Page 8 of Kiss and Tell

“You know those hidden speakeasies from the Prohibition era?” Connor said proudly. “We’ve got our own sort of secret bar.”

“And you want me to redesign this place?” I asked, aghast. Before I could even begin to think about a new design, the entire thing would need to be gutted and scoured inside and out.

“Nope,” Connor said. “We’re keeping it. My brother Walt doesn’t want the place touched.”

“You want to keep it like this?” I asked.

“Definitely,” Connor said. “It means a lot to my brother.”

A worn-out pool table in the corner had barely any green left on the fuzzy surface. A dartboard was more holes than board. An old school karaoke machine sat in the corner, the metal casing rusted and dented.

“So here’s the complication,” Connor began, casting his attention to the sketchy dive bar I’d found myself in. “We’ve got to somehow keep this hidden and secret while making the outer area more accessible to the public.”

“I see,” I said evenly.

“Well, she hasn’t turned the job down on the spot,” Connor muttered to Jessie under his breath. “That’s a good sign.”

I forced my expression to smooth out, unwrinkling my nose and unscrunching my face.

“I suppose it does have its charms,” I said diplomatically.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Jessie said with a fond smile. She patted Connor on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Then she walked off, leaving me alone with Connor.

“You never called,” was the first thing out of his mouth once we were alone.

“Did you expect me to?” I asked.

“I’d hoped,” he replied.

“I’m sure you got over your disappointment quickly.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked.

“There’s lipstick on the collar of your shirt and your leather jacket smells like a woman’s perfume.”

He tried to subtly sniff the jacket slung over his shoulder.

“It looks to me like you’re not lacking for company,” I continued.

He tossed the jacket on a nearby coatrack.

“You’ll be happy to know I was able to get that pink stain out of my shirt,” he said.

“Good,” I said. “I don’t owe you a round after all.”

Not that I would have wanted to buy him a drink in a bar like this in the first place.

“I didn’t say that,” he replied. “It took a lot of effort to scrub the stain out.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t just toss the shirt.”

“Like I said, it’s one of my favorites.”

“That one, and the three just like it?”

“It’s easier to get dressed in the morning when all my clothes are the same.”