But… I pushed him too far, too fast. The way I saw it, the ball was best left in his court. Little did I know, he’d rack it back up and walk off the court entirely.
Shit, should I be calling O’Reilly to do a wellness check on Gordy?
I nudge away the anxiety that rolls through me, and think if I’ve got anything else that needs to get done tonight. Coming up with nothing—I’m actually all caught up on everything, and it’s Sarah’s weekend with the girls—I tell Taryn I’ll be in to help him out. If anything, I might just be able to nose around the Ternbay grape-vine and see if anyone at all has heard from Gordy before I call in reinforcements.
Just as Taryn predicted, and much to my surprise, the pub is packed when I make my way behind the bar.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Taryn sighs, welcoming me in. “I amsograteful for the extra set of hands tonight. Morgan did say I could count on you to help out if I needed it, and she wasn’t wrong. I can’t rememberthe last time it’s been this busy, and that’sincludingthe fact that your dad and his gossip buddies aren’t here tonight…”
Well fuck, that makes me feel special. Someone sees me as dependable, at least. I’ll take it for the win that it is.
“You’re welcome. Did karaoke already start?” I ask, my brows knitting.
“No, man.” Taryn nods over to one of the tables as he furiously shakes a cocktail. “You ever hear of the Harnden twins?” he asks, then lowers his voice. “You know, the Siamese twins? They’rehere. Not only did they bring a crew, they’ve attractedmore.”
I follow his line of sight to a packed table near the corner. Facing away from the rest of the room, I see them. Of course I’ve heard of the guys who were born sharing a body, side-by-side. Everyone in Maine practically has, despite them trying to live a private life. Right now, I’m surprised to see them—well one of them, anyway—hamming it up for some selfies with other patrons.
“I think the proper term for them isconjoinedtwins,” I tell Taryn. “They’re Mainahs, bub, not Siamese. And quit gawking. It’s not polite.”
See? Look at me being all mature. I mentally preen, brushing my shoulders off.
Since moving out of Gordy’s and attempting to will my mind to stay off of him, I’ve actually done quite a bit of mature soul searching. Having seen the improvements I’ve made, Sarah and I came to an agreement to more evenly share custody of the girls. Steve-o and I have even met up a few times to make the hand-offs when Sarah’s working late, and he’s not half bad.
I know, I know. Trust me, I never expected to see him in a pair of grass-stained sneakers, nor to be bonding with him, while showing him how to fix the ole’ lawn mower either. Turns out, he doesn’t evenhavea cluehow to play chess, much less run an underground gaming ring featuring the boardgame. He does know how to perfectly season meat though, and I’ve taken to grilling, now that the snow has melted and mud-season has just about passed.
“There seems to be a bit of a lull,” Taryn notes after a bit, snapping me out of my irony. “I’m going to go get karaoke set up. Mind manning the bar solo for a sec?”
I nod. “Sure thing.”
He walks off as I continue wiping down glasses. Not long after I’ve mixed a few drinks for the regulars I used to shoot the shit with, back when I was a more frequent patron, I hear someone behind me grumbling, “No, Elliot, Ido notwant to get up in front of this crowd and sing. We have already drawn enough attention to ourselves for one night. People aren’t used to us here like they are back home.”
I spin to find the Harnden twins standing on the other side of the bar. One glowering at the other out of his periphery. The other simply smirks, directing his attention to me. He nods at the shelves of liquor behind me. “Whatcha got back there that’ll loosen Red up enough to sing with me?”
The grumbly twin rolls his eyes. “Againwith the Red Forman bullshit?”
The other ignores his brother, asking me, “You see it, don’t you? The resemblance? The way he’s about two seconds away from threatening to put a foot up my ass, even thoughwesharesaid ass?”
Red’s eyes narrow on me, reminding me of how Evan regards me when he’s sick of my bullshit. Actually, their whole dynamic is akin to mine and Evan’s. Goofy meets growly. This gives me an idea for a shot to get them started with…
“Any allergies? Aversions?” I ask them both.
They both shake their heads in unison. On that, I reach for the cinnamon whiskey first, finding it in its familiar home, since it was what I always used to go for. Remembering Gordy’s aversion to mint, it's no shocker that I have to hunt around a bit until I find some peppermint schnapps. I plunk two shot glasses down on the bar, and begin to pour.
The grump rolls his eyes when I slide the shots over to them. “Fire and ice? Really? How cliché…”
“Quinn, don’t be an asshole. I happen to think this gentleman made aperfectchoice,” the other quips.
“I’m Gannett,” I tell him. “As for a gentleman, I most certainly am not.”
The goofy one chuckles. “Something tells me you’re not an only child either. Consider yourself lucky you’re notwearingyour sibling. I’m Elliot, by the way. The asshole on my shoulder is Quinn.”
Just then, a younger dude, who looks suspiciously similar to the twins, wraps his arms around them both, and hops onto them piggy-back style. “You said something about wearing a sibling?” he snarks.
“Christ, Jakey-poo!” Elliot grunts. “Get the fuck off.Wrangler’sover there, if you need someone to climb like a fuckin’ tree!” he groans, gesturing back at their table.
“Yeah, but Leev’s in a mood. You know how he is when he’s overstimulated,” the new guy, I’m assumingJake, responds. He slides off their back, planting his feet on the floor with a chuckle.
“I’m with Levi,” Quinn grumbles. “Since all Shane is doing is convincing Elliot that he and I need to get up and sing some Savage Garden, maybe we should trade husbands for the evening…”
