Page 114 of The Bartender Special

Benny’d been getting it since the day before on the car ride back to his house.

Sans pants.

Benny nodded now.

“It proves you’re a whole someone and reminds them that you exist outside of this place. That hanging out here with you and Dixon and Santana does in fact add to their lives. It also shows them that you listen to them. That you’re willing to make a little bit of a fool of yourself to include them in your world. Being a grouch in glitter beats being a guppy behind the bar who's just waiting for his shift to end like Thomas Bleuth.”

Jack didn’t look as convinced as Benny felt.

For the first time since knowing the man, Jack actually seemed a bit nervous.

Benny wasn’t a fan of that, he decided.

“Why do you like Cassidy’s Place?” he asked, letting go of the man but not lengthening the distance between them.

That seemed to pull some of his worry.

“What’d you mean?”

Benny glanced at the clock on the wall.

They didn’t have much time for a heart-to-heart, so he cut to the chase.

“You told me, a few different times, that some people don’t understand why you love this place so much. That they don’t understand Cassidy’s is your dream. But I want you to tell me what it is about this place that you actually like.”

Jack looked taken aback.

Benny understood the problem.

He’d asked an incredibly broad, and yet extremely specific, question.

He tried to lead by example.

“For example, I like event planning because I just really like special days. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and even work events—I like helping people make that one day they circled on the calendar be as special as it can be.” Benny shrugged. “Because, no matter who you are, the truth is that there will always be more hard days than special ones in a life. So, when it’s actually time to shine? Well, I like helping people do that. That’s my dream. I like being a tiny spotlight for special days. So, why is Cassidy’s Place your dream?”

Jack opened his mouth.

Then he closed it.

He opened it again after a moment.

The sparkles on his cheeks caught the reflection of the overhead lights above them.

“I like the noises.”

Benny, an over sharer by default, waited for the rest.

Jack didn’t give it.

Benny had to prod.

“You like the noises?”

Jack nodded. His wig shifted slightly.

“The glasses clinking, the chairs scraping, the people talking,” he answered. “Before I came to Arbor Bay, I was by myself a lot because my parents were always out of town working and I didn’t get on with the kids at school. So I got used to the quiet. Then, I came to Cassidy’s one day with Dixon to help my uncle move some stuff. I liked the sounds. That’s why I like it here. And why I want to make sure it never goes quiet.”

Benny blinked a few times.