Page 96 of Books and Hookups

“Is your back hurting?” Dr. Dunne asked.

“A little. Off and on.”

“That’s a sign of labor. Read Chapter?—”

“Thirty-seven. I know. But I’m not due for another week. My back’s sore from supporting this bowling ball.” I patted my belly, and the baby kicked at my hand.

“A call to your doctor’s office wouldn’t be a bad idea,” she said.

“Yeah, okay.” But I knew I wouldn’t bother. Just like I hadn’t bothered to mention my backache at my appointment the day before yesterday. I had five more days to finish my manuscript.

Besides, there was someone else I needed to talk to.

34

Death and Love

The Lucie Poem

Add 1/2 ounce blue curaçao syrup to a hurricane glass filled with ice. Fill halfway with lemonade, and top with club soda. Stir. Garnish with a pick of fresh blueberries.

DANNY

My heart was lodged somewhere in my stomach when I found Barb in the tiny office off the hallway to the restrooms. She sat in front of the ancient computer, a web page about the Taj Mahal pulled up. I hated to ruin her mood, but I couldn’t put it off any longer. It was only a few weeks before she planned to leave on her world cruise. “Hey, Barb, can we talk?”

She turned her head to look at me. “Who died?”

I smoothed my tie. “Oh, um, nobody. I had some appointments at a few banks.”

“Yeah? You finally buying that place in the suburbs?”

“No. Not exactly. Mind if I sit down?”

She tipped her chin at the rickety chair I used whenever I worked on the books or ordered supplies. I sank into it and waited while she maneuvered her chair to face me.

“I can’t think of a good way to tell you, so I’m just going to say it. I can’t buy the bar.”

Her eyes widened, but I rushed on. “Leo’s dream kitchen came on the market, and I told him he should buy it. He’s finally going to start that catering business he’s always wanted.”

“Good for him!” She beamed.

“But that means I don’t have the cash to buy the bar. No one I know has that kind of money available, and every bank I talked to turned me down. It seems that a bartender who never went to college, who never took a business class, isn’t a good risk.”

Her smile dimmed. Then she nodded. “We’ll figure it out. I can finance you. Pay me what you can now as a down payment, and we can work out a schedule for the rest.”

The white dome on the screen was impossibly beautiful. And expensive looking. “World cruises don’t come cheap. And neither do the renovations I want to make to the bar. Plus, I’ll be supporting a kid soon. What would you do if I paid late or not at all one month? This is your retirement we’re talking about. It wouldn’t feel right if you took that risk. Besides, you have another buyer.”

She sighed. “Tad wants to turn this place into a hipster hangout. Our regulars can’t afford thirty-dollar martinis with caviar-stuffed olives. They want a beer and a burger in a place they can bring their kids.”

“Maybe Tad’s right. Maybe the smarter business decision is to fancy up the place. Find a new clientele.” She tried to interrupt me, but I plowed on. “Regardless, you should let him buy it. Because I…I can’t.”

My throat clogged, and pressure built behind my eyelids. I was letting everyone down—Barb, Norm, Nico, and all our regulars. All the folks from the neighborhood who came here for a drink they could pronounce and food that was more filling than fancy. Lucie would hate having her nemesis own the bar she loved. Every time she came home, she’d have to look at Tad’s smug face as she passed the door to a bar she used to love but now couldn’t afford.

But most of all, I was letting down myself.

I loved working at Barb’s, but there was no way I could work for Tad, even if he’d let someone like me in the door. And if I quit my job at the bar, I’d have to move out of my apartment. Taking care of our baby would be more complicated if I didn’t live downstairs from her. But what else could I do? I couldn’t force Leo to give up his dream for the sake of mine, and I couldn’t ask Barb to give up her dream either.

She patted my hand. “It’ll be okay. Let’s give it a week. Maybe a solution will come to us by then.”

---