Singer’s head rose from his bed as Roy walked into the studio. He growled, though the sound was muted, as if he knew he would get scolded again if Pam were to hear him. Kelly looks up from her painting and smiles when she sees who it is. “Hi, Roy. Here for another painting? I’m working on one right now that I think you might really like.”

“No, thanks, um, Carrie?”

“Kelly.”

“Right, sorry. No, thanks, Kelly. Uh, is Pam in?”

Kelly’s smile disappears and she snaps the gum she’s chewing before going back to her painting as she says, “Yeah, she’s here. She’s in the back.”

Jo walks in from the back room just then, wiping her hands off on an old rag. She smiles when she sees Roy standing near the door. “Hi, Roy, right? How are you?”

Roy brought his hands together in front of him. He recognized Jo from dinner last night, noticed how Pam kept glancing over at her, and although she seemed friendly enough, he knew he was being evaluated. Small towns were the same everywhere he’s been. He smiles politely before responding, “Fine, ma’am, how are you today?”

“Good. Pam will be out in a minute, she’s in the middle of a lesson but I’ll tell her you’re here.”

Roy nods. “Thank you.”

As Jo grabs her water then goes back into the back room, Roy can feel Kelly looking at him. He keeps his eyes casted down, though. Kelly is pretty, but he can tell she puts a lot of effort into her appearance, more of a forced beauty. He prefers women with a more wholesome look, like what Pam has.

“Roy?”

Singer stood up and went to stand by Pam, but she held a hand up and he sat back down, though he gave a final hmph and didn’t let up on his stare.

He looks up and smiles at her, “Hi, Pam.” He gestures towards Singer, “I guess he’s starting to get used to me, huh?”

Pam returns his smiles and crosses her arms over her chest, “Oh, don’t worry about him. We had a talk, I think he’ll be fine.”

“A talk?”

“Yeah, he just gets jealous.”

Roy raises an eyebrow and glances over at Singer, “Jealous?”

Pam shrugs, “You’d have to live with him to understand.”

He chuckles, “Okay.”

“So, what are you doing here?”

“Just wanted to visit, see how you were doing.”

“I’m okay, just kind of busy. Mondays are usually swamped, I’m on my third lesson this morning. Why aren’t you at work?”

“I am, kind of. Freelance gives me a bit of downtime, and I was nearby already, so I decided to stop by.”

“Just to see me?”

“I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

Pam smiles before offering, “I had a good time yesterday.”

“Me too.” He glances over at Jo and Kelly and although they both seemed to be occupied with other tasks, he knew they were trying to listen in. “Hey, could I talk to you outside for a moment?”

“I would, but I’m in the middle of a lesson.”

“Please? It will be quick, I promise. I know you’re working.”

She glances towards the back room before looking back up at him. “Okay, just give me one second while I make sure they’re okay and I’ll meet you out there.”

“Of course.”

Roy waves at Jo and Kelly before turning and walking out of the studio, leaning up against the front wall. A minute later, Pam appears, saying, “Okay, I’ve got less than two minutes before the kids realize I’m not in there again. What did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted you to myself for a minute.”

“You’re joking.”

“Not at all.”

She laughs a little, “But why?”

“Gee,” he says, playing innocent, “I wonder.”

Pam rolls her eyes, but keeps her smile. “I found your card this morning. You didn’t need to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“Kelly said you called this morning, were you checking to see if I found it?”

“No, I just wanted to hear your voice. Good memories and all, you know?”

“Already?”

“I was charmed.”

Pam nods, thinking, flattery is such a good way to start the day.

Roy starts to tug at his sleeve, pulling it down over his watch. “Um, actually, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Ah, I see how it is. You butter me all up before you spill the bad news.”

He laughs, “No, no.. just about our date. I was hoping Saturday would work for you?”

Pam frowns a little, remembering that Saturday was game night with Danny, Karen, and Jim. “I’d love to, really, but I’m supposed to meet up with some friends on Saturday. What about Friday? Or I’m usually free during the week in the evening.”

“I can’t. I got called in to go to Portland tonight and won’t be back until Saturday afternoon, and there’s a chance I’ll be called to go back next week as well. That part isn’t guaranteed but chances are I’ll have to go.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Are you sure you can’t go?”

She shakes her head, “I’m sorry, I can’t. They’re really good friends and I missed our last night out together, I can’t blow them off again.”

For a moment, an unreadable expression crosses Roy’s face, but just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. “Okay.”

“I’m really sorry.”

