by Taylor Ryan
Mary Smith returned with a full pitcher of margaritas. She set the pitcher in the middle of the table, sat down to began refilling glasses. “Is that the way the wind is blowing?” She took in Garth’s hand on Mary Kathryn’s shoulder.
“What wind?” Mary Kathryn asked, deliberately obtuse.
“This wind.” Garth pulled his arm away, reached between them and dragged her chair a few inches closer. Her mouth parted slightly as he tipped up her chin with his index finger then replaced his arm on her chair. She was cut from the flock, and she knew it. His unexpected move left her wide-eyed.
A short burst of nervous laughter came from Geraldine. Mary Kathryn sat back, only to quickly lean forward when her shoulders hit Garth’s arm, acutely conscious of him, shoulder to thigh against her. She eyed him covertly, listening to the talk around the table. He was relaxed, no longer wary, his lips quirking at some risque comment Geraldine made to Maria. Mary Kathryn took a sip of her fresh margarita, realizing his fingers around her chair were brushing her shoulder, stroking it. Casual, confident. Possessive.
Maria studied Garth’s face openly. “Do you have any brothers we could introduce to Mary Louise?”
“Mary Kathryn,” Garth’s fingers tightened fractionally. “You seem to know things you couldn’t possibly know. Shouldn’t know, considering some were state secrets... This one should be easy for you.”
“Colton, age forty-five.” She didn’t hesitate, laughing at his surprise. “Career, Coast Guard. Colton enlisted when he was twenty-two. He’s currently stationed in Alaska. He’s thinking of retiring but genuinely committed to the job he does. Colton has a problem with authority, he’s got tattoos everywhere his superiors can’t see.” Mary Kathryn sighed with resignation, gave up resisting contact with Garth. She relaxed in her chair, Garth’s cologne teasing her.
“The tattoos are Colton Morley’s own way of sticking it to the man upstairs, but that’s only a guess,” she told Maria. “And he’s been harassing Garth to visit since Garth retired, even trying to talk him into moving to Alaska. When Colton was seven, Garth paid his brother his lawn mower money to collect and eat his mother’s garden snails. He convinced Colton that he was allergic to them but wanted to know what French food tasted like.”
“Who are you?” Garth’s fingers froze on her shoulder, he clearly recalled the dismay of his mother when the green-faced Colton had tattled. “You’ve obviously talked with Alison—but—” There was no way she’d learned from Alison everything she’d revealed about him.
Mary Kathryn had no intentions of appeasing his curiosity. She smiled, that full on real smile that made his breath hitch slightly. “I have my ways of finding things out,” she bragged cheekily, more to tweak than to annoy him.
Garth had pulled her chair so close their thighs and shoulders were brushing whenever she moved. She decided with self-irony that she deserved what he was doing. He was making it clear where his interest lay. His fingers toyed with her hair. She steeled her reactions. Wanting him and knowing he wanted her was difficult enough. Butterflies of anticipation flitted through her.
“Alaska?—too bad. Your brother is too far away for Mary Louise.” Maria’s dark eyes never left Garth’s face. Mary Kathryn studied Maria’s face as she talked quietly with Garth. Maria wasn’t paying attention to what Garth was telling her; she continued looking at him in an abstract manner. Mary Kathryn poked Geraldine and jerked her head to indicate Maria’s unfaltering dark gaze on Garth.
“Maria, you’re gawking.” Mary Kathryn slapped the table, bursting into laughter when Maria jerked, turning a guilty face to them. The Hispanic woman blushed, giggling when she saw Geraldine’s disgusted expression. “I should never have told my secret,” Maria complained. “Quit laughing, you two, it’s not funny!”
“Yes, it was,” said Mary Kathryn as Beth and Mary Louise reclaimed their seats. “Well, shall we call this meeting to order again?” Mary Kathryn asked idly.
The women nodded, falling silent. Mary Louise peered at the arm across the back of her friend’s chair. A frown flashed across her face then disappeared just as swiftly, but she kept looking, as if she couldn’t fathom a man being interested in Mary Kathryn, when she, all blond and huge breasts, was sitting right across the table and showing undisguised interest.
