Page 33 of Together at Ruby's

“Well look at him,” Liza said. “Don’t you think so?”

Still not convinced she was the best choice, but knowing Liza and Nikki were impossible to argue with, she picked up a mocktail. “Fine,” she said, walking around the table to exit the booth. “I hope I don’t get bit.” As she neared him, the man acted exactly like Nikki and Liza said he would—shocked. Then his eyes settled on the drink she held. Tate smiled as warmly as she could muster. “You look thirsty. And I thought you might want to try one of these?”

The man nodded and took the mocktail from her hand. “I wasn’t quite sure how to approach.”

“Well, you can try one now,” Tate said and watched as the stranger took a sip. His face showed delight. Tate’s smile widened. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

He took another sip before nodding. “It’s splendid,” he said. “I have never tasted anything quite like it.”

“Exactly,” Tate said. “That’s what Ruby’s is all about. Being unique while giving people what they want.”

“I see,” the man said. “Did you make these cocktails?”

Tate held up a finger. “They’re not cocktails,” she said. “No alcohol. These have great flavor, but they can’t get you drunk.”

The stranger nodded. “That’s another reason why I’m interested. But you didn’t answer my question, did you make these?”

“Actually no,” Tate said. “That would be the dark-haired woman over there.”

She pointed in Vivian’s direction who was chatting with half a dozen eager customers. They all looked enthralled by the dynamic woman, and Tate was not surprised. Vivian knew how to handle a crowd. “Let me introduce you,” Tate said, and the man hesitated.

“Are you sure it will be okay?” he asked. “She looks rather engaged.”

“I think it will be all right,” Tate said, walking in the direction of the booth. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the man was following. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Charles Walker.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Walker. I’m Tate Nilsen.”

“You as well and thank you,” Charles said. “I appreciate you coming to rescue me.”

As they approached the table, Vivian looked at them. She raised an eyebrow at Tate’s companion. “Vivian, this is Charles Walker,” Tate said. “He is curious about what we are serving.”

“Okay,” Vivian said, looking at Charles. “Would you like a mocktail?”

“I actually already sampled one,” he said and held up his empty margarita glass. “But I would certainly like to try another flavor.”

Vivian looked Charles up and down clearly appraising him and his business suit. “Certainly,” she said and poured a soft, orange-colored liquid into his glass. Tate knew it was mango and her personal favorite. “Give this one a try.” The man took the glass and while he sipped Vivian’s eyes met Tate’s. Tate gave her a half shrug.Don’t look at me,she thought.Liza and Nikki made me go get him.

Charles smacked his lips. “This is even better than the other one,” he said. “And you make this mixture yourself?”

“I do,” Vivian said, and the man shook his head clearly amazed.

“It’s an interesting combination of flavors,” the man said. “And amazing there’s no alcohol in it.”

Vivian gave him a slight smile. “Well, that’s the trick now, isn’t it?”

Listeningto the stranger express his delight over the mocktails, Liza glanced from her spot in the booth to take a closer look. The business suit was not cheap nor were his now dusty shoes. The blue and red striped tie put the whole outfit together perfectly.This is not your average businessman. What the hell is he doing at our festival?she thought, knowing it was time to find out. When there was a pause in her line, Liza stepped closer to Vivian. She looked Charles in the eye. “What brings you to Pride this Saturday?” she asked. “Don’t take me wrong but…” She waved at the crowd. “You don’t quite fit the pattern.”

Charles glanced around and chuckled. “You have a very good point,” he said clearly not taking offense. “I’ve actually never been to a Pride Festival. And although I very much support the LGBTQ+ lifestyle, I have been married to my wife for over forty years.” Liza smiled. The man had a lot of charisma, and she instantly liked him, which was not always the case with strangers.

After pouring the man a different flavored mocktail, Vivian held it out to him. “Then why exactly are you here?”

“Actually, I came from a business meeting,” he said, pointing at a large building nearby. “Right across from the event.” He smiled. “I try not to work on the weekends anymore, but the Japanese investors came a long way to talk to me, so I made an exception.”

The answer did not quite satisfy Liza’s curiosity. “You saw the festivities from across the street and just decided to check it out?”

“Precisely,” Charles said. “I was also a little put off by the protestors. I wanted to show my support so walked right by them to enter here.”

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