“I’m so glad you came tonight, Adrienne.” And I meant that in more ways than one.
She smiled again. Seriously, she and Tyler could have been in an ad for teeth whitening or orthodontics. “Me too,” she said. “This place is great. It’s got everything a girl needs — booze, books, and boys.” She glanced at Tyler, and he leaned in closer.
I felt a little like puking. Must have been that taco truck.
Ruby rushed over, bright red hair shining. “Hey, Cam. I just caught some people making out in Erotica.”
I laughed. “Well, at least they picked the right aisle. Did you break them up? I don’t want to damage books out of inventory on account of bodily fluids.”
“Yeah, I had Sammy bust them up, but the guy’s pretty wasted and kind of causing a scene. What should we do?”
I turned back to the group. “You’ll have to excuse me. Enjoy yourselves, okay? I’ll try to make it back over when I can.”
They all waved, even Bayleigh, that traitor, and I followed Ruby through the crowd to deal with the horny drunks. That was my first hint that the night had been a success, and in more than one way.
Cam
From that point, it was one thing after another — the ice machine lost its shit and shot ice all over the back room. By the time we got that cleaned up, it was time for another round of games, and this time I split everyone up by neighborhood. Tyler and Adrienne ended up together, which was just another reason why they’d be great together. If she’d lived in Brooklyn, the whole operation would have been doomed.
We found more people getting fresh in the darker corners of the bookstore, and I started working out numbers to have an extra man on staff to patrol for lovebirds and general mischief.
The bar was still full when we shut it down and kicked everyone out, and the costumed singles left in a stream, some holding hands or hanging on to each other, hopping in cabs together.
Like I said, it was a success.
Tyler walked Sarah and Adrienne out, and I watched them through the double glass doors with a weird smile on my face. At least it felt weird, like my cheeks pinched in a way that didn’t feel quite natural. All this time, I’d had my eyes peeled for a match for Tyler, and now I found one. I just couldn’t figure out why I felt woozy about it. My mind wandered again to the taco truck. It had to be that, because the alternative was just too awkward to fathom.
I didn’t have feelings for Tyler. The thought was absolutely absurd.
Tyler put the girls in a cab, opening and holding the door for them, waving goodbye as they pulled away from the curb.
As he walked in, his hands were in his pockets, and he was smiling, lips together, a simple, content expression.
“That was great, Cam. You did it again — another successful singles night.”
I smiled back, taking his arm as he approached and we walked toward the bar. He smelled like leather, and I tried not to inhale super loud like a creep. “Hopefully they’ll all be this good.”
He looked down at me. “Oh, they will be. This is your zone, your field, your house. I don’t doubt the next one will be even better.”
I sighed, relieved. “Thanks, Tyler.”
He squeezed my hand between his bicep and ribs, still smiling. “Anytime.”
Bayleigh and Greg were already breaking down the bar, pulling the mats and storing the garnishes, wiping the surfaces and washing glasses. They ran their checkouts, and I went through their slips to make sure everything matched up as Sammy locked up and canvassed the store to make sure there weren’t any lingerers. Before long, we were set to go, everyone except Bayleigh and Greg.
Greg had pulled off his mask, and his hair was mussed, pushed in every direction, his cheeks a little flushed. I caught Bayleigh looking at him more than a few times, her cheeks flushed too, though not from her costume.
“You guys are good to close up, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’ve got it, Cam,” Greg said.
I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Bayleigh, you have someone coming to walk you home?”
“Oh, I was just going to take a cab,” she said with a hint of uncertainty.
Greg turned to her. “You live close, right? I can walk you home.”
“Oh, would you?” she asked, relieved. “That would be great.”
“Yeah, no problem.” He smiled at me. “I’ll make sure she gets home okay.”
I smiled back, completely satisfied at the prospect of them walking home together. “I know you will. Thanks, you two. You killed it tonight.”
“So did you,” Bayleigh said, waving goodbye as she smiled too, trying to suppress her excitement. “Have a good night!”
“You guys too,” I called over my shoulder as Tyler and I headed out.
Once we were outside, Tyler chuckled. “Man, you’re good, you know that? How much of that did you set up?” Tyler stepped to the curb once we were outside and threw his hand up to hail a cab.
I shrugged. “Well, I got them in matching costumes, so that was the big win.” I didn’t mention the losses. “I probably would have left any of our bartenders to close up alone, especially Greg. But him walking Bayleigh home? Totally unplanned.”
A cab pulled up, and he opened the door for me. “Lucky break.”
“You’re telling me,” I said as I slipped in.
He climbed in next to me, propping his shield against the seat in front of him, and told the cabbie our address.