Ty breaks into a crooked, snaggletooth smile as soon as we are under the awning. It is a smile that could easily turn into a deal, if we were the kind of people who were here to make a deal. It is a smile that says he is offering more than just entry into his bar, if we happened to be looking for more.
We aren’t looking for more. I hope he doesn’t try offering any of the drugs or girls or gambling that he thinks he is kingpinning to Will. That would make for a very rough evening. Will doesn’t appreciate that kind of stuff at all.
“Evening, gentlemen,” Ty drawls with a slippery Southern accent.
I pull a twenty out of my pocket and hand it to him. He glances down with a slight scowl of disappointment. Apparently he was looking for more.
“Well, okay, go right in,” he smiles, gesturing toward the door. Lights pulse from behind the darkened glass.
Before Will can really get a bead on that guy, I shepherd him toward the door. Once we’re safely inside, he gives me a sideways look and scowl to let me know that it’s too late. He figured out what kind of lowlife Ty is.
“Nice place you brought me to,” he mutters sarcastically. “You come here often? You got some kind of secret life I don’t know about?”
Peering through the darkness and inconvenient strobe lights, I locate a table and nudge Will toward it.
“Just sit down,” I suggest tensely. “Think of it as dinner and a show, okay? I’m just hungry. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s get some beers and try to have a good time.”
When I finally get him settled, I watch him look around the room out of the corner of my eye. He will find a way to have a good time, I know it. All I need to do is get him to relax a little bit and we can maybe live in the moment for once.
“Well, hello, boys,” the woman says, wiping down the middle tabletop with a bar rag and flipping out a napkin and pen to take our order. “Can I get you something to drink? You thirsty?”
“Couple of shots of Patron,” I answer right away. “And a couple of Budweisers… Basket of poppers and fried pickles… Will? You want something too?”
Will scowls and shakes his head, turning away. He is not amused by my little joke about ordering half the menu for myself.
“Honey?” the waitress insists, leaning toward him and dragging her fingers along the outside of his arm.
It is a Southern thing, the way women are affectionate, yet conniving. She’s trying to get him to engage. Using those charms God gave her.
And it works. I’m sure he doesn’t want it to, but I can see him relax just a little bit under the touch of her fingers. He’s a big scary guy, but he’s just a guy after all.
“Okay, yeah,” he finally sighs. “Cheeseburger, medium rare. Bacon and mushrooms.”
“That sounds delicious,” she coos, leaving his arm with a brief pat and scribbling a note on her stack of napkins. “I’ll be right back with those drinks.”
She gives us each a wink, shaking her light brown curls over her shoulders just because she can. She’s curvy and… sturdy is the word I would use. Not a lightweight. She struts away, lithe as a bobcat.
“See? I knew you were gonna love this place,” I smile, trying to get him to loosen up a bit. “You just gotta give it a chance. Trust me. It gets better.”
“What is that supposed to mean? It gets better? Does it get cleaner or something?”
“It’s not so bad, is it?” I ask, glancing around.
He’s got a point, I guess. I am sure the lights are low for a reason. It’s not a total dive, though, and we have definitely been in worse places. He’s just tense.
“I don’t know,” he grumbles. “I guess it’s not that terrible. Local culture and whatnot.”
“That’s the spirit,” I smile.
Will flexes his shoulders, then relaxes.
“Are the burgers any good?”
“Yeah, really good.”
“Can we get them to go?”
“Oh, ha, funny. No… I mean, maybe, but I brought you here for a reason. This place is okay. Trust me. The show should start any minute.”