She frowns again when he looks past her for a second but then he looks back over at her and says, “Hey, it’s not a big deal. These things happen. Can I call you in a couple of weeks though? Maybe we can arrange something when I get back?”

A couple of weeks? Pam thinks, unsure if she wants to put her romantic life on hold for a guy she’s only gone out with once, even if she does like him. “Well.. what if you came with me? It’s just dinner, probably burgers or pizza, and some games. My friends are great, too, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you tagged along.”

“No, they’re your friends. I’m not all that great at meeting new people, anyway. I’m pretty shy, I guess. But I don’t want to make you change your plans. Hang out with your friends, and if you’re still interested, I’d love to take you out once I get back.” He smiles and nods towards the studio, “Listen, I said it would be quick and I don’t want to hold you up any longer. I’ve got to get back to work too.” He gestures towards her outfit and smiles again, “You look great today, by the way.”

He turned to leave and before Pam even knew what she was doing, she called out, “Wait, Roy.”

He looked back over at her, “Yeah?”

They’d understand, wouldn’t they? Pam thought, and I can always make it up to them. It’s just one night. “If you’ll be gone for a while, I’m sure I can switch some things around, maybe hang out with them on Sunday. I’ll call Karen and explain, I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“I don’t want you to bail on your friends because of me.”

“No, really, it’s okay. We see each other all the time, they won’t miss me.”

“Are you sure?”

Pam nods, “Absolutely.”

Roy just looks at her for a second, a small smile playing on his lips, and before she realizes it, he kisses her. Not a hard kiss, and for no longer than a couple of seconds, but a kiss, nonetheless.

“Thank you.” He murmured as he pulled away from her.

Pam just stands there, trying to think of something to say, but before she can, Roy is already turning around and walking away.

***

“Did he just kiss her??” Jim asked, his jaw all but to the floor.

Jim had just finished working on The Levinsons’ car when he looked up and saw Roy walking towards the studio. He glanced at the clock and seeing it was nearing lunchtime, anyway, he hung out by the garage door to eat his sandwich. He watched Roy walk into the studio, walk back out a moment later, followed by Pam shortly after. Danny had just walked up beside him when Roy leaned down to kiss Pam.

“Looks like it.”

“They don’t even know each other.”

“Well, they do now.”

“Thanks, Danny,” Jim scoffs, “that really helps me out here.”

Danny shrugs, “Do you want me to lie to you?”

“Right now, yes, I would.”

“Okay, well… that dude sure is ugly.”

Jim groans and put his face into his hands, wondering how much more he’s going to be tortured today.

***

Pam walked back into the studio, and though Jo raised her eyebrows at Pam, Pam just smiled and went back into the back room. She’s glad to see the kids are still working on their projects, seemingly unaware that she had ever left the room. The youngest, Charlotte, looks up when the door closes, though, and immediately starts telling Pam all about her painting.

“I decided to use green for the sky instead of blue because green is my favorite color. My brother’s favorite color is red, but I don’t like red because that’s his favorite color...”

Pam nods along, trying to look interested, and although she knows Charlotte is still talking, she couldn’t concentrate on anything she was saying. Instead, she could only think about what had just happened outside. He kissed me, she thinks, wondering why it’s such a big deal. It was barely a kiss, anyway, more like a peck on the lips, but she can’t get it out of her mind. She also can’t really tell how she feels about it. Maybe it’s just because he took her by surprise. She certainly didn’t expect that she would have been kissed today when she showed up to work. But something about it threw her off.

Charlotte goes back to painting and Pam checks in on her brother before going to the sink and washing her hands. Jo walks up to her as she’s drying them off and asks in a hushed tone, “Did I see what I think I saw? Did you just kiss him?”

“Actually, he kissed me.”

Jo frowns a little, “You don’t look too happy about it.”

Pam shrugs, looking over at the table to watch the kids paint as she thinks of a response. “I guess happy isn’t the right word for it, no.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. It was just…”

“Unexpected?”

Pam thought about it. While she really didn’t expect him to show up and kiss her, she does like the guy. She found him attractive and kind. She agreed to go out with him again this weekend. If he had kissed her then, she knows she wouldn’t be questioning it. In fact, she may have been insulted if he didn’t kiss her after their date this weekend. So… why does it feel like he just crossed a barrier without asking her permission first?

Pam shrugs again, tossing the rag into the sink behind her. “Yeah, I guess that’s it.”

Jo studied Pam for a moment before leaning up against the sink next to her. “Well, if it’s any help, I’d say he had just as good of a time last night as you did. He’s obviously very interested in you.”

