Oh shit. I typed that. Now what do I say?
Me: Well, I need to get to bed. I have work all day tomorrow.
Cooke: I see you changed the subject. No matter. I’m sad too. Nighty night, fair Quinn. Stay away from those fecking arseholes.
I laugh and it feels good.
Me: For the record, they were all gentlemen. Naked gentlemen.
Cooke: Feck me. Stay away from ’em, love.
Me::) Sure.
I throw myself onto my bed and laugh again. I’ve never had so much fun messing with someone as I just did with Cooke Thompson.
Chapter Twenty
“How was your first time working on a game day?”
I look over at Patsy, who’s sitting in the lawn chair next to me. “Crazy. I was the barback. But I made it past the two-week trial period, so I’m officially a bartender at Cy’s.”
Patsy claps her hands and smiles. “Yay! Go, Quinn! Wait. What’s a barback?”
“Everyone’s bitch.” I laugh. “I basically restocked beer and everything else the bartenders needed to keep everything running smoothly.” The beer is stored in the basement, so I had to run up and down the stairs a million times. My legs are killing me today, among other things. “Next Saturday is going to be ten times worse.”
“Oh, right. It’s the Iowa versus Iowa State game.”
“Yep. And it’s in Iowa City this year, so everyone will be at Cy’s to watch the game. So, I’m going to enjoy Jack’s relaxing barbeque today, because this time next week? I’ll be broken.”
Pats giggles. “True. This backyard is so nice. We can just kick back and let the guys treat us like queens.”
I nod, then sip my beer. The neighbor guys are great. When we first arrived, I was introduced to Jack’s roommates, Aaron, Ron, and John. They all seem so nice. I haven’t worked up the courage to talk to any of them yet, but I’m working on my second beer, so maybe that will help. I look around the backyard and marvel at how well kept it is. There are even flowers planted all along the fenced-in yard, and outdoor lanterns hang from the one and only tree. It’s old and massive, so there’s no need for more than one.
“This yard…,” I say to Patsy.
“I know. Aaron is in the landscape architecture program. This is all his doing.”
“If he needs a project, maybe he could do this to ours.” The backyard of our house is much smaller than this one, so it’d be easier, right? “I could help.”
“You should ask him.” Patsy turns her head to lean in. “Actually, you should talk to Jack.”
“Jack?”
“Yeah, he keeps looking over here.”
I hadn’t been paying attention to Jack—or anyone for that matter. I look over toward the grill where Jack and Ron have been working. They’re grilling burgers and hot dogs, and they seem to take it very seriously. At that precise moment, Jack turns to face the crowd and yells, “Food!”
There are about fifteen people here for this thing, and ten of them are charging toward Jack and Ron.
“I guess they’re hungry.” Patsy giggles.
“I’d say.”
We wait until the crowd clears out to make our way over to the table. By the time we get there, everything is picked over. Now I see the reason for the stampede. But Jack must have been prepared, because he opens the grill and reveals a new batch ready to go. “Ladies.” He smirks. “Burger or dog?”
“Burger,” Pats and I say together. “Please,” I add.
He places a burger on each of our plates, then says, “Hang on,” and races back into the house. When he returns, he’s holding a large tray. Bowing, he says, “Milady.” I laugh as I see he’s got fresh everything: buns, condiments, cheese, chips, and coleslaw.
