Page 118 of Roommate
“Yeah.” A smile appears on his rugged face and then disappears just as quickly. “My brother and I didn’t have the best attendance record, though. Water under the bridge, right?” He offers me his hand to shake. “And you’re—?”
“Roderick Waites.” We shake.
“What can I get you both to drink?” Tanner asks when all the introductions are through.
“How’s this Prosecco?” I tap the menu. “Is it on the dry side, or sweet?”
“It’s, uh…” Tanner scowls. “Okay—confession time. I’m a great bar manager but I’m new to wine. So why don’t I pour you a glass on the house, and you can tell me how to describe it.”
“That’s a deal I can’t refuse.” I can only have one drink, though, since I’m the driver tonight.
Tanner pours me a glass of bubbly, and taps a beer for Kieran. He serves a few more customers, while I taste the wine and look around. “So this is the Vermont edition of a gay bar. Fascinating. Not much leather. Lots of technical fabrics. Rugged. Kinda on the wholesome side. It's a lot like how I’d picture a gay bar in Iceland.”
Kieran glances around. “Nice place.”
“Absolutely.” The singer does a unique, acoustic cover of an old Cranberries song, and I dig it.
“That could be you up there,” Kieran says suddenly. “On your guitar. You’d sound amazing.”
“Nah.” I swat that idea away. “I only play for you. I like music, but I’m not ambitious about it. I’d rather sit next to you than be up on the stage.”
He gives me a warm look that’s only interrupted when Tanner returns. “Okay, Colebury contingent, let’s have those tasting notes.” He taps a notepad with a pen. “Save me from my ignorance.”
I take a taste of the wine and hold it on my tongue. Then I hold up the glass. “The color is straw-yellow with hints of green. The nose is fragrant with notes of citron and honey.”
Tanner blinks. “Something tells me you’ve done this before.”
“I went to culinary school.”
“Around here?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nashville. Long story. I stayed away from Colebury for eight years.”
“Huh.” Tanner rubs his chin. “I got away from this place, too. But it called me back.”
“I guess it called me, too,” I admit.
“Some of us never left,” Kieran says, resting his burly elbow on the bar.
“How’s Colebury holding up?” Tanner asks. “There’s some new bars, right?”
“Yeah, two of them,” Kieran says. “The Gin Mill and Speakeasy. Plus the coffee shop where Roddy runs the kitchen.”
“Nice. You guys still in touch with anyone from high school?” Tanner asks.
“Just him.” I point at Kieran. “Not that we knew each other back then.”
“Not, uh, well, anyway,” Kieran says, flashing me a secretive smile. He glances at Tanner again. “Do you still have friends in Colebury?”
“Not so much, because I only lived there one year. But there’s a Facebook group for every graduation year. My brother sent it to me. See?” He puts his phone down on the bar in front of me. “Two hundred members.”
“Huh,” I say. “High school wasn’t a great time for me, so I don’t have much urge to relive it. Except…” I squint down at the phone. “Is that—?” I stop myself just in time. Because it’s not cool to bring up your old hookups with your boyfriend sitting beside you.
It’s too late, though. Kieran has leaned over to squint at Tanner’s phone. “Jared Harvey,” he says. “What’s he up to?”
“Soccer player, right?” Tanner says. “The only thing I remember about him is that he was hot.”
I chuckle nervously. “Never mind—”