Pam nods slowly, biting her bottom lip. After a minute she says, “Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“He left a card on my mailbox, I found it this morning as I was leaving for work.”

Jo raises her eyebrows and Pam looks over at her when she doesn’t respond. “You think it’s too much?”

“Not necessarily.”

“But it might be?”

Jo smiles reassuringly at Pam, “I don’t know. He might just be the type of guy who knows what he wants, and when he finds it, he goes for it with gusto. I’ve met a few men like that, married two of them.” Jo laughs which makes Pam smile. “And, hey, you are quite the catch. So, I don’t blame him.”

Pam smiles a little bigger, “Thanks, Jo.”

Jo grabs her hand and squeezes it gently before turning to walk out of the room. She reaches the door and turns back around. “Or, then again… maybe he’s just bonkers.”

Pam laughs, “Thanks a lot.”

Jo grins, “No problem. Like I tell everyone, welcome back to the wonderful world of dating. It’s never boring, is it?”

***

Roy closed the door to his car and couldn’t help the laugh that had escaped him. It had been a while since he had last laughed out loud, but he couldn’t help it. He gets jealous, Pam had said about her dog, as if she really thought he was human. Cute.

He loved going out with her last night. Her smile was so bright, and he couldn’t get enough of her laugh. He loved her resilience the most, though. She had told him about some of her past, and she had a tough deal thrown her way, one that would mark most with bitterness or resentment. But not Pam. No, she saw each day as a new opportunity to grow, bigger and stronger. He loved that about her.

She was lovely, how thoughtful and caring she was. He loved watching her get a childlike excitement as she described her job and how she struggled when deciding whether or not to skip out on her friends this weekend. He felt like he could watch her for hours and never grow tired of it.

I had a good time yesterday, she said. He was sure she had, nothing seemed to hint towards the opposite, but he had to visit her today to make sure. The mind does that to you, especially after something like a first date. He couldn’t help all the questions and concerns running through his mind after he had gotten home. Did he do this right? Should he have said that? Did he talk too much? Too little? He replayed the date in his head repeatedly, remembering Pam’s expressions and trying to figure out if she had ever hinted that he did anything wrong. He didn’t think so, but the thought wouldn’t leave his mind, not letting him sleep. It was almost four a.m. when he got up and dropped the note off at her house, hoping that would fill in any cracks he may have made during their date.

But after seeing her this morning, he shouldn’t have worried. They both had a great time, she said so herself. He was ridiculous to have even considered that there was any other outcome.

His cell phone rang, and he looked at the caller ID. Philbin from work, the foreman on his current project, no doubt calling with more bad news. Someone quit, we’re behind schedule, costs are higher than predicted. It’s always bad news when Darryl calls. He lets it ring, summoning Pam’s image once again as it goes to voicemail. He smiles a little, thinking it must have been fate that made them meet. There were a thousand other things he could have done that morning. He knew he wasn’t going back home for at least a few more weeks, there was no need to go souvenir shopping just yet, but something drew him into that studio, and he was lucky that Pam was right there, as if she was waiting for him.

His cell phone rang again and after confirming it was Philbin again, he ignores it once more.

He wishes he hadn’t kissed her today. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, but he’ll admit it was a bit too much, too soon. He was just so elated that she had broke off her plans with close friends in order to see him, that it just… happened. He couldn’t help himself.

But that’s no excuse, he shouldn’t have done it. When he takes her out on Saturday, he will give her some space. Let her come to her own conclusions about him, at her pace. He likes her, a lot, and so he’ll hold back. He doesn’t want to ruin this.

His phone rings again and without even looking at it, he sends it straight to voicemail then turns off the phone altogether. He leans back in his chair and plays out his meeting with Pam today again in his mind.

Very cute.

***

Pam finds herself sitting across from Roy on Saturday evening. She looks over at him and sees a small smile playing over his lips.

“What are you smiling at?”

He smiles a little bigger and shakes his head, looking down at his plate. “Oh, nothing. I was just daydreaming for a second there.”

“Am I that boring?”

He looks up at her, “No, not at all. I’m just really glad you were able to come out with me tonight.” He takes a bite of his pasta and then dabs the corner of his mouth with his napkin. “Have I told you that you look beautiful this evening?”

“Only about a dozen times.”

“Did you want me to stop?”

She smiles and takes a sip of her wine. As she sets it back down, she says, “No. Call me crazy, but I kind of like life on a pedestal.”

Roy nods, “Well, I’ll try to keep you up there.”

