Page 21 of Liquid Courage
“Excuse me?”
“You seriously don’t remember me?” This was rich, and totally like the narcissist who didn’t care enough about other people to commit them to her long-term memory. “We had sex a few times while we dated.” When Shari’s eyes widened, Kat continued, “You’ve got a birthmark that looks like Iowa on your ass.”
Shari gasped.
“Yeah, seriously. You don’t remember dumping me because you thought I was unattractive?”
“I… uh…”
“You told me I was too masculine. So it’s pretty rich that you’re asking me out right now. Because it both implies that you don’t remember me,andthat you’re desperate enough to sleep with someone that you would lower your standards. Not like I’m that much curvier than your date from the other night.” Kat withheld another sputter of laughter.
Shari slid her empty glass toward Kat. “I honestly have no idea who you are. You must have me mixed up with someone else.”
“Not very many women who look like you named Shari around here.”
“I think I’m gonna go.” Shari hopped off her stool and secured the bag on her shoulder. “It was nice having that chat with you, Ms… whatever your name is.”
“Kat.”
“You and half the lesbians in town.”
What was Kat supposed to say to that?“Guilty! You caught me! Another gay Kat!” Up there with the Alexes and the Maxes of the world.
Shari hurried out the door. Somehow, it didn’t hit her on her way out.
“What was that about?” Harriet asked a few minutes later. She had changed seats just to ask Kat that pertinent question. “You finally kick her out of here?”
“Nah. She left on her own embarrassed accord.”
“Damn. What did you do?”
“Would you believe it if I said she had the gall to ask me out?”
“No!”
“Yup. She claimed to have no idea who I was.”
“Did you believe her?”
“Honestly? Yes. Because her head is shoved so far up her own ass that she can’t see anything but her rose-scented sphincter.”
“Now there’s an image for the monthly newsletter.”
Kat shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know what we in lesbiankind did to deserve a demon like that in our midst, but at least it leads to some hilarious fodder when you’re not on the receiving end of her bullshit.”
“If only she knew you were going out with the girl she humiliated the other night.”
“That I only met because she brought her here.”
Harriet waited until Kat had a glass of water in her hand before offering to clink their glasses together. “Cheers to that,” Harriet said, before downing the last of her drink. Kat had always heard that it was bad luck to toast with water, but eh, at least one of them had alcohol, so it was good enough.
Once the crowd died down, Kat stole into the back office where Beverly continued to crunch the quarterly numbers.
“Can I get all of Sunday off?”
Beverly dropped her glasses onto her stack of papers and looked at Kat as if she had just asked for a two-month paid vacation. “You really asking me that now?”
“Oh, come on. You can call in somebody to cover my shift.” They can even have a portion of my tips from tonight.” She had made quite a few bucks, too. Enough to take Vivian out all day Sunday, which was what she intended to do with a full day off. She didn’t work at the docks on Sundays. Instead, she usually worked a double at the bar to rake in the nice weekend tips. Not as good as Friday and Saturday, but good enough to make taking Mondays off worth it.
