Chapter 2: Together for the Weekend

I had half been wishing Kate would just stay in her school uniform. She looked pretty damn good in that little green and white kilt and the tight green sweater. But I needn’t have worried, because when she came back down the hall and said she was ready to go, she looked even better. She was wearing the outfit I’d gotten her on New Year’s Eve: a red, long sleeved sweater dress that fell just above her knees and clung tightly to every curve she had. The dress had a black belt around the waist, which served to accentuate her hips. As she had the first time she’d worn this dress, she’d finished it off with black pantyhose and a pair of black boots that she had borrowed from Jessica. It was hard not to stare, especially when she stood in front of where I was sitting and did a slow turn for me.

“Do you still like this outfit?” she asked.

I nodded. My mouth had gone dry. “Yes. I love that outfit. You’re a gorgeous young woman, Katelyn, and that dress lets your beauty shine.”

She blushed. “You’re so sweet. I’m glad you like it, since you paid for it. And do you like the stockings?”

“I do,” I said. “But you wore those last time, too, right?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I didn’t buy these until after you left to go back to Ottawa. Jessie and I went shopping with the gift cards you gave us for Christmas. I’ve never had a pair like these before. - they’re stockings, not pantyhose. See?”

And damned if she didn’t lift her skirt up far enough for me to see the top of the stocking. They were thigh highs, not the kind of stockings that require a garter belt. And I thought my mouth had been dry before.

“Jess wears stockings like this sometimes under short skirts. She says that when guys get glimpses of the tops as she moves around behind the bar, her tips really go up. Do you think that’s true?”

I had to swallow a couple of times before I could speak.

“I imagine it is,” I said. “I’d give your sister a big tip if she served me my drink while she was wearing a baggy sweatsuit. But if she was wearing a skirt that was short enough for me to see the tops of her stockings - well, I’d likely sign over my condo.”

Kate rolled her eyes.

“Men,” she said. “You’re so easily manipulated.”

There didn’t seem to be any response I could make to that, so I kept quiet.

I felt a bit underdressed in my jeans and buttondown shirt, but Kate assured me that I was just fine.

“It’s ok for the girl to be more dressy than the guy,” she said. “Girls like to dress up, especially when they have nice things to dress up in.”

I had been thinking that we’d walk over to Johnny’s, but since it was so cold, I asked Kate if she’d rather drive. She insisted that she’d be fine, and that she wanted me to be able to relax and have a couple of drinks if I felt like it without having to worry about driving. So we bundled up with scarves and toques and mittens and headed off into the night. It was cold, alright, but it was also clear, and the stars were shining brightly, even though we were in the city. As we reached the darkest point in our walk, Kate grabbed my hand, and pulled me to a stop, staring up at the starry sky. We stood for a couple of minutes, just taking it in, and then, when I noticed she was shivering, I suggested it was time to keep walking. She agreed, but kept her mittened hand in mine until we reached the bar.

Jessica looked up as we came in, and the smile that swept over her face made the cold walk more than worth it. She came and gave us each a hug, and we found a couple of stools at the bar where she could chat to us when she wasn’t too busy. Jess poured Kate a ginger ale, and brought me a rum and Coke. We ordered some food - I got wings, but Kate wanted pizza, and we agreed to share a Greek salad - and sat and watched Jess work.

I’d been struck, the first night I came into this place, by the way in which Jessica interacted with the customers. The customers at Johnny’s were predominantly male and mostly blue collar. Jess seemed to know most of them - or at least most of the ones who sat at the bar - by name. She’d touch one’s hand lightly as she gave him his drink or handed over his bill, and roll her eyes at another’s jokes. She’d give someone a hug as they left, another a high-five across the bar when they arrived. It was clear that they all loved her - and not just because they lusted after her, though I am sure that many of them did that as well. She wasn’t just a good looking woman, though she certainly was that. She was friendly, and seemed genuinely interested in each one of them. When she asked how their day was, she listened to their answers. She remembered what they liked to drink, all the way down to who wanted extra ice and who wanted no ice at all.

And no, I wasn’t jealous. I’d spent several nights sitting at that bar, watching Jess work, and I’d never seen her look at anyone with quite the same sparkle in her eyes as she got when she looked at me.

After a while, Jess told us she was taking a washroom break, and Kate went with her. There was a separate washroom downstairs for the staff to use. Carrie, the other bartender, came over to talk to me while Jess and Kate were gone.

“Oh em gee, was I glad to hear you came back. You know that she didn’t think you were going to, right?”

I nodded.

“I didn’t really know it until I got back. But I do now. The thought of leaving her never actually crossed my mind.”

She smiled. Before I’d met Jessica, I would have said that Carrie was cuter than what you’d expect to find behind the bar in a place like this.

“I know,” she said. “But I couldn’t convince her of that. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? But it also makes it grow suspicious.”

“Yeah, there’s some truth to that.”

“I tried to tell her that no guy who’d fallen as hard for a woman as bad as you did for her was going to go anywhere. But she was still worried. She asked me for tips on how to keep you, if you did come back.”

I chuckled.

“She told me what advice you gave her.”

“Told you, or demonstrated?”

“I don’t kiss and tell,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, a smug smile on her face.

“I guess that means I should say thank you.”

“Right? And hey, I knew you weren’t going walk away. But she was desperate for some tips. So I gave her the best advice I know. Keep your man’s balls empty, and he won’t wander far.”

I was still trying to think of a reply when Katie slid back into her place on the stool beside mine, and Carrie moved to the other end of the bar.

Katelyn and I sat and chatted with each other and with Jessica until a little after 11:00, when Kate’s boss, John, came over with Carrie.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s slow tonight. The cold is keeping everyone at home. One of you might as well go.”

“Is that an offer or an order?” Carrie asked. She looked just a bit worried about losing three hours pay.

“It’s ok, Carrie,” Jess said. “I’ll go. You stay.”

“Thanks, girl. I owe you one.”

Jess shook her head. “Nah. It’s really ok. I already talked to John about cutting down my hours a bit.”

Jess brought me our bill, which I paid, and then she headed downstairs to get her coat and purse. I drained my glass - how many rum and Cokes had Jess brought me? - and held Kate’s coat for her. When Jess came back, she said goodnight to the staff, and the three of us stepped out into the night to walk back home.

The sky was still as clear as crystal, and the temperature had dropped even further, especially since we were now walking into the wind. Both girls slipped a hand into mine as we walked across the parking lot. We didn’t talk. It was too cold for that. We just walked.

Once inside, we were at least out of the wind, though the apartment didn’t feel very warm. There was a draft from the windows, and while some heat was coming from the radiators, it didn’t seem to be making much headway. We all cycled into and out of the bathroom, and while I was taking my turn the girls pulled on the matching flannel PJs I’d given them in their Christmas stockings. I had changed, in the bathroom, into boxers - my customary sleep wear these days.

“I’m freezing,” Kate said, to no one in particular. “Alex, will you go in the middle? You’re always so warm.”

I glanced at Jessica, and she nodded, so I climbed into the middle of the bed, and soon had a gorgeous young woman cuddled up against each side. Kate put her feet onto my legs, making me jump.

“Wow,” I said. “You are cold!”

“Told you,” she said. “But sorry. I can move my feet.”

“No, it’s ok. Leave them there. I don’t mind. It was just a surprise, that’s all.”

In response, Kate leaned over and kissed my cheek. I turned my face to Jessica, and she kissed me, too, though she directed hers towards my lips.

“It’s so nice to have you back,” she said.