Page 59 of Take Me
“Want me to grab your ass?”
She swats me away, exasperated.“More people are staring now.”
“Maybe they think we’re about to start bonestorming on the bar?”
Almost on cue, I catch two women bending their heads toward each other.They’re whispering something and glancing at us.Since they’ve had several beers, their volume control leaves something to be desired.
“Did you hear they’re sleeping together?”
Great.
I mean,great!
It’s better than everyone feeling sorry for us, right?
Erika’s gaze swings back to mine.“I guess doing a romantic duet would be the right move.”
“Good plan.”I shoot her a salacious eyebrow wiggle that earns me another eyeroll.“Might as well give our fans what they want.”
She snorts.“We have fans now?”
“We’ve always had fans.”My karaoke duets with Erika are the stuff of legends.“You’re thinking ‘Islands in the Stream’?”
“Only if you’re Dolly and I’m Kenny.”
“You drive a hard bargain, lady.”Like we’d do it any other way.It’s one of our regular numbers.We’ve even got costumes.“I just need to remember where I put my boobs.”
“You washed my beard after Kaleb spilled beer on it, right?”
“I did you one better.I’ve got a new beard in back.”
“You know the way to my heart.”
One of the tourists at the corner table gets up and digs through the costume box.He wanders away without signing up.“We’ve gotta make this a good one,” I murmur.
“And bygood, you meanbad, right?”
“Obviously.”When we’re extra awful, nobody minds going after us.It’s a trick that’s worked dozens of times.
Erika grins.“We’ll be so terrible they’ll line up in droves to step over the low bar we’ve set.”
“I’ll tell Ramon to get the song ready.”My DJ’s been shooting me nervous glances all evening, like he’s not sure I’ll be able to save this dud of a show.“We can put on our costumes in back.”
“Can I go pee first?”
“Seems better than doing it on stage.”
“Not really,” she muses as she wanders away.“At least when I’m Kenny Rogers, I can pee standing up.”
I troop back to the stage and make sure Ramon knows what to do.Checking the mics, I hand one to my manager and ask her to handle announcements from here.
Then I bust ass to the back room of the brewery where I locate my Dolly Parton wig and rhinestone cowgirl top, complete with melon-sized enhancements.The scent of fresh hops and earthy malt instantly puts me at ease.So many things I love about owning a brewery, but this is the best part.
Not just the smells, but the way I’m in charge of it all.I can make people smile with a pint or an event like trivia night or Lagers and Learning or just horsing around for Karaoke Night.
For a kid who didn’t have much control growing up, it’s pretty damn awesome to be where I am now.
Once I’ve found all the parts of my outfit, I dig up Erika’s costume.Her beard rests on top of her eighties-style sports coat.There’s the chest-hair toupee we found at a thrift store three years ago.
