dangle

chapter 1 - just the tip

I should have been out on a date. My first date in nearly two years. I should have been at a nice chain restaurant enjoying the company of another adult, eating a meal that someone else prepared— while it was still warm.

Instead, I was spending yet another Thursday waiting on regulars and drunken idiots. Many were both.

I guess this was my true calling in life.

"Thanks again for coming in on such short notice," said Lennox, grabbing a knife from the utensil drawer. His tattooed forearms flexed as he skillfully cut a handful of lemons and limes into wedges for drink garnishes.

"No problem. My plans changed anyway." I looked down, stirring the ice cubes in my festive Sprite cocktail. Lennox had thrown in a dash of grenadine and a pink umbrella on top to cheer me up. He probably knew I'd been stood up, but he was polite enough not to mention it.

Lennox heaved a sigh of frustration. "I can't believe Shayla no-showed for the third time."

He tossed the citrus quarters into the garnish holder on the bar, then straightened the straws and wiped down the black laminate counter, scrubbing at an invisible mark with a frown. Squinting, he leaned closer to inspect the surface, unruly dark hair falling in his face. He reached under the bar for a spray bottle and loaded on the cleaning solution, scrubbing it again.

Lennox was fastidious about his bar, which was a little funny considering On Tap's clientele was firmly in the quantity over quality camp when it came to booze. Let's just say no one was showing up with a blacklight to inspect things any time soon, and thank tequila for that.

"I don't know," I said carefully. "I'm not overly surprised."

Shayla had been one of those nice-to-your-face types with a not-so-nice alter ego. She made passive aggressive digs at me, like how it was 'nice that I still felt confident in tank tops' after having had a baby. Twice, I caught her lying at tip-out time in order to take more home than her fair share.

But Lennox was a hopeless optimist who always wanted to see the best in people. In order words, the exact opposite of me. And in Shayla's case, I suspected he'd had a crush on her, though he never admitted it. Either way, Lennox deserved better and I was glad she was gone, as temporarily inconvenient was it was.

In the background, a country singer wailed, reminding me that I was going die alone like the guy in the lyrics. It was the third time in a row this song had played on the jukebox and it had grown more and more depressing with each rendition. I was about to go find Charlie, one of the bar's regulars who liked to play DJ, and pry the quarters from his hairy hand myself.

"Now I have to set up interviews next week," he sighed. "It's going to mess with my childcare."

I drained the last of my drink. "I can always take McKenna. Jackson loves playing with bigger kids."