“Jack Bells,” I say with a grin.
“You must be Mason,” he says, sticking out a hand.
“Pleasure to meet you,” I say as we shake hands.
“The pleasure is all on this side of the equation. I’ve heard a lot about you and this new place. Open concept with an island bar and a dance floor. Did you come up with it?”
“I can’t say that I did. That would have to be-”
“Well, you’re the owner, anyway!” he says, cutting me off before I can credit Clarissa. “Anyhow. Show me around the place. And I’m going to roll the cameras. Sound good?”
“Of course.”
I give him the tour, telling him the story about how it’s an old firehouse that we decided to convert into a bar.
“I actually co-own the place with my fiancée, Clarissa,” I add.
“Wow. That’s ballsy, man!” he says.
“Is it?”
He shakes his head. “I tried screwing my business partner once upon a time. It did not work out well.”
I show him the dance floor, ignoring his last comment. “This will be packed later.”
“Wow. A double butt funnel! Nice,” he says, commenting on the thirty inch openings to get onto the dance area.
“Thanks. Clarissa’s idea.” I wink.
He nods. “Well, Mr. Mason, I am really digging the ambiance in this place. Show us some fancy drinks! Wait, are you a bartender or just the manager?”
“Me? Oh, I’m just a manager,” I say.
“Really? Because your Dad told me you’re a bartender.”
I shrug. “I might know a little thing or two about making drinks.” I wink at the camera.
“So, what’ll it be, Jack? What can I fix ya?”
“Bartender’s choice. Impress me,” he says. “Give me the drink that sums up your place.”
Right as he finishes talking, Clarissa comes out from the back room. From behind the camera crew, she shoots me a smile.
Warmth shoots through my body, and for the first time, the word love crosses my mind.
Love makes me think of that first day, months ago, before Clarissa and I had concocted this crazy plan to get a loan to open a bar.
When she was in the coffee shop, irresistible to me as she sipped her coffee.
Putting on Jasmine.
“Uh, hello?!” Jack quips. “You doing okay there, Mr. Bartender sir?”
“Of course. I’m going to make you the house specialty. You ready to go for a magic carpet ride?”
“I don’t follow,” he squints at me.
“Because I’m about to make you the house drink, the Jasmine.”
“Jasmine? I’ve never heard of that.”
“That’s because they don’t make it anywhere else.”
I go into full bartender show-off mode, smiling for the cameras as I do. With a few behind-the-back no look bottle flips, I get a couple of ‘oohs’ from the camera crew and the wait staff.
Even Jack seems impressed as I make the drink.
“You said you’re just a manager?” he asks again.
I wink, in pure focus mode.
“They call me the Michael Jordan of drinks, in Blackwell. You can print that,” I say with my patented cocky bartender smirk.
He cracks up, and I’ve got the crowd on my side.
More importantly though, I glance behind the crowd and Clarissa is beaming at me.
Sure, to some people, it’s just making a drink.
For me, it’s more than that. This is an art. It’s a form of expression.
Especially the Jasmine. It’s the drink I dedicated to Clarissa.
So as I pour the teaspoon of jasmine green tea, gin, ice cubes, and dash of honey into the drink, it’s her I’m thinking of.
I garnish the drink with a jasmine flower on top and hand it to Jack with a beaming smile.
“Don’t drink it too fast, now,” I say.
He gives me a skeptical look, as he takes a sip.
Licking his lips, he looks around.
I wave to Clarissa to jump behind the bar with me, and she starts working her way around the camera crew to get behind the bar.
The crowd halts to a silence as Jack sips the drink again. Everyone’s waiting for his expert opinion.
Clarissa joins me behind the bar and wraps her arms around my waist.
It’s the funniest thing. All of a sudden, in that moment, I have a stark realization.
Jack’s opinion doesn’t even matter.
He could say that this is the shittiest drink he’s ever tasted, and I should get the hell out of the business.
I would shrug it off with a smile, still knowing I’ve got my beautiful, sexy girlfriend, I mean fiancée, at my side.
Jack is Hollywooding it up, taking his time deciding if he hates the drink or loves it as he swirls around the glass. I guess he’s doing what he has to do, creating some drama for his show.
I look over at Clarissa, and she looks up at me, running her tongue lightly along her lips.
Fuck it.
I draw my lips down to hers, and we kiss passionately. The cameras are rolling, but that’s not why we’re kissing. We’re kissing so deeply because we have a true affection for each other. A true affection for each other that goes so deep.
I lose myself in the moment. The crowd starts hooting and hollering at our kiss, and I just. Don’t. Care.
I grip the small of her back and she lets a purr escape her lips. My heart beats wildly.
The crowd breaks into a literally applause, and I hear whistles and lots of ‘wooooo’ noises.
When we finally pull back, I’m lightheaded.
Jack’s jaw is fully open.
“Oh yeah Jack, I haven’t gotten a chance to introduce my co-owner. This is Clarissa.”
Jack clears his throat. “Hi,” he says.
“Hi,” Clarissa says with a giant smile. She bites the bottom of her lip. “So are you gonna tell us what you think of the goddamn drink?”
I hold back my laughter.
