“Reggie.” The woman focused on my name tag. “Is that how you pronounce it?”
“Ah. No. It’sReggae.Like the music.” Bob Marley was among the countless new musicians I’d enjoyed. I found it was an easy way to explain my name.
She tilted her head and looked up beneath heavy lashes. Customers were easy. Be nice and they were too, mostly. And everyone was so clean. I still couldn’t get over how clean everyone was. Easy access to soap and water and they used it all the time. Signs in restrooms to remind one to wash their hands.Little bottles of clear liquid that sanitized after that. Who’d have thought it?
Chase lingered at the other end of the bar, so I focused my attention on the customer.
“Welcome to the San Marco. What can I get you, Miss?” I’d seen the yellow diamond on her left hand, but I knew women of a certain age hated the honorific of ma’am. Miss was polite and made them feel young. Accuracy had no place in modern language—or the bar trade.
“A pinot grigio will make my day. And maybe your phone number.” She winked.
I ducked my head. The unabashed flirting was another aspect I was still getting used to. I uncorked the wine and poured.
“Alas, I’m afraid I can only provide one of the items tomake your day, as you say. But it is a good pinot.”
I softened the rejection with another smile. A sliver of the old me came forth. Theo had taught me well the arts of charm and seduction. It was all part of the con game in the old days.
She was well-dressed, not too flashy, yet her watch was not the fancy designer model, so not too rich. The brazen rich were too distracted and elitist to make decent tippers, but she was well off yet conscientious enough to tip well. Years of sizing up marks came second nature to me, so assessing every customer was instinctual.
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“I am most flattered.” I felt another smile twitching. My cheeks will ache by end of day.
She squinted at me and laughed. “Why are all the good ones taken?”
Chase finally sidled up next to me. “Hey there, welcome to the San Marco,” he said. “I see Regge has you set up with a wine. Can I run you a tab?”
Her gaze slid over to the dark-haired Chase. “Thank you, but it will be the one.” She handed him her card.
When she finished her wine and left, he turned to me. “Sorry if I interrupted something there.”
“No. Only a gentle letdown.”
Chase’s brow furrowed. “Don’t be picking up the customers. The boss will can you faster than you can say Harvey Wallbanger.”
I had no idea who this Harvey was. Someone to do with labor laws, perhaps? These Americans were strange blokes. Nevertheless, I returned his smile.
“It was the other way around. And besides, she wasn’t my type.” I used the modern term I’d picked up.
“Right. Too mature? Blond?”
My lips twitched. “Female.” I walked away before Chase could see my flushed face. Modern folk declared their sexuality so easily, but it was quite unnerving for me. Still, adaptability was key to survival. And I was a survivor.
On the way home, I held my phone, my thumb poised over Hunter’s number. I wanted to tell someone. My first time publicly declaring that I was gay—another nomenclature I felt strange using.
Bruce Hunter had been my guide to all things modern. Everything from video games to public transportation to the intricacies of finding companionship. As a bisexual man, he’d introduced me to the modern version of pairing up. Skipping the phone apps, we’d opted for the clubs. At least until I’d cocked things up.
I still saw Hunter, of course. The gang would often get together at Pinkie’s. But the connection we’d once had was gone. And that was entirely my fault.
Walking up to my apartment, my steps slowed to a trudge. I had three days off and no idea what to do with them.Theo and Izzy were in New York more often than not. Abraham had the gatekeeper, creatures, and a bar to deal with. And Hunter was… out of the question. I needed new friends. Or more friends.
Letting out a sigh, I unlocked my apartment and crossed to open a narrow window. Archie arrived as usual—in his crow form.
“Good eve, Archie. How fare thee this day?”
The bird let out a squawk.
“Yes. I still have the tuna you prefer. Though I must say, you’re getting quite spoiled in this time. Remember when you had to chase down a fat mouse for dinner?”