Beth pulled a small grocery bag from under her chair and set it on the table. “Who lost last week?”
Maria groaned and reached into the bag, brightening. “Oh, thank the Blessed Mother.” Her hand came out waving a small box wrapped in plain brown paper. One by one the women each took a package and tucked it away.
“What are they?” Garth asked curiously.
“We don’t know.” Mary Smith shrugged. “Mary Shay lost the draw last week for tonight’s gag gift. She’s not here, she’s chicken. Last week she had to sing We Are the People, but Mary Kathryn had rewritten the lyrics to We are The People We’ve been Waiting For. It was Mary Shay’s punishment for breaking rule number three.”
“What’s rule number three?” Garth inquired.
“Asking too many questions.” Mary Kathryn couldn’t keep a straight face. “Geraldine decided that was rule number three last week because she’d had three shots of tequila. We couldn’t talk her out of it no matter how hard we drank.”
“Incredible,” Garth laughed.
“Bingo!” Mary Louise cried triumphantly. “You have to buy the gag gifts next week Mary Kathryn. He’s your guest, rules are rules.”
“See,” Mary Kathryn whispered the aside. “We do play bingo.”
“How long are you staying in Bennt, Garth?” Geraldine’s question distracted Garth.
“Three more weeks. I thought I would go back to Northern California, then up to Alaska.”
Geraldine glanced significantly at Mary Kathryn and back, saying quietly as the others were talking amongst themselves. “Then why are you showing an interest in her?”
Before he could retort Geraldine pressed the issue in the same quiet voice. “She’s a nice lady. Only three weeks, what are your intentions?”
“What are your intentions?” he countered easily, which caused Geraldine to burst out laughing. She eyed him warily, still chortling. “I have no intentions toward Mary Kathryn. We’re all only friends.”
“It must be difficult for you in a small town,” Garth’s words were factual and said just as quietly.
“You’re a good looking man, but I probably get laid more than you do. ” Geraldine’s smile was smooth. She chuckled when he exhaled sharply as if he couldn’t believe what she’d said.
Mary Kathryn eyed Geraldine with wonder. “Geraldine, I can’t believe you said that!” She asked Garth, “How did you know?”
He ignored her question, complaining. “She just attacked my manhood.” His smile took any offense out of his words.
“You attacked hers,” Mary Kathryn and Beth laughingly declared in unison. Garth gave Mary Kathryn’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Touché, ladies, you’ve shut me down. Mary Kathryn, I think I like your friends—but this one—” he shook his head in disbelief at Geraldine, his eyes twinkling. “She’s a braggart!”
Geraldine patted his hand on the back of Mary Kathryn’s chair before promptly refilling his glass laughing harder as he eyed her with amazement and shook his head again. She kept plying him with margaritas. It seemed to be her job, exercising her elbow. Pitcher after pitcher kept coming. His glass was never empty. He was floating in margaritas, pilfered drink umbrellas and cheerfully saucy women who—with the exception of Mary Louise, flirted but didn’t care what he thought because, well, they told him as they drank, they just—didn’t care. Their table looked like a hurricane had hit it.
Maria continued to watch him as if she wanted to ask him something. Geraldine poked Garth in the shoulder and pointed at Maria. “Maria’s secret last week,” the brunette paused dramatically, lowering her voice to an exaggerated whisper. “She wants to see a naked white man at least once before she dies. Apparently she’s thinki
ng it should be you...”
Garth choked. He set his glass down where Geraldine couldn’t refill it again, which only made Mary Kathryn laugh, catching the glass as it tipped on one of the discarded drink umbrellas they were playing with. She passed his glass to Geraldine, who promptly topped it. Geraldine scolded Maria. “Stop visualizing. You’ve got Carlos at home—you can look at him when you get there. I’m not going to tell you again, penises look the same, they’re just different colors...and sizes. And no matter where you buy them, there is a no return policy...”
“Be quiet, you dyke.” Maria’s cheeks darkened as she blushed. “I only want to look. You never let us have any fun.” She winked at Garth. “She’s so selfish!”
