Page 140 of Callahan

“I’m not sure? I guess I’m counting on just knowing. I assume things will feel easy.”

(Spoiler alert: “Easy” was not the case for my big bro when it came to true love. Far from it.)

“How do you know Lainey’s the one?”

I gave him a fake smile as I repeatedly blinked so he knew I wasn’t falling for his poor attempt at psychological trickery.

“I never said she was.”

~~~~

Alan and I went to Hannigan’s right after I got off work. I think my brother was actually trying to be nice and not give me a lot of downtime to think about Lainey’s upcoming date.

I hadn’t been to the bar/restaurant before, but it was a lot like Flannigan’s in Lancastle. Even the layout was similar, with the bar at the back of a large, open area with high ceilings, and side areas with lower ceiling for what I assumed to be people who wanted a quieter experience.

The biggest difference was instead of everyone knowing Alan’s name, everyone knew mine.

It was kind of creepy. Like I was a celebrity, but I hadn’t done anything to make me famous.

“You sure you’ve never been here before?” Alan said with a smirk as we sat down at a high top in the center of the bar area.

“Welcome to Small Town, USA.”

“Damn, and I thought Lancastle was small.”

“I said the same thing!”

“I’m sure being a cop has made you really visible in the community, too.”

“I’m sure that’s it.”

“And,” he formed a devious grin, “you’re having a scandalous affair with the single mom from the bakery.”

I glanced around to see if anyone had overheard, then hissed, “You can’t say things like that in public!”

“See? You’ve already got this small-town thing figured out.”

We ordered and the bartender was willing to switch one of the TVs to a Red Sox game, so we drank a draft beer while we waited for our food and watched some baseball.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” I murmured as our server set the tray containing our food down on a stand next to the table. “It has helped keep my mind off things.”

The college-age girl set my burger and fries down first, then retrieved Alan’s pasta dish.

After we told her we were good for the moment, my brother stole a fry from my plate, then confessed, “I kind of thought maybe they’d come here. There aren’t many places in town to go out to dinner.”

“You asshole.”

“I’m sorry! I just really want to see you throw her over your shoulder and walk out like a boss.”

“God, it’s like you don’t know me at all. First of all, the thought of making a scene makes me queasy, but if I were to do such a thing, I’d bridal carry her out like inAn Officer and a Gentleman.”

“How have you seen that movie? It came out before either of us was even born.”

“Some girls in my dorm used to have romantic movie marathons, and I wasn’t about to turn down an invitation. Any guy who showed up was practically guaranteed to get laid. But the girls were smart—it was invite-only.”

“Okay, that makes sense. I’ll allow it. Anyway, back to your grand gesture.”

Before I could argue I wasn’t going to be making any grand gestures, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

---