He looked at me. “But…” I glared at him, and he sighed and turned his attention to the road again. “You’re not gonna give him another chance?”
“If he’d told me last night when he came home…I didn’t tell you about that, did I, Tim? Four fucking weeks without a single phone call! I thought he was…he was…” I stared at the passing scenery, blinking furiously.
“Hmm.”
I cleared my throat. “It doesn’t matter. Whatever we had is over. Finished. Kaput.”
“Just so I know we won’t have an outraged lover coming down on our heads.”
“He won’t come. And he has no right to play the outraged lover.” He’d had me, he’d had someone else…A tiny voice in my head said, But he came back to you. Yeah, but for how long? I demanded of it. He’d had a taste of someone else, someone who didn’t have the past I did, and he was probably going to tell me over the dinner I’d slaved over that he’d be moving out shortly.
“Well, just so you know, I checked the airlines. There are no direct flights out of either Dulles or Reagan International until tomorrow morning.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I repeated. “He won’t come after me.”
“He’d better not, or I’ll kick his ass from here back to…Where did you say he was from?”
“Cambridge. Massachusetts.”
“Yeah. From here back to Cambridge. We’re home.” Tim parked the Corvette, and we got out. I draped the Sherpa bag from my shoulder and took my carry-on, while he took the bags from the pet store. “Let’s go in through the Pub. The stairs to our place are at the back. You can say hi to Cris, I’ll get you and Miss Su settled, and we’ll see about ordering dinner. Y’know, this place has a kitchen we never bothered doing anything with. I wonder if I should open it up, hire a short order cook,” he mused to himself and shot a glance my way, “offer some bar food. My regulars might like that.”
I shrugged. If he was planning on that, I could set up a spreadsheet to see how long it would take before such an enterprise ran in the black. I didn’t have a problem staying in Savannah long enough to help Tim, but I had no intention of letting my…my ex-lover chase me out of the town I’d lived in for so many years.
“Welcome to the Always Reddy Pub.” Tim threw open the door, and bells above it jingle-jangle-jingled.
The interior of the Pub was lit with a warm, comfortable glow so its patrons, the upscale gay men who’d made it their current favorite—Tim was a sharp businessman and knew how fickle the public could be—would be able to see each other without having to squint. Tables were scattered around a small dance floor, and booths lined the walls. A long teak, horseshoe-shaped bar bisected the room. Glasses hung from a rack suspended above it, while on shelves below bottles of liquor stood in rows, like soldiers. There were various wines and liqueurs, beer on tap, and dual stations where sodas or water could be dispensed. A jukebox was in one corner, and a small stage in another for the local bands that played on weekends. A pool table was in the rear near the restrooms.
The Pub fell silent as all eyes were drawn to us. “They don’t usually see me bringing anyone in here,” Tim murmured.
“Hey, Boss,” Cris called. “Sweets! It’s good to see you.” He came from around the bar and engulfed me in a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. The Sherpa bag swung, causing Miss Su to mrrow in protest.
“Same here, Cris.” I patted his back feebly.
“Sorry, cat.” He put me down and stroked a finger across the mesh front of the bag. “Does she hold grudges?”
“No, she’s a sweetheart.” Unlike the bastard who’d given her to me.
“Hello, Tim.” “We were wondering where you were.” “Good to see you again.” The men, dressed in designer slacks and shirts with little alligators or polo ponies on the breast pockets, were eying me with interest, and I flushed, feeling shabby in my jeans and sweater. “Who’s your friend?” “Are you going to introduce us, Tim?”
“Another time, gentlemen.” He’d suddenly become very Suth’n. “Ma friend has just arrived in our fair city, and Ah want to get him settled in.” He turned to Cris. “Can you handle this alone, babe?”
Cris looked around. “No problem, Boss. The rush is over anyway, and the crowd’ll be thinning out soon enough. Middle of the week,” he said to me by way of explanation.
“I’ll bring you something down for dinner.”
“Cool. Talk to you later, Sweets.”
“Later, Cris.” I followed Tim to the rear of the Pub. He opened a paneled door, and we climbed the spiral staircase.
“Tim, I really don’t feel like meeting anyone.”
“Of course not. This has been a lousy day for you. Take it easy, get some rest. Tomorrow is soon enough for you to meet some of the guys.”
I felt as if he’d kicked me in the gut. “You want me to trick?”
“No! God, no. Sweets, I’d never suggest that. We’re all out of the business now.”
“Sorry. This has been a bad four weeks.”