Page 23 of Love Her

Taking a few steps back to where I left my basket, I bend over and pick it up. Rising, I pivot and catch a certain blonde beauty staring my way. I guess I’m not the only one not ready to say goodbye. She blushes and scurries away.

When I exited my apartment tonight, I knew it was going to be a crazy night. Not the kind of crazy like getting punched in the face but crazy, nonetheless. When I walked in the back door, I could hear a roar of cheers and wondered what kind of mess would greet me. Two bachelor parties and a twenty-first birthday for a set of twins. One would expect the twins and their friends to be the rowdy ones but it’s the bachelors.

It’s always the bachelors. More than a little competitive with their pool games, they’ve added pounding beers to the bets. Joey has already been over to give them a warning to slow it down. Each group seems to have a leader who is somewhat sober which helps. It is also helpful that they chose this weekend for their parties and not next when we have live music. I cannot imagine the level they’d take that to.

“Hey, Cammie,” I greet the cocktail waitress as she squeezes her way past a couple cuddled up at the bar. “How’re the birthday girls?”

“They are the perfect level of tipsy. I convinced them to have water the last few times I’ve been by and now they’re dancing. I’m sure they’ll still feel like shit tomorrow but at least they won’t puke on the way home.”

“Nothing is worse than needing a cab to pull over to toss your cookies.”

Cammie loads up her tray with the drinks as quickly as I make them. When she scurries away, I move down to the far end of the bar and greet a line of new customers. It’s like this the rest of the night and before I know it, I’m signaling last call and the lights brighten. Both bachelors along with their crews are long gone but the birthday girls are still here, crowns tossed aside, and makeup smeared; they look like they’ve had a good celebration.

Joey begins ushering everyone out the door, the party girls still laughing and dancing as they go. Like we do most nights that we close together, Joey cranks the music to modern country and starts moving the chairs to the top of the tables Cammie has started cleaning. With her hair now piled haphazardly on her head, she begins singing along with the music. We don’t fill the space with conversation, all of us talked out after a long night with customers.

While I clean behind the bar, my thoughts drift to the surprise encounter today. Any fool can look at Lis and see how beautiful she is but for me it’s more about the different versions of her that has my interest piqued. The flirty woman with painted red lips at Doris’s Tavern compared to the soft spoken receptionist are both sides of her I like. But, surprising me most was how I can’t stop thinking of the way she was with her daughter. The vulnerability she showed today when she talked of her.

Watching her amused and a little horrified at the bar scene to how touched she was at my appreciation of her daughter’s name made me want to spend more time with her. To understand why she was so affected by my words.

I’ve never dated a single mom. Hell, it isn’t even something I’ve considered. That’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of extra drama I’ve never thought was worth getting involved with. Watching them together didn’t have me looking for the nearest exit, but instead, I wanted to see how things played out. Watch them banter back and forth.

Is there a fourth side to her? Just the idea that there may be has me wondering what she’d say if I asked her out.

There’s only one way to find out.

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