Everyone else did the same except for Martin — Bayleigh had come his way again and was leaning on the bar, laughing with him about something.
My mood soured a little tiny bit, but I smiled anyway.
“You guys doing okay?”
“Great, actually,” Adrienne said, leaning toward Tyler. “Tyler and I actually figured out we know each other.
“Kind of,” he added. “She’s Pharaoh Carson’s rep.”
“Ah,” I said with an understanding nod. “Hopefully the mess has blown over sooner than later, right?”
Tyler smiled. “Jack’s the best at what he does, so I don’t doubt it will be.”
“Maybe I can smooth things over with my boss on the matter too. Team effort, right?” Adrienne took a sip of her drink. “Cam, I’m so jealous that you have such a cool job. This is way better than sitting in some office in Midtown every day in heels and a pencil skirt.”
“Amen,” I said with a laugh, raising my glass as I looked Adrienne over again. She was drop-dead gorgeous — she could have easily been a model. Her face was perfect, from the structure itself to her impeccable makeup, her dark hair spilling out in waves from under her Catwoman mask. And of all the women in Wasted Words dressed in spandex, she was the only one who didn’t have an errant lump or bump — just the soft, sultry curve of her breasts to her hips.
She was beautiful. Successful. Nice. And she was into Tyler.
He was into her too.
They’d be an ideal match.
I smiled at her, playing it all out in my head. In part, it made me feel a little sick, sort of like looking down off the top of the Empire State Building, dizzying vertigo. I didn’t quite understand it, though I recognized it distantly as some form of jealousy — not the ragey type, just more of a … longing, I guess you could say. But I shook my head, stepped back from the ledge, and put on my matchmaker hat. Because Tyler deserved the absolute best, and this chick was the cream of the crop.
“I’m so glad you came tonight, Adrienne.” And I meant that in more ways than one.
She smiled again. Seriously, she and Tyler could have been in an ad for teeth whitening or orthodontics. “Me too,” she said. “This place is great. It’s got everything a girl needs — booze, books, and boys.” She glanced at Tyler, and he leaned in closer.
I felt a little like puking. Must have been that taco truck.
Ruby rushed over, bright red hair shining. “Hey, Cam. I just caught some people making out in Erotica.”
I laughed. “Well, at least they picked the right aisle. Did you break them up? I don’t want to damage books out of inventory on account of bodily fluids.”
“Yeah, I had Sammy bust them up, but the guy’s pretty wasted and kind of causing a scene. What should we do?”
I turned back to the group. “You’ll have to excuse me. Enjoy yourselves, okay? I’ll try to make it back over when I can.”
They all waved, even Bayleigh, that traitor, and I followed Ruby through the crowd to deal with the horny drunks. That was my first hint that the night had been a success, and in more than one way.
Cam
From that point, it was one thing after another — the ice machine lost its shit and shot ice all over the back room. By the time we got that cleaned up, it was time for another round of games, and this time I split everyone up by neighborhood. Tyler and Adrienne ended up together, which was just another reason why they’d be great together. If she’d lived in Brooklyn, the whole operation would have been doomed.
We found more people getting fresh in the darker corners of the bookstore, and I started working out numbers to have an extra man on staff to patrol for lovebirds and general mischief.
The bar was still full when we shut it down and kicked everyone out, and the costumed singles left in a stream, some holding hands or hanging on to each other, hopping in cabs together.
Like I said, it was a success.
Tyler walked Sarah and Adrienne out, and I watched them through the double glass doors with a weird smile on my face. At least it felt weird, like my cheeks pinched in a way that didn’t feel quite natural. All this time, I’d had my eyes peeled for a match for Tyler, and now I found one. I just couldn’t figure out why I felt woozy about it. My mind wandered again to the taco truck. It had to be that, because the alternative was just too awkward to fathom.
I didn’t have feelings for Tyler. The thought was absolutely absurd.
Tyler put the girls in a cab, opening and holding the door for them, waving goodbye as they pulled away from the curb.
As he walked in, his hands were in his pockets, and he was smiling, lips together, a simple, content expression.
“That was great, Cam. You did it again — another successful singles night.”
I smiled back, taking his arm as he approached and we walked toward the bar. He smelled like leather, and I tried not to inhale super loud like a creep. “Hopefully they’ll all be this good.”
He looked down at me. “Oh, they will be. This is your zone, your field, your house. I don’t doubt the next one will be even better.”
I sighed, relieved. “Thanks, Tyler.”
He squeezed my hand between his bicep and ribs, still smiling. “Anytime.”
Bayleigh and Greg were already breaking down the bar, pulling the mats and storing the garnishes, wiping the surfaces and washing glasses. They ran their checkouts, and I went through their slips to make sure everything matched up as Sammy locked up and canvassed the store to make sure there weren’t any lingerers. Before long, we were set to go, everyone except Bayleigh and Greg.