“Me, selfish? Out of the mouth filled with selfish wanton curiosity. Poor Carlos,” Geraldine lamented. “It’s your turn to buy, Mary Kathryn.” She wagged the empty pitcher at Mary Kathryn. “Don’t touch that jukebox money!” She wore an evil grin. “I was booing after your John Wayne story, but forgot to do it out loud.”
Mary Kathryn cast a quick glance around the table and saw the smug nods the others were giving Geraldine. “You—you liar! You were all drooling!” Mary Kathryn defended her story, “You were leaning forward and sucking it up like vacuums. Off with your head!” She was still protesting when Garth leaned forward and said, “I’ll get this one.”
There was a moment of utter silence at the table, as if they had been waiting for him to offer.
“No!” Their loud abrupt cacophony rose over the din in the room; drawing the interest of other patrons. Heads swiveled toward them from every direction, voices dying down as people listened. “You really don’t need to!” said Geraldine quickly. “I lied, I swear—I did remember to boo her story, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings—I was just trying to herd her goat.”
“I’ll get this one,” Garth reached for the empty pitcher. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Don’t do it!” exclaimed Maria. “It’s Mary Kathryn’s turn.”
He looked bemusedly around the table.
“Don’t do it. It’s a trap!” Mary Louise preened for his benefit.
“A margarita trap.” Beth signaled, her palm flat and moving horizontally, telling him no no no.
Mary Kathryn sat back against his arm quietly, her shoulder shaking with suppressed mirth as the club members went on to make even louder objections, trying to talk him out of buying, bringing the attention of even more customers their way. People were beginning to nod and smile as if some joke were occurring. Men were trying to hide quick warnings not to buy for the table. Garth became wary but couldn’t understand the rising amusement around him.
“No,” he over rode the ladies objections. “I insist, please,” he was firm. “You ladies have been great, I appreciate you letting me join you.” He stood up, wondering about all the fuss. People immediately gravitated toward their table.
Mary Kathryn groaned loudly and hung her head when Mary Louise and Maria started clapping.
“Margarita Bingo!” Beth Harper and Mary Louise were the loudest. Garth was taken aback when everybody who gathered around them yelled Bingo with the two women. Maria, Geraldine and Mary Smith smugly high-fived as laughter rose around them.
“What was that about?” He looked at Mary Kathryn for an explanation as people turned away, still laughing and shaking their heads as if they were commiserating for him. The jukebox abruptly cut off. The cheerful din in the room died down as everyone turned toward their table.
“We have a winner!” Beth Harper yelled. “He insisted on buying the Margarita Club Ladies Court a round, folks.” The music was turned on a moment later and things returned to normal with the exception that women all over the bar were calling thanks to Garth.
Chapter Nine
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” GARTH asked Mary Kathryn.
She refused to look at him.
Maria giggled as she explained, “We, at this table, are the margarita ladies court. Every single woman in the bar are our ladies in waiting. Mary Kathryn is our reigning queen. The more we insist you don’t buy us a pitcher, the more you want too. It’s a guy thing and we’re the Court Connivers. Mary Kathryn is suffering. She wants to kick us to the curb.” Maria giggled louder.
Garth glanced at Mary Kathryn, who appeared chagrined. He held out his hand and she realized he wanted her to follow him to the bar.
“My Court Connivers are cheap!” Mary Kathryn pushed her chair back decisively. She grabbed the empty pitcher. “They’d let you buy all night. But don’t let them get away with it. We each buy one pitcher and then go home.” She noted his dubious glance. “Are you judging us?!” she challenged with an imperiously arched brow of her own. “I’m the Queen. I say, stop that!” She smiled over her shoulder as she ignored his hand and moved toward the bar. “But if you want to get technical, if we get intoxicated, it’ll be your fault. By buying, you’re contributing extra pitchers to our evening.”
“Do you do this every night you go out—with everyone joining in?” Garth followed her through the growing crowd.
“Good grief, wouldn’t that be nice.” She seemed sad, but her lips twitched as they found an empty place along the bar to wait for the bartender. “We don’t really like most of these people.” She started laughing and couldn’t stop, her wave encompassing the crowd. “They refuse to pay their fines!” She placed the empty pitcher on the bar. “Here’s the bad news, Garth. There is a sign on the door which states clearly any lady walking across the threshold on any given Monday becomes a member of the Margarita Club. No matter what they drink. You just bought every woman in the bar a cocktail—or whatever she was drinking. That’s why they are the ladies in waiting...because they’re waiting for us to win them a free drink.”
