Page 28 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

“It happened a long time ago,” I add as her face fills with sympathy. “Don’t sweat it.”

It takes a moment for the pain to leave her eyes. When it does, she nods and takes a sip from her drink. “What’s your dad do?” she asks.

“I told you. He writes code for some software company.”

“Why did he need a decorator? My mother said he was a client of hers. She’s an interior designer. So, why did he need a decorator?”

I think a moment. “His company just moved offices,” I consider. “Maybe they hired her to spruce the place up. I don’t know. Ask him.”

Tish stares at me again, her pretty blue eyes soft with more questions. “What did you and your father say when we left the room earlier?” she asks.

I shrug. “He asked what I thought. I told him it wasn’t any of my business what he does.”

Tish cracks a smile. “Damn.”

“What?”

“It’s just… your relationship with your dad seems way different from mine with my mother.”

“We weren’t always like this,” I say, staring at the table between us. “Some families just aren’t meant to stay together forever.”

She lets that sit for a second, then her head tilts slightly. “What do you think?” she asks. “About the wedding, I mean.”

I pause, letting my answer pass through a filter or two before reaching my throat. “I think it really fucking sucks,” I answer.

“Yeah.” Tish nods. “So do I.”

A silence drifts between us, broken only by the various sounds throughout the bar. Other people laughing. The old jukebox. The crash of billiard balls slamming against each other.

As I reach for my glass, Tish snatches her off the table, too. She tosses the rest of her drink back in a single gulp and slams the empty glass back on the table.

“You’re right,” she says. “This really fucking sucks.”

“Yeah, it does,” I say.

“And yeah!” Her voice rises suddenly. “It’stheirfault!”

I pound the table once with my fist. “That’s right!”

“A little warning would have been nice.”

“Very nice.”

“I mean, if I had known we’d only have one night, I’d have...”

Her mouth closes fast, and she sits back in her chair.

“You would have what?” I ask, desperate to hear the rest of it.

She hesitates, a touch of blush filling her cheeks. “Nothing,” she says.

I smile. “If I had known we only had one night,” I say, “I would have done a whole lot more.”

A roar of laughter across the bar makes Tish flinch. She shakes it off, then her eyes drift back to me. “Me, too,” she says, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“Well, yeah. I mean…” She shrugs noncommittally. “If you know you’re only going to be at the Kiss County Fair for a single night, you’re gonna make an effort to go on all the rides, right?”

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