Jared looked up from where he was pouring a Guinness. "I don't know."
I reached over to turn off the spout as he was about to overfill the glass. For most beers, it wouldn't matter, but Guinness had a very special pour sequence. I remembered getting an entire spiel on Guinness pouring from my aunt Bri's brother, Devin Roarke.
Like my family, the Roarkes were well known in New York, and in fact, many places around the world, for their exclusive restaurants and clubs. I'd learned a lot from the both of them, and they were supportive of my and Max's venture into establishing clubs, although I suspect they didn't think we’d do as well as we have done.
Still, New York was a big city. There were plenty of patrons to go around, so our success didn't put a dent into theirs.
One of the waitresses dressed like a manga character approached the bar. I leaned over the bar toward her so she could hear me over the crowd. "Who is that dancing with Kate?"
The woman turned toward the dance floor and then back to me. "I don't know his name. He and his friends are sort of regulars."
"That's Dax Shepard, and he could kick your ass with his pinky finger," Dana said, coming up to stand next to Manga Girl.
"So that mobster suit isn't a costume?"
Dana smirked at me. "He’s in security, but he and his former boss took down part of a cartel not that long ago."
"Former boss?" If the guy had been part of taking down the cartel, why was he fired?
"His boss is retired. He owns Saint Security,” manga girl said.
That was a name I recognized. "Noel St. Martin."
She nodded. So, the man who was dancing with my woman had once worked for my neighbor. I wondered how I could use that to my advantage. Maybe I could ask Noel to arrange for him to be sent to South America to hunt down some other cartel.
"I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, Kate is not going to forgive you." Dana was protective of Kate, which was nice to know, even as she got on my nerves.
I stepped back from the bar to go back to work. "We'll see about that."
I heard a gaggle of women calling my name. Putting on my signature grin, I turned to them and resumed pouring drinks and charming the pants off them, figuratively, not literally, of course, although it was possible one of them might hand over their panties with their phone number scrawled on them. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Eventually, Kate and her dance partner separated. He went back to his table, but not before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Fucker,” I seethed under my breath.
The end of the night finally came. I was exhausted and at the same time hitting my second wind since I knew my time to talk to Kate would be coming soon. When things quieted down, especially when the staff left, I would make an attempt to apologize.
The DJ packed up, but Dana turned on loud music as the clean-up began. Jared and I took care of the bar while the rest of the staff dealt with the tables and the floor of the club area. Back in the kitchen, I could hear the clanging of pots and pans as they cleaned up as well.
"You did good, kid," I told Jared as we tossed our rags into the laundry bin. "Why don't you clock out and head home? I'll make sure everything's okay with Kate."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Oh, and here." I dug into the pocket of my pirate pants, pulling out a wad of cash. "Take this. You’ve earned it."
His eyes widened. "But those are your tips. You definitely earned them. I hope I can learn to serve like you do.”
“I can teach you.” Flair bartending was a real deal. It had its own association and even contests. But a bartender didn’t need to juggle to put on a show that impressed drinkers. I could teach him a few things. “But first, you need to settle into pouring and serving. Then you can up your style.” I pushed the money to him again. “I don’t need this. You take it.”
He looked at me like I was Santa Claus as he took the money. I wondered if I was like him when I first started.
As he headed toward the door, I pulled another wad of cash out of my other pocket and divided it up between the serving staff and cooks. The amount of tips I earned tonight was a validation that I hadn't lost my skills as a bartender.
I whistled at the waitstaff across the club. "I have some tips here for you."
Dana yelled back, "Did you whistle like we’re dogs?"
I rolled my eyes. "I whistled because you're playing the music so loud I don't think you would hear me."