Page 85 of The Bartender Special

The moment he asked, Jack knew he’d hit some kind of something. Benny’s smile wavered in a way that didn’t seem like he was in control of it. That someone else had instead tied strings to it and wiggled.

A weird silence stretched between them.

Jack almost took his question back when Benny finally answered.

“They were in the pageant,” he said. “But I don't think what they did will work for us. My parents had been dating for a while by the time they were in it and my mom used their first festival date to try and convince my dad to move in with her. Dad, who was a self-proclaimed commitment-phobe, freaked out. So much so that he actually ignored her for a few days leading up to the pageant. Then, when he showed up and tried to apologize for freaking out, she said they would do the pageant because she'd already committed to it but after that? She was done. They were through.” Benny’s off-kilter smile transformed into a grin.

Jack felt lighter again.

“They had this dance routine they'd practiced for their talent before, but Dad decided to scrap it as soon as they got onstage,” he continued. “Instead, he sat my mom down on one of the props and sang Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler to her. A capella.”

Jack laughed out in surprise.

“No way.”

“He sure did. In front of the entire town, he committed to a very rough bit just to prove he loved her.”

Jack whistled.

“Oof. I’ve heard a few people at Cassidy’s attempt that song during karaoke and it’s a hard one with music. I’d be sweating bullets.”

Benny laughed.

“Well, Dad even sang the high parts. No music. Just him. Mom said it was so embarrassing, but Dad stood by his reasoning that it was the only way she'd see he was all in, despite being clueless at first.”

“And I'm guessing, since I've met you and your brother, that it smoothed things over between them?”

“Definitely. Mom said he could have stopped at the chorus and she would have forgiven him. It was the single weirdest and sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. They got married six months later.”

Jack was all admiration.

“What a power move.”

Jack took a moment.

Then he narrowed his eyes at Benny.

“But you don't dance on stage ever and I don't sing on stage ever, okay?” he underlined. “No one wants to hear me try to carry a tune. Not even for love.”

Benny agreed without complaint and they officially took singing and dancing in public off the table. His attention wandered over to the beach next.

Golden Boy and Felicity had set themselves up on chairs they'd pulled from the boat. They had been in a constant loop of talking and laughing since they’d sat down.

“You know, we never asked what it was they were doing for their talent,” Benny realized. “We could go over there and fish around? See if we can't get it out of them.”

Part of Jack wanted to know what their competition was thinking, but the louder, more insistent part of him had decided Benny’s idea had an ulterior motive behind it.

Jack instantly remembered Benny’s expression back on the boat during Carol’s little game.

The man hadn’t known any of the answers.

Except for Marcus’s.

He grabbed Benny’s wrist and gently pulled them further into the water.

“Honestly,” he said. “I rather keep doing what we're doing.”

Benny didn’t disagree.