Page 82 of The Barkeep and the Bro

Yet through it all, my gaze returned to Charlie again and again. He played the part of social bartender, just as he did at Stone’s Throw, but he never met my eyes. I had Russ get me another beer because I felt awkward going up myself. Even after our dance together where time seemed to stop.

Why did I let myself get unglued by this guy? This was why I stayed far away from relationships. They defied all sense of logic.

The wedding flew by. For the last song, the band played “Don’t Stop Believing.” By that point, most of my friends and other adults had left. Ellie and her friends stayed till the end, belting out every word at the top of their lungs. I got swept up in it and joined them for the final refrain.

The old man still had it.

The night wasn’t over for Ellie and her friends. They made plans to go to a nearby bar for more celebrating. Tim’s shirt was half unbuttoned, and he wore his tie around his head. He wasn’t as uptight as suspected.

“Charlie, you coming to the afterparty?” she asked.

He looked at me as if for permission. His brown eyes pleaded for direction.

“I should hang back here and help clean–”

“You should go. You’ve worked hard tonight. Enjoy the rest of the night.”

“Oh. Cool. Are you sure?” His eyes squinted for clarification. He didn’t want to be seen as a bad employee.

“I can handle the rest. Go,” I said firmly.

My heart sank as he joined Ellie’s group. That was where he belonged. With twentysomethings looking to party, not a fortysomething who wanted to lay down. I shouldn’t have let my heart get involved in a romp with a guy who just wanted fun.

“Have fun,” I said to Ellie. “Don’t stay out too late.”

Charlie probably had had too much gay shit happen today, and he’d probably be on the prowl for a girl. It was best not to think about what he’d do, even though a spike of jealousy surged through me.

“What are you still doing here? You joining them for the afterparty?” Natasha asked me once the final guests left.

I snorted a laugh. “Oh, yeah. Party til the break of dawn.”

“I think you have a wild side, Mitch.”

Heat crept up my neck. Apparently, thanks to Charlie, I did.

“I can help clean up,” I said.

“Negative. You are a guest tonight. My team and I have it.”

“What about the bar?”

“Charlie got things in order before he left. He’d never leave us in the lurch,” she said.

I smiled weakly. He was a wonderful guy.

“Go back to your room, watch some TV, and get some sleep.” Natasha proved her bonafides. I was lucky to have her on my team.

“Thanks for everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what the money is for.” Ever since she bingedMad Mena year ago, that had become her go-to line. But I would always thank her. Good people were hard to find. “Also, what’s the deal with you and Charlie?”

“There is no deal. I needed a dance buddy.”

A dance buddy? That was officially the worst term and would here on in be banished from my vocabulary.

“Okay, then.” Natasha nodded along with skepticism flashing across her face. “Well, the wedding is over, so all guests need to leave.”

She raised her eyebrow. That included me.

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