Page 15 of OctoBEARfest

"Right. I'll be over there." Gwen pointed at an empty booth, then swiveled on her heel and went the other way. "As soon as I get my guitar…"

CHAPTER 10

Gwen sauntered away, all black leather, blue jeans, and attitude, and Bill admired that she could have that much attitude while holding a glass of ginger ale. As soon as she was out of earshot, Jon said, "So wh—" and Bill turned to grab his brother's upper arm.

"She's mymate!"

Watching Jon's jaw drop was worth having messed up the music booking for the weekend. His eyes rounded and he cranked his head around to watch Gwen disappear into the back hall, then returned to gaping at Bill. "She? Isyourmate? Oh my God! Why didn't you tell the family chat?" His voice rose until he squeaked.

Bill nearly clapped his hand over Jon's mouth. "Shh! She doesn't know yet, obviously! And I've been with her every minute since we met, so I haven't had time to tell anybody! And yes!Sheismymate! You don't have to sound so surprised!"

"Well, dude, I mean, like…" Jon apparently didn't have much more of an argument than that, although he rallied after a minute. "She's just kind of edgy for a guy like you, isn't she? You're kind of a stay-at-home business owner type, and she's…"His gaze went after her again, although Gwen was nowhere in sight. "A rock star?"

"Maybe I need a little edgy in my life," Bill muttered. "I know she's my mate, Jon. Ifeltit."

"So you didn't screw up."

"What?"

Jon shrugged, shaking Bill's hand off his arm. "If she's your mate, then there's no way you screwed up the booking, that's all I'm saying. You might not have booked the person you meant to, but you definitely didn't book thewrongperson. Not if fate was involved."

Bill felt his own jaw drop as his bear, placidly, said,See? Nothing's wrong.Aloud, he managed to say, "Uh," and his brother gave him the crooked smile he was well-known for.

"Congratulations, man. I'm happy for you. When are you going to tell her?"

"Oh, God." Bill sat on a bar stool and dragged his hands down his face. "I have no idea. I have no idea how to. And I don't want to add that on top of trying to find a crowd for a rock band instead of a jazz quartet. I haven't looked at the numbers," he added grimly into his palms. "How many tickets have been canceled?"

"About twenty percent so far. The free beer to offset the disappointment was a good promotional idea."

"It was Gwen's," Bill said, still into his hands, and Jon laughed.

"Really? She's sharp as well as hot, then, huh? That's great. Honestly, bro." He socked Bill's shoulder lightly, then did it again until Bill looked up at him. "Tell Mom and Dad. They'll unclench."

"I don't know. There's a lot of other stuff I need to catch them up on."

"Well, then, let me make a sage suggestion: catch them up on all of it,thentell them you found your mate. It'll make them forget anything else short of the pub actually burning down." Jon made a show of looking around. "Which it's not doing. So it'll all be good, bro. Don't worry so much. You always did worry too much."

"Somebody's got to."

"Do they?" Jon punched his shoulder again and got him a beer that Bill gazed into longingly.

"Gwen's doing a drop-in gig at the Harlequin tonight. I'm supposed to go over with her, so I shouldn't drink."

"Let her drive," Jon suggested. "She just got a ginger ale, so she's obviously not drinking herself, and then you'll be stuck with one car all night. Like only one bed, except with wheels."

"Jon…" Bill lifted the beer, which was one of their most popular, the Thunder Blunder Crystal Malt, and stared through the golden bubbles at his brother's glass-distorted figure. "The 'only one bed' thing is a forced proximity for sexy times trope, and I amnothooking up with Gwen in a car. I was too tall for that by the time I was seventeen, and I'm bigger all over than I was then."

Jon held up his hands. "I donotneed to hear how big you are, all over or anywhere else."

"Oh my God, Jon! You're thirty years old! You don't have to be this juvenile!" Bill put the beer down to glare at his brother. The beer slopped over his hand, and he muttered, first licking it off because he was a man of great dignity, then, grumpily, drying his hand, the glass, and the counter with a napkin before draining most of the beer in one go. It reallywasa good beer, he thought irritably, then shook his head, not even sure why he'd gotten grumpy. Because everything was all too much, he guessed.

Everything is too much,his bear agreed.Don't do everything. Just be with our mate.

I wish it was that easy,Bill said.

Why isn't it?

He sighed.Because it just isn't, when you're human.

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