I told him about growing up in Iowa, then he told me about growing up in a little town called Nass, about thirty-two minutes outside Dublin. He’d gotten a degree in theater at The Lir Academy, Ireland’s National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College.
“After college, I went to London to become an actor in the West End. That didn’t turn out quite as planned. Ended up taking a part-time job as a carpenter for a set designer. My father had been an actual carpenter, so I’d grown up helping him with woodworking projects. I moved up the ranks. I broadened my area of specialization from woodworking to theater rigging and special effects. Out of nowhere, I moved to New York.” He looked at me and smiled. “Be right back. Gotta go to the jacks.”
I smiled and nodded as he walked over to the restroom. Katherine scooted over to a stool next to mine. “How are things going? You two have been talking nonstop. I haven’t had a chance to say hello.”
“Things are going well,” I admitted. “He’s a great guy. More intelligent than most people would probably predict. He has that tough guy, macho exterior, but he’s a big melty marshmallow.”
“And you want to make a s’more out of him?”
“Katherine! I’m not sure what’s that supposed to mean, but…but get your head out of the gutter.” Katherine laughed. “What about you? How are things down at your end of the table?”
“I’m enjoying myself. I could have my pick of the litter.”
“Any specific puppy you want to take home with you?” I jested.
“Nah, I’m not in the mood to house train right now.”
I roared out a laugh.
“Need another drink?” Lachtna asked, coming up behind me.
“No, I’m fine. Thanks, though.”
And that’s pretty much how the rest of the evening went. Lachtna and I talked and laughed, and he drank, and he drank. I swear, I’ve never seen a man put away more alcohol in my entire life. I almost wondered if his body would be pickled by the night’s end. By midnight, I called an Uber.
Lachtna took time out of his drinking to walk me outside as I waited. The chill of the night hit me the second I stood outside.
“Brrr,” I said as my body physically shook.
Lachtna wrapped his muscled arms around me and pulled me in. Immediately, his body heat against my back warmed me, melting away any sense of cold. His hot breath on the back of my neck as he leaned his lips down and lightly kissed the back of me. My body shivered, but not because of the cold this time.
“I know a way to make ya warmer,” he whispered. “Come back to my place.”
A part of me was intrigued, but another part of me knew it was a bad idea. I spun around in his arms to face him.
“I won’t lie. Part of me would love to do that, but the adult part of me says it’s a work night, and no good could come from that.”
He stiffened as the words came out of my mouth. He pushed me away from his body. Not violently, just firmly, as he said, “Very well then. A guy can take a hint.” He spun around and went back inside, leaving me once again to the elements. I stood there, dumbfounded.What was that?I hadn’t really turned him down. Heck, if he had kissed my neck again, I might have gone with him.
I shivered as I pulled out my phone to see when the Uber would get there. Thankfully, the driver was a block away, so I didn’t feel the need to go back inside. I swear I could hear the clanking of my teeth in my head as I waited. The Uber pulled up, and I practically jumped inside to get out of the cold.
I wondered what I had done wrong the whole drive home but figured it was all the beer in his system. The Uber dropped me off, and I was in bed almost as soon as I hit the front door.
The following day, I slept through my alarm. I finally got up because Bootsy was kneading me, clearly telling me it was food time. When I rolled over, the clock read 8:00 a.m.
I flew out of bed and rushed through the shower. I made it out of the apartment in a record 35 minutes. I had enough time to stop and get a hot tea and a banana on the way to the theater. I didn’t feel the cold against my skin because I was in a hurry. I was even more in a hurry than a normal New York hurry, which is ‘get out of my way, I have someplace to be’ mode. If a tourist had gotten in my way that morning, I probably would have plowed right through them and not noticed.
I put my stuff down and made it to the stage right as San Nicolás entered the theater with his staff and the stage manager. They sat down at their table, and Serafina yelled, “Top of Act One. Places.”
I looked over from stage right and saw a new guy sitting behind the piano.Where’s Eugene?
“Oh, my!” Katherine exclaimed.
“What?”
“Do you know who that is?” Katherine squealed.
“Cut the theatrics and tell us,” Peeter said through a yawn.