She glances around the restaurant. While most guys tried to impress her with a fancy dinner on the first date, almost all of them went a little cheaper by the second. Roy seemed to do the opposite, bringing her to an even nicer restaurant than he did last weekend. Sambuca Grille, a fancy Italian restaurant near downtown, the type of restaurant where the waiters dressed in black and white and every table had roses and candles. A bottle of Chardonnay sat in a bucket of ice in the center, their waitress coming back every few minutes to check if anyone needed their glass topped off. Roy had shown up in a linen jacket and although she was wearing one of her nicer dresses, she felt like she severely paled in comparison to the other women in the room. She certainly wasn’t used to this, but she had the feeling that Roy wouldn’t think that take-out Chinese and a blockbuster movie counted as a date. She wondered if she could get used to this kind of lifestyle.

He interrupts her thoughts, clearing his throat and then saying, “So, tell me about your week. Anything exciting happen while I was gone?”

“You mean at work?”

“Work, home, life, whatever. I want to know it all.”

“I should probably be asking you that question.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because,” she says, pausing to take a sip of her wine, “I work in a small art studio in a small, boring town. Nothing exciting happens, not in my life, anyway. Besides,” she gestures towards him, “I’ve realized I don’t know that much about you.”

“Sure, you do.”

“Not really. I’m not even sure what you do exactly.”

“I told you I’m a consultant, didn’t I?”

“You did. But you didn’t go into very much detail.”

He shrugs, “That’s because my job is boring.”

She raises an eyebrow, looking skeptical and he chuckles, “Okay… what I do… well. Just look at me as the guy who works behind the scenes to make sure the bridge doesn’t collapse.”

“See? That’s not boring.”

“That’s because I just made it sound more fun that it actually is. That’s just the fancy way of saying that I work with numbers all day. Most people would probably view me as a nerd.”

She runs her eyes over him, thinking, I doubt that. “Is that what the meeting was about?”

“What meeting?”

“The one in Portland.”

“Oh, no. I have a big project coming up in Austin. Well, my company is trying to bid on that project at the moment. It’ll be huge if we get it, but until then, it’s just a bunch of boring meetings in different cities, trying to get all the paperwork and numbers sorted out. Usually I have a team of people I can send out for these meetings, but I’m a little short staffed right now.”

Pam observes him in the low light of the restaurant. The light of the candle brings out the blue of his eyes. His face, rugged and boyish at the same time, reminded her of some of the men she would see in TV commercials growing up, she had always wondered what it would be like to marry one of those men.

She looks down and takes a bite of her salad, chewing and swallowing before asking, “Do you have any hobbies? Anything you do in your spare time?”

He pushes the rigatoni around on his plate with his fork as he contemplates an answer. “Not really. Outside of work and trying to stay in shape, I don’t have much time for anything else.” He looks back up at her. “I used to do photography, though. Was pretty good at it, too. Took a few college courses, almost made it my career. But it’s difficult to make a living from it, and I didn’t want to photograph weddings or cranky kids who were dragged in by their parents, so I didn’t.”

“You became an engineer instead.”

He nodded and they both took the lull in the conversation to take a sip of wine and a few bites of dinner. After another moment, Pam asks, “So, did you grow up in Portland?”

“No, I just moved there a couple of years ago. Grew up right outside of Boston, lived there all my life until I moved to Portland. Just needed a change of scenery.”

“What did your parents do?”

“Dad worked at a chemical plant. Mom was just mom until Dad died. Took care of me, cooked meals, kept the house clean, that kind of stuff. Once Dad died, though, she became a maid. Didn’t pay much, but she kept food on the table and a roof over our heads. She worked hard, sometimes I can’t believe she was able to keep up with it all.”

Pam smiles, “She sounds incredible.”

“She was.”

“Was?”

“Is.” He looks down, starts pushing his pasta around again. “She had a stroke a couple of years ago. She doesn’t know who anyone is or where she is, and it’s only gotten worse. I had to send her to a place in Salt Lake City that specializes in her condition.”

Pam winces, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay, you didn’t know. But, honestly, I don’t really talk about it. Kind of brings the mood down, especially when people find out my dad died too. Makes them feel sorry for me, not having any family around. But,” he smiles a little at her, “I guess I don’t need to tell you that.”

No, she thought, I know that all too well.

“Is that why you moved to Portland?”

“That was part of it. Um, I guess now’s a good time to tell you I was married. To a woman named Penny. I left because of her, too.”

