We sit at the bar. The stools must have been here from the sixties with the way they’re held together by duct tape and a prayer over the ass that’s going to be sitting on them.
“Shots?” Lincoln turns to me and asks, placing his elbows on the sticky bar top.
“Tequila?”
Lincoln holds his fingers up and the bartender, who might have very well worked here in the sixties, slowly approaches us.
“What will it be, Linc?”
He’s a fucking regular here?
“Four shots of Patron Silver chilled, please.”
“Oh, don’t act like you have any fucking manners,” she says, grinning at him and going to pour our shots.
“You come here regularly?”
He shrugs his shoulders as a woman takes the stage and sings her rendition of Toes by Zac Brown Band.
“It’s close to the building. The drinks are cheap.”
“They have karaoke,” I say in astonishment.
“Get enough drinks in me and maybe I’ll sing too.”
I blink at him as the elderly bartender puts our shot glasses on the counter.
“Your majesty, I hope they are chilled to your liking.”
“Thanks Gladys.”
I’m too stunned to speak as she turns to me, her hair is likely white, but it’s colored bright pink. Her eyeliner is heavy on her waterline and her skin has clearly taken a heavy beating against the Florida sun.
She looks me up and down. “Who’s the blondie?”
“This is Penny,” he says, grabbing his shot glass and urging me to grab mine.
“You’re too good to be hanging around the likes of this one,” she says, pointing a finger at Lincoln, who laughs and tosses back his shot. I do the same.
“Do you have a whole separate life I don’t know about?” I ask Lincoln. Something about the words bothers him as he takes the two additional shots he ordered back to back.
“Keep them coming Gladys.”
“Remember, I don’t take tips in the form of sexual favors,” she says, and a laugh slips out of me.
Lincoln smiles as we both glance over at the woman on stage singing. Thankfully, she’s actually pretty decent.
“Have you gone up and performed before?”
“A few times.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Lincoln Carlson?”
He shakes his head. “It’s my place, so just be grateful I brought you here,” he says sharply.
I fake zipping my lips as Gladys puts more shots in front of us.
“I do have to work tomorrow, you know.”