Clarissa barely ever swears. But when she does, it’s for a purposeful emphasis. And the way she says ‘goddamn’ even comes off sugar-sweet.
“Yeah,” Jack chokes. “I think this goddamn drink is goddamn strange. Never had anything like it.”
“Oh?” she asks, raising her eyebrows. She leans down over the bar counter, and I swear I catch Jack steal the quickest glance at her cleavage.
Looks like the camera editing crew will have some work to do.
“Yeah,” Jack manages, still a little flustered. “It’s goddamn strange. And it is goddamn delicious! Cheers!”
The crowd claps again, our DJ kicks the music back on, and Clarissa and I kiss again.
“Fuckin A, man!” Jack says, a genuine smile spreading over his face. “I’ve not had an experience quite like this in any bar in America. We’re gonna feature you this week, and you can count on that!”
“Well that’s good to hear,” I say. “So are you gonna stick around for the night?”
“Oh yeah. We’ll get some shots of the inside of the bar when people are drinking and having a good time on the dance floor. Congrats, Mason and Clarissa, you’re going to be the next feature on Celebrity Bartender Raw.”
Clarissa puts her hand on my shoulder, gets up on her tippy toes, and nibbles on my ear. “You have no idea how hot you looked spinning those bottles.”
“Yeah?” I say. “Well I can’t wait to spin something else.”
She looks at me. “Did you just make a dirty joke, and it didn’t quite work?”
I squint. “Maybe.”
She tosses her head back, laughing.
“It’s okay. I’ll let that one slide.”
I grin, and I can’t help myself. “I’ll show you what I’m about to slide, after the shift.”
She snorts in laughter. “That’s so bad it’s good.”
“Glad you like it. Now get on the floor and get those tips, babe. I have a feeling it’s going to be a hell of a nig
ht.”
28
Mason
Results
Friday was a crazy night.
I swear, once the word got out that Celebrity Bartender Raw was at Firehouse, half of Blackwell decided to show up.
And the rest of the weekend didn’t let up. It just seemed to get crazier.
So much so, that when Clarissa and I got back to my place, we barely had time to pass out for a few hours, then head back to the bar. We were both dog tired, but so damn excited.
When Wednesday rolled around, I made it a point that we’d all get together to watch Celebrity Bartender Raw at my house.
I invited the whole crew over. Liam and his lady Haley, Cole and Rose, and I even extended the olive branch to Sebastian, who is still upset about me leaving the bar, but I wasn’t about to exclude him. His lady Brett came with as well, so it was about to be a full house in my living room. Clarissa’s friend Cheryl was coming over too.
I’d trusted Roger to be in charge of the bar while we took the night off. Clarissa and I needed to enjoy some rest and recuperation time after the crazy hours we’d worked the past week.
On Wednesday, we sleep like logs until around 1 PM.
I smile as she wiggles her warm body into me, under the covers.
“Hey baby,” I say. “You up?”
“Mmm hmm,” she purrs her voice still sleepy.
“Ooh,” she said as she reached her hand behind her onto my crotch. “Looks like someone else is up.”
“Fuck,” I growl. “As much as I want to do that…”
“We need to take the test first,” she says. “I know.”
“Right. It’s been nine days.”
I blow out a deep breath. It requires basically all of my self-control to twist my body and put my feet on the floor. I want her so bad. But it will have to wait.
I make us a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and fresh avocado to go with everything. She makes the coffee. Cream in mine. Cream and sugar in hers. We sit down at my dinner table, which has gotten barely any use lately.
“So there’s some stuff I want to talk about,” I say.
“So much to talk about. I feel like it’s been such a haze ever since...well, since last Monday.”
I nod as I take a sip of hot coffee.
“I’ll be honest. I’ve been back and forth on this, and it’s been a struggle since we didn’t plan for a pregnancy to happen.”
She chuckles, shaking her head a little. “I mean, literally the first time we go all the way we have a pregnancy scare. How messed up is that?”
“I know. So, I did some Googling. And it’s been nine days since we did it. And there are pregnancy tests you can take.”
“But they’re not one-hundred percent accurate.”
“I know,” I nod. “But, I did pick one up. And I was talking with my mom…”
Her jaw drops. “You were talking with your mom? You almost never bring her up.”
I clench up a little bit. “I know. But I had to call her. And she gave me some advice. I went and picked up a test. This is weighing on me, and I need to know. I know you do, too.”
“Okay. I’ll take it.” She sighs, as she takes a forkful of egg.
“There’s something else I need to tell you.”
She stares at me. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. This whole experience, and not just the pregnancy scare. I mean starting a bar with you. Having the adventure with you. Everything we’ve done. It’s made me realize something.”
I see her noticeably stiffen. “What’s that?”
Finished with my food, I push my plate to the side. She’s finished with hers, too, and she pushes it away.
I take her hands in mine.
“I love you, Clarissa. I don’t know where along the line this exactly happened or I fell, completely, head over heels for you. But this isn’t like a fake, acting like it type of love. When I proposed to you months ago, to get a loan, that might have been fake. But now, this is one-hundred percent, totally, real. My feelings for you. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. You don’t have to respond right now. I don’t want to stage a breakup. Pregnant or not, I fucking love you. I always will.”