Pam was surprised, though mostly just because he had never mentioned it before, even after she had told him about Mark. But she didn’t say anything, instead just nodded a little. She gave him a moment, could feel him debating whether or not he should continue. After a minute, he did, his voice flat.

“I don’t know what went wrong. I spent so long trying to figure it out. Sometimes I still do. I could talk about it all night, trying to fit the pieces together, see which ones belonged and which ones fell out of place, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. It just… didn’t work out.”

“How long were you married?”

“Four years.” He takes a long sip of his wine before looking back over at her. “Do you really want to hear about this?”

“Not if you don’t want to tell me.”

He laughs lightly, she can tell he’s relieved she had said that. “Thank you.”

“So, do you like Portland?”

“I do. I’m not up there much, this job has me all over the east coast, but it’s nice not being in hotels every night when I am able to go home for a bit. That’s what I like about this project. I’ll be in Scranton for a while, so I was able to find a place to rent. Plus,” he smiles, “I got the chance to meet you.”

As he was talking, Pam was struck with how much they had in common. Both being only children raised by single mothers, eventually having to leave and start fresh somewhere new. Both had been married before, and although their marriages ended differently, by the way he talked, she could feel that he was the one left behind, and he felt the loss of it afterwards. Pam loved Scranton, has come to call it home, but in all of her time here, she has never met anyone else who seems to understand just how lonely it can get. She has her friends, but when the holidays roll around and Jim, Danny, and Karen leave to go visit their parents and Jo flies to Florida to visit her sister, she’s left alone. But Roy seemed to get it, she liked that about him.

The evening wore on, the sky turning bright shades of orange and pink before settling into deeper shades of purple and black. Neither Pam nor Roy rushed through dinner, keeping the conversation light, collectively deciding that they had discussed enough of the deep stuff for one night. They ordered a slice of dark chocolate cake to share, eating from opposite ends until there was only a sliver left that neither would claim.

He held the door open for her as they left the restaurant. Fall was quickly approaching, but they were thankful that they still had at least a few more weekends of warm evenings before sandals were replaced with boots and light cardigans were replaced with heavy winter coats. They walked side by side down the sidewalk, having parked down the road so they could enjoy the nice weather. She glances up at him for a moment and smiles when she sees he was already looking at her.

I like him, she thinks, I’m not crazy about him yet. I’ll be ready to say good-bye later when he has to leave Scranton. But these dates have been nice, and I like him. That’s enough for now.

They get to a crosswalk, she presses the button and looks up at him as they wait for their cue to cross. “Do you like dancing?”

“Why? Do you want to go?”

“If you’re up for it.”

He smiles a little, she can see just a hint of a blush cross his cheeks, “I don’t know. I’m not very good.”

“Me neither. But I know a great place, it’ll be fun.”

“We could go find a place to get drinks or something?”

“We’ve been sitting for the past few hours. I’m ready to move some, aren’t you? Plus, we can get some drinks there, it’s a bar too.”

“Only if you promise not to wince when I step on your feet.”

She grins, “I promise.”

He returns her smile and shakes his head a little just as their cue to cross appears. He observes her, letting her stay one step ahead as they cross the road and head towards the car.

She’s a cautious one, he noticed. Kiss her once, and she’s questioning it all. But let her lead, and the caution seems to fade away. He opens the car door for her, watches her as she settles into her seat beside him. He knows she’s trying to figure him out. Trying to match the story he’s telling to the man sitting across from her during dinner. But there was no mistaking the look of sympathy written on her face when she realized how similar they really are.

***

Poor Richard’s was the bar everyone in Scranton frequented, even if the beer was usually flat and the air smelled like cigarette smoke, even though smoking inside had been prohibited for the past fifteen years. But there was a decent sized dance floor which was seldom empty, especially when bands were playing, which was almost every night. Locals said the other bars in town didn’t have the same character. You couldn’t find tables with the initials of practically every patron that has ever walked into Poor Richard’s scratched into the surface just anywhere.

Tonight’s band was Scrantonicity, a group that only played covers of songs by Police, but the owner loved them, so they were on stage more than not. The crowd seemed to like them, too, though Jim wasn’t quite sure how many more times he could hear their version of Roxanne without going insane.

There had been so many times when Jim thought that if they would just ask him to join them, maybe he could convince them to play covers by other artists. Maybe even write an original or two with them. He thought Kevin, the drummer and one of the lead singers, was going to ask him to join a couple of weeks ago, but that was a false alarm. Kevin had just wanted Jim’s cousin’s number. That had been depressing.