Garth looked around at the crowd. There were at least thirty women.
“You insisted,” a man told Garth from Mary Kathryn’s left, disgustedly shaking his head as he looked at Mary Kathryn, who smirked at the man. “Come and get them,” the man called loudly to the women behind him.
Garth found himself surrounded by women thanking him.
“It’s Mystery Bingo,” the bartender explained over the din. “The five letters in bingo, buddy. If any one of the letters that spell bingo are used when you try to buy the ladies at that table a drink you win the grand prize. It’ll cost you around a hundred dollars...those connivers.” He howled with amusement along with the men sitting at the bar.
“I don’t feel like a winner—” Garth leaned in and said to Mary Kathryn. “I feel—used.”
“Used?” the man closest to them scoffed. “We saw you laughing it up with the court connivers at their table. There’s always a price to pay in Bennt for being the lone guy at a table of women at the Brew Pub...”
Another man behind Garth grinned and shook Garth’s hand, then wandered off to deliver the cocktail Garth was going to pay for to his wife.
The man at the bar raised a beer toward Garth. “It’s not that easy to win the privilege of buying all the ladies a drink when the court connivers all protest so adamantly. Seen it time and time again.” He grinned with sympathy. “Some dumb nice guy always falls for it. They got me once. Mary Kathryn, you and your friends are schemers.” The man chuckled with his friend sitting next to him.
“What do the other letters in your horrid little bingo game stand stand for?” Garth asked Mary Kathryn. She should have warned him. She really needed a spanking. “Bozo,” he asked. “Idiot, nincompoop—gullible? I should have listened.” Garth muttered lightheartedly and dug in his back pocket for his wallet. “What’s the ‘o’ for?” He pulled out his wallet with one hand, pulling Mary Kathryn against him with the other, his smile taking any sting out of his words. “Obtuse? Obstinate?”
“Nobody knows for sure,” she admitted. “We make it up as we go.” She accepted his hand on the small of her back, accepted it as it slid around to rest on her hip, acutely aware of the intimate gesture.
“Well—hell! The ga
me is rigged beyond the obvious?” Garth pulled her closer, staring down into her face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Her pulse quickened as her fingers automatically moved to his upper arms. “We tried to warn you at least half a dozen times.”
Garth remained silent for a moment. He bent his head, saying very close to her mouth, “I want to kiss you—which means I’ll have to wait until we leave so I don’t get beat up for poaching the queen. Kiss you or spank you...”
She stared at his lips. “I’ll consider that a rain check—that kiss,” her voice lowered an octave even for their almost whispering. “As for the other,” she quipped, her heart pounding, “you can go spank yourself.”
Garth’s head lifted sharply. He blinked at the innuendo. Mary Kathryn added huskily, “Do you need some money? I feel bad but I knew they would try and trip you up. I really only brought you as Proof of Life. I really do feel guilty, like I should help pay for the round.”
“Kind of bad?” He stared down his nose at her. “You’ll pay later, for everything,” he assured her mirthfully as the bartender took most of his cash. “I don’t like your Mystery Bingo, Mary Kathryn. I’m telling our children on you.” He was wryly amused at her sudden consternation and had a vision of Henry wagging his finger at his mother. Yeah, he was going to tell Henry, just to see it. “Is there an ATM machine around here somewhere?” He looked over heads around the walls, not seeing one.
“Over by the jukebox.” Mary Kathryn told him, her teeth flashing as she hid a smile.
“This is a date, you know. A real date.” Garth dared her to object, keeping her close as women began thanking him as they received the drinks he’d purchased. “You owe me,” he told Mary Kathryn, nodding indifferently to another woman who placed her fingers on his arm. Garth didn’t take his attention from Mary Kathryn and the woman’s hand fell away. He recognized her. The woman from the bar last week who worked at the Chamber of Commerce. He nodded briefly then ignored her.