the drinks for last call. “I was hoping your brother would give up and go to bed, but no such luck.”
Josie raised her eyebrows. “And why were you hoping that, Jack? Feeling reckless?”
“Feeling desperate. I’ve been watching you all night long, and other than a casual brush of bodies here and there, I haven’t had any contact to speak of.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “I’m used to ending this kind of evening in your bed.”
“Not going to happen.” She busied herself with the drinks.
“If I outwait your brother, there’s always your office.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Nope. I’m not going to take the risk that Alex will decide to come down and check on me.” She put three drinks on a tray and went back to mixing.
“But you wish we could get away with it. I can tell because you’re blushing.”
“It’s warm in here.” She moved efficiently, squirting mix into glasses from the nozzles attached to containers under the counter.
Jack imagined squirting the mix over her naked body and then licking it off. “With a little imagination, it could be hot in here. All we need is a little privacy. How come we never did it on the bar?”
“Because there’s no covering for the windows, in case you never noticed. With light from the streetlamps filtering in, someone might have seen us.”