But, that seemed to be all Jim’s life was nowadays. This whole evening had been depressing. Actually, this whole week had been depressing. Ever since Pam stopped by after work on Monday to grab her keys from the garage and casually, as if it’s not a big deal at all, mentioned that she would be going out with Roy on Saturday instead of hanging out with them, he’d been in a funk. Mumbling to himself as he works, even complaining a few too many times to customers, to the point where they were asking Danny if he was okay. The worst of it, though, was after that, he couldn’t face her again. He would watch as she walked past the garage each day, Singer poking his head in to get a few extra pets before realizing Jim isn’t there and quickly catching up with Pam. He’d come out of hiding from the office or the bathroom, Danny rolling his eyes at him as Jim checks to make sure she isn’t nearby.

He’s just not ready to tell her the truth yet, and he knows if she sees him, she’s going to ask him what’s wrong. She always knows when something is bothering him, even if he tries to pretend everything is okay. But watching her walk by everyday just reminds him that he has no idea how to deal with this situation.

He liked Danny and Karen. Enjoyed the time he spent with them. But when it’s just the three of them, there’s no denying that he’s the third wheel of their little group. They sit on one side of the table, holding hands and occasionally sharing a drink, he has his own beer, slowly nursing it on his side of the booth. They go off and dance with each other as he stays back and watches, hoping no one thinks he’s some creep, here by himself, just watching the dance floor.

It’s almost worse when Karen asks him to dance. He can’t say no, she won’t take that as an answer even if he tried. So, he follows her out to the dance floor, head hung low, praying that no one realizes that he’s dancing with his sister. Sister-in-law. Whatever. That didn’t matter. It still felt like your mom asked you to prom because you couldn’t find a date. Embarrassing and a little pathetic.

Pam was supposed to be here. He was supposed to dance with her, have drinks with her, joke around with her. She was supposed to be their fourth wheel. And she would have been, if it wasn’t for Roy.

He scoffs. Roy.

He hated that guy.

He didn’t know him. Didn’t want to know him. It didn’t matter if Pam told Jim every detail about him. He would still hate him. Just thinking of his name made him scowl, and he’d been scowling a lot, all evening long.

Danny comes back from the dance floor, sitting down across from Jim in the booth. Jim watches as he takes a sip from Karen’s beer, having already ordered a replacement for her, ready to be opened once she returned from the bathroom. Danny gestures the bottle towards Jim. “Might want to switch up what you’re drinking there, Jimmy. Doesn’t seem like it’s sitting well with you.”

“I’m drinking the same thing you are.”

“True,” he smirks, “but you have to realize that some men can handle their beer better than others.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“My, aren’t we in a mood this evening.”

Jim rolls his eyes, “You’ve been teasing me all night.”

“Considering the way you’ve been acting, you deserve it. C’mon. We had a great dinner, I’ve graced you with my sparkling wit all evening long, Karen has made sure you aren’t sitting here alone all night like a loser whose date just stood him up.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be. I’m just saying, you have to lighten up about this. I know it sucks, but moping isn’t going to change anything. You’re just ruining the whole night.”

“I’m trying my best, okay?”

Danny holds his hands up in fake surrender. “My bad. I guess I’ve just been imagining all the scowls and deep sighs.”

Jim rolls his eyes once more before downing the rest of his beer and signaling the bartender for another.

Danny leans across the table in order to nudge Jim on the arm, “C’mon, man, you know I’m just trying to have a little bit of fun.”

“Yeah, at my expense.”

He gestures to the rest of the booth, “You’re the only one here. Who else am I supposed to pick on?”

Jim glares at him before twisting off the cap of the beer that was just dropped off.

Danny sighs, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry, okay? But listen, just because she’s out with Roy right now doesn’t mean you’ve lost your chance forever. This should inspire you to ask her out. Show her how much better you can be than fancy, schmancy Roy.”

“I was already planning on that.”

“You were?”

“Yeah. After we talked on Monday, I knew I had to ask her out. I was going to do exactly what you said. Tonight was supposed to be the night.”

Danny studied him for a minute before smiling and patting his arm. “Good. I’m really proud of you.”

Jim waited for more but when he didn’t continue, he asked, “What? No jokes this time?”

“No need to make jokes.”

“Why? You don’t believe me?”

“No, I believe you. I have to, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I’ll get to see you do it.”

“Huh?”

“The gods are with you, little brother.”

“What are you talking about?”

Danny took another sip of beer before nodding in the direction of the door. “Guess who just walked in?”