The Rebel (Red's Tavern 2)

I had plenty of time to talk to Sam, Perry, and Mitch about my idea.

Without even asking, Perry assembled a small plate full of strawberries, bacon-wrapped dates, mozzarella balls, and tiny sausages, sliding it in front of me.

“On the house,” he said, nodding once. A lock of his salt-and-pepper hair fell across his forehead. He looked like some sort of master crafter, so proud of his works.

“This is amazing,” I said. “This plate looks ready for a photoshoot.”

A tiny smile appeared on his face. “Oh, it’s just something I tossed together.”

“You really should have had the opportunity to be on TV,” I said, shaking my head and popping a strawberry in my mouth.

“It’s true,” Sam said, reappearing with a glass full of something sparkling.

“Look at this, too,” I said. “You guys are artists.”

Sam puffed out a laugh. “You are the artist, believe me,” he said. “But thank you. We’re just here to show people a good time. Red deserved that TV show more than any of us.”

“That’s kind of why I’m here,” I said. “I… we all know how devastated he is about losing the show.”

“I feel awful,” Mitch said, nodding. “He doesn’t show his disappointment much, but it’s there.”

“So I want to do something to make him feel better,” I said. “Something right here in the tavern.”

Sam’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Oh my God. A surprise party.”

I grinned. “Something like that, yes. But Red-style.”

“Of course, of course,” he said. “It’ll be more of a… subdued thing. Not a jello-shots-and-strippers kind of night.”

“Exactly. But something that’ll remind him that this bar is his home,” I said.

“Can I order us all custom tank tops?” Sam said. “Please, please, please?”

I laughed. “Of course you can,” I said.

“Fuck yes,” he exclaimed, scurrying back toward the office. “I’m going to start jotting down ideas!”

Perry also looked happy. “I’ll make a menu of his favorites,” he said. “He loved those buffalo chicken sliders last year… oh, maybe I can actually make them juicier if I brine the meat for a day beforehand…”

A peal of Sam’s laughter came from the back room and Mitch snickered. “I’m going to go check on him really quick,” he said, disappearing.

It was just me and Perry left up at the bar, and Perry suddenly shot me a surreptitious glance.

“Everything all right?” I asked.

He cleared his throat. “Um. Yes! I’m—”

I glanced at him sideways. “There’s something on your mind.”

He blushed slightly. “Okay, I was trying so hard not to say anything, but—”

“What’s up, Perry?”

“I know you’re… with… Red,” Perry said, giving me a hard stare. “I wasn’t trying to snoop. I really wasn’t. But I saw him sending you a selfie, and he told me it was for you, and…”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t mind, Perry. I kind of want everyone to know, actually. I’m just not sure yet if Red feels the same way.”

A smile appeared on Perry’s face. “Wow,” he said.

“What?”

He shook his head. “I just… I don’t even remember the last time Red had a real boyfriend. He’s always seemed like a lone wolf.”

I nodded. “That’s what I’ve heard,” I said.

Perry looked like he’d just personally won the lottery. “It just makes me so happy,” he said.

His smile was contagious, and soon I couldn’t stop beaming, too. “Like I said, it’s still very early on,” I said. “Feels weird to say that about someone I’ve known for a decade, but it’s true.”

“It’s amazing.”

“You have anyone special in your life, Perry?”

He shook his head. “I’ve secretly always been so… confused by Red,” he said. “He could have anybody, and yet he’s always alone. I can’t find anyone, yet I always wish I was in a couple.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, but I’ve got to call bullshit on that,” I said. “You can’t find anyone?”

He bit his bottom lip, shrugging. “Like I said. I try, but…” he trailed off.

“But you’re such a silver fox,” I said. “I was in porn for years, and they paid big dollars for guys that looked like you.”

I swore I’d never seen a deeper shade of pink than the one on Perry’s cheeks just then.

“Well,” he said, looking down at the bar. “If Red found someone, it gives me hope. That’s all.”

“I know you will,” I told him.

“And I think this celebration is a great idea, Liam,” Perry said.

“Seems like it’s what you guys do best around here,” I said. “I figured for once, the celebration should be a surprise for Red.”

“He’s never going to believe it.”

Two weeks later I was sitting in the same spot, but my heart was racing. It was supposed to be Red’s day off again, but Sam had a whole plan in effect to get Red to casually stop by the bar tonight.

For the past couple weeks I felt like I’d been walking on rainbow-colored eggshells with Red trying to keep the party secret from him. We’d been seeing each other almost every night—either he would come over and slide into bed with me after a shift at the bar or I would be there until closing, drinking virgin cocktails and shooting the shit with him and the other bartenders. I met another woman who worked at Red’s named Grace, and after hanging out more and more, I started to feel like I almost belonged there.