Page 19 of The Bartender Special

“Good thing I came along, too,” she added. “Wouldn’t you believe it, but this one here got lost. Twice! If I didn’t know any better, I would think he’s never been here before.”

Jack shrugged.

Benny watched the two like it was a tennis match.

“Which you brought up several times during our walk,” he countered. “And, like I explained earlier, when I come to see Benny, it’s after the bar closes and I drive here.” He laughed. It was rich in bitch, if Benny had to guess. “Bartenders thrive at night. If you don’t believe me, ask Benny how well I can find my way when the lights are off.”

If he hadn’t already been feeling toasty warm, Benny was sure the sudden shock of heat would have imploded his system.

Carol’s eyes widened.

Jack continued, unperturbed.

“I do think it’s interesting that your morning run happened to go in this direction though and not take you from the cafe toward your house,” he said. “It’s almost like you wanted to…I don’t know, mind our business a little.”

Carol’s smile somehow sharpened.

Jack’s arguably softened.

For a moment, Benny was sure both had forgotten he was standing there—not smiling at all.

Then he was mentally backtracking, calculating the distance between the Main Street Café and him standing awkwardly in his dog jammies.

Had they really both walked all that way?

Together?

“Oh, look at you being funny.” Carol added in another trill of laughter. “Acting like my concern over a friend is a bad thing. I mean, have you seen some of the comments out there about our Benny? He needs his friends to stand by his side more than ever. There’s nothing wrong with that, surely.”

Not that they were asking for his input, but Benny mentally corrected her use of the term friend. To be a friend, they had to be friendly together, right? Other than the night before at the bar, he wasn’t even sure when Carol had last smiled at him, let alone with him.

Jack, at least, didn’t keep the chain of passive aggressive investigation going.

He started the wrap-up with a dropping smile.

“You’re right. There certainly isn’t.”

Whereas Jack’s smile had produced some heat in Benny, it losing its steam was the bucket of ice reminder he needed.

He was supposed to admit their lie, not indulge in whatever this new thing was.

Plus, if he leaned into the joke part, maybe Carol wouldn’t be too insufferable.

Benny cleared his throat. Finally, the pair on his doorstep remembered he existed. Both turned their sights on him.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that, Carol. About us, I mean. I think⁠—”

Jack, however, was faster than Benny’s rising confidence.

He pushed the door open wide and turned around so they stood side-by-side. Some kind of cologne—heavy and distracting—enveloped Benny as Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Benny had never lost the plot so fast in his life.

“We were going to wait a bit, but we’ll go ahead and officially accept your invitation now,” he said. “We'll be there with bells on.”

The image of a leash around his neck, with Jack holding the lead, nearly put Benny in an immediate coma.

Carol's eyebrow arced high.