Her jaw trembles. She puts a hand to her face and wipes a tear away.
“Thank you,” she says. I wait for her to say it back. “Thank you, Mason,” is all she says.
My heart crumbles just a bit, but I try not to show it. “Anyway, here’s the test,” I say. I reach into the bag I got at the pharmacy.
She stands up, not making eye contact with me, then glances at me briefly before she takes the test in her hand. Flashing a fleeting smile at me, she heads to the bathroom.
I sit at the dining room table, drumming my fingers on the wood and feeling my heart rate accelerate. Nervously, I take another sip of coffee.
Fuck. I blew it. She doesn’t love me. Her long, long pause made that infinitely clear.
Why did I have to go and fuck up this good thing we had going?
I mean damn, we only had sex a couple of times.
There were a hell of a lot of make out sessions, though. And other fun types of sessions.
I clench and unclench my fists, still lost in thought as she comes out.
Clarissa’s expression is blank. She’s always had a poker face like Lady Gaga.
She holds up the stick.
“It’s official,” she says.
I stand up and step toward her, hanging on her every word.
“I’m...not pregnant,” she says.
A whoosh of air comes out of me, and I hug her. I don’t say anything.
We just stand like that for a couple of minutes.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says. “I think so. I’ll be fine, eventually.”
“Well, we’ve got a nice, non-stressful night ahead of us. Just hanging out with the old crew.”
She nods. “Yes. That’ll be good.” A weird look comes across her face.
“By the way. Have you told my brother we’re like...a real thing yet?”
I shake my head. “I’ve been kind of busy. And I think we just established how real we are just recently.”
I stare at her face, trying to get a read on what she’s thinking. She’s referring to us as a ‘real’ thing, yet she didn’t say the ‘L’ word back to me.
Mixed signals.
“Well,” she says, “You should probably be the one to tell him that. Honestly, you two are probably closer than he and I.”
“I’ll tell him,” I say. “I’ll tell him tonight.”
“Okay,” she says. We kiss on the lips.
“I’m going to head back to my place, say hi to my mom, and freshen up a bit. What time are we featured on Celebrity Bartender Raw tonight?”
“9 PM” I say.
“See you there,” she says. “Oh, and Mason.”
“Yeah?”
She looks down and away. “Nothing. Never mind. I lost my train of thought. See you tonight.”
29
Mason
Get Out
The crew rolls in at barely five minutes to nine, in typical fashion.
I’ve got my living room set up with the couch, easy chair, bean bag chairs, and a couple of extra spots.
Oh, and lots of bags of Doritos and dip. Those are essential.
Cole and his girl Rose are two of the last to arrive.
“Rose, good to see you again,” I say, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Cole is all smiles. “Hey man. Good to see you,” he says as we shake hands.
“You too, man. Hey, you don’t mind if we sneak a couple of words alone, do you?”
“Of course not. See you inside,” Rose says, heading inside.
It’s an unseasonably warm January day in Blackwell, and I close the door to the outside.
Cole starts. “Man. I gotta say, I didn’t think you were gonna do it, but you certainly pulled it off.”
“We did?” I ask.
“Oh yeah. I mean when you came to me with this idea, I have to admit, I thought you were batshit crazy. I mean, faking a relationship with my sister to get a loan and start a bar? Shit. That’s the nuttiest thing I’ve heard in my whole life. But you did it. You faked your way through everything, and now all you’ve got left is to stage the breakup. But that’s the easy part, am I right?”
He’s beaming. “Uh, Yeah. About that.”
I tense up, but then I remind myself what this is really all about. Cole’s just protecting his sister. He loves her, too. And my intentions are true, so he’ll be fine with the fact that this is a very real relationship.
Most likely.
Just as I’m about to come clean, Liam opens the door.
“The fuck are you two doing out here?” he asks in an accusatory tone. “You two have a secret romance or somethin’ you haven’t told me about?”
“Liam, don’t get pissed just because me and Mason have a better bromance than you and Mason.”
“Aww hell,” Liam drawls. “If I wasn’t in my socks right now, I’d come out there and show you two exactly what I think of your bromance. But you fucks better get inside if you don’t want to miss the portion of the show with you on it. It’s a non-recordable channel.”
“Let’s go,” Cole says.
I follow him inside before I can give him the low down.
Whatever, I’ll tell him after the show.
We sit down, and listen to Jack Bells narrate. He’s really amped up as he starts.
Now listen here all you coastals, and you big city types. I’ve heard you talking a lot of crap about small town bars and how they don’t measure up. Well, tonight, I’m about to show you a place in the middle of nowhere that will light your night on fire.
Now I know you probably haven’t heard of Blackwell, but I was impressed by the town as much as I was by the bartender and the wait staff…
The show shoots to a few cuts of the outside of the bar, explains the history of the bar as an old Firehouse, and shows a few cuts of the evening before it got crowded.
Jack starts talking about me and my bartender tricks, saying how he wasn’t sure if I was a con-man, or the best bartender he’d ever encountered. In the end, he says, I was both. Just like the mysterious charm of our small town bar.
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