He looked up to see Kate walking past Brad, who reached out a hand and caught her on the rear end before she had time to swerve. She spilled some beer on him, and he laughed.
Jake put down his cue.
“Back in a minute,” he told Ben and walked over to Brad.
He put one hand on the back of Brad’s chair and the other on the table in front of him and leaned over.
Brad looked up.
“Hey, Jake,” he said happily.
“Don’t touch Kate,” Jake said.
Brad looked up, and his smile faded.
“If you get my drift,” Jake added gently.
“Got it.” Brad nodded. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem.” Jake patted him on the back and ambled back to the pool table. Ben rested on his cue and grinned at him.
“It was a lot easier when we could just brand ‘em,” Ben said. “Then everybody’d know not to mess with our womenfolk.”
“Shut up and play pool.” Jake picked up his cue.
“I never thought I’d see you lay claim to a woman,” Ben needled him. “Right in front of the whole bar and everything.”
“I just don’t think she should have to put up with that.” Jake glared at him, annoyed. “Are you going to play pool or not?”
“I’m going to play pool.” Ben chalked his cue. “Funny it never bothered you when Thelma and Sally had to put up with that.”
“Thelma and Sally can take care of themselves.”
“And Kate can’t?” Ben laughed. “Kate could take care of all of us. If we put her in uniform, we wouldn’t need the marines.”
“ Nancy can take care of herself, too. What would you do if Brad went after her?”
“The same thing that you did, buddy,” Ben said. “Which is my point, exactly.”
Jake stood still for a second and then thought, Yeah, right. I’m not sure how I feel about her. Oh, hell.
He moved around the table. “Hit the ball,” he said to Ben. “Try to actually get one in a pocket this time.”
Above all, Kate served beer. Long-necked bottles, mugs, glasses. She felt like Mickey Mouse in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” After a while, she leaned against the bar and saw beer bottles marching toward her, sloshing foam over her feet. The world was made of liquid.
“Kate!”
She shook herself awake and turned to Nancy.
“Take a break,” Nancy said. “It’s ten. We’re slowing down.”
“How can you tell?” Kate asked. The bar was still packed with people, the noise was still as loud.
“Because we’re talking to each other instead of slinging drinks. You want to go sit down for a while?”
“No.” Kate looked back at the table she’d just served. “Watch the guy in the blue T-shirt. I think he’s had enough.”
“Right.” Nancy nodded. “I’m going to hate it when you go. You’re getting almost as good at this as I am.”
When she went. She kept trying to avoid that thought and it kept hitting her in the face.
“Hey, Nancy, two more over here,” Early called.
Nancy turned to make the drinks and saw the expression on Kate’s face. “You are going, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Kate said numbly.
“Just checking. I thought you might have changed your mind, with Jake and everything.” Nancy shoved the tray over the bar. “These go over to Early and Ross at the far pool table.”
“I see them.” Kate picked up the tray and then stopped. “I can’t give up my whole life after one night,” she said to Nancy. “That would be stupid. He’s never said he loved me, and how could he? We’ve only known each other a week. Less than a week.”
“I know,” Nancy said. “But I don’t want you to stay just for Jake. I want you to stay for me.” She leaned on the bar. “I’ve got a lot of friends here, people I grew up with, but you and I…talk. About the bar and other things. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too,” Kate said with tears in her voice. “I’d better get these to Early.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you, honey.” Nancy patted her hand. “We’ve got more than a week before you leave. Let’s just enjoy that. Here, take a couple of beers to Ben and Jake, too. They’re due.”
Kate took the tray back to the corner of the bar, handing Ross his whiskey and Early his gin. “Thank you, Kate,” Ross said. “Mighty kind of you, Kate,” Early said.
“My pleasure, boys,” she said and smiled because it really was. There was something about being in a place where you knew everybody and everybody knew you. Like home.
She took the beers to Jake and Ben.
“Pat his butt again,” Ben told her as he watched Jake sink a ball. “I almost won a game when you did that.”
“If you only almost won, what good will it do?” Kate asked.
“Well, do something else, then,” Ben grumbled.
“Hell, we’re paying you minimum wage. Earn your keep.”
Kate put down the tray as Jake came around the table to take his next shot. “Come here, big boy.” She hooked her fingers in the waistband of his jeans and pulled him toward her. Then she kissed him full on the mouth and heard someone whoop behind her.
She’d expected him to pull away, but he leaned into her, bending her back onto the pool table as he slipped his tongue in her mouth. Her hat fell off. He took his time about finishing the kiss so she broke it off, and when she pulled her mouth away, he kept her pinned to the table and said, “Did I ever tell you my fantasy about pool tables?”
“No!” She slipped out from under him, red-faced.
He clapped her hat back on her head.
“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” he said, grinning at her, and turned back to the table.
Ben was shaking his head at him.
“We were going to put up a big sign that said Jake Templeton Finally Got Laid, but now we won’t have to.”
“What’s this ‘finally’ stuff?” Jake looked insulted. “I wasn’t desperate.” He studied the table and found his shot. Then he lined up his cue and remembered Kate bent under him in the same position. If he hadn’t had a fantasy about pool tables before, he had one now.
He miscued.
“One more great athlete destroyed by sex,” Ben said and began to run the table.
“Very nice,” Nancy said when Kate got back to the bar. “I don’t know what got into me.” Kate pulled her hat low over her eyes.
“On a guess, Jake.”
“Very funny.”
“You sure you’re going to leave?” Nancy asked. “It seems like you were always here.”
“I’m sure,” Kate said. “I need to work and there’s nothing for me to do here. And besides, I don’t think Jake’s interested in anything permanent. The whole idea of me staying is just impossible.”
There was a loud cheer from the back of the bar. “Kate, I love you,” Ben called out to her.
“That’s twice Ben’s won in a week,” Nancy said. “If that can happen, anything can happen.”
The four of them closed the bar at midnight and walked out to the parking lot behind the bar.
“I can’t believe I beat you,” Ben said, savoring his victory. “Twice in one week.”
“I was distracted.” Jake put his arm around Kate to pull her close. “You’d better give her a raise.”
“Women,” Ben said. “You gotta love ‘em.” He moved behind Nancy and put his arms around her.
She closed her eyes and leaned back against him, smiling. “Twenty years. And you still turn me on like crazy.”
“If we’re in your way, just say so,” Jake said. “Otherwise we’ll stay and watch.”
“Good idea,” Ben said. “Maybe you’ll learn something.”
“Not if you make love like you play pool.”
“Hey, I won.”
“Come on.” Kate tugged on Jake’s arm. “I’m tired, and I’m covered with beer, and Nancy ’s getting all the action.”
She pulled him toward the car.
“Your problem is you’re not aggressive enough,” Jake told her. “A man likes a woman who will show a little interest. You keep playing hard to get and you never will get-”
“Get in the car,” Kate said. “I’ll show you aggressive.”