11:02 p.m.
“SO WHO do you like?”
“Nobody on this planet at the moment,” Veena said, stirring the dregs of her second martini with a single blue-cheese-stuffed olive speared on a wooden toothpick.
“I’m sorry,” she continued. “I can’t stop thinking about those texts. How can two human beings be so awful to each other? You start out with the best intentions, maybe you even think you’re in love. You promise to take care of each other, be there for each other no matter what. But time passes, as it always does, and there comes the inevitable day when all of those promises are forgotten. You can’t remember why you’re even together. How did you end up trapped like this with a person you can barely stand? Do all relationships come with an expiration date?”
“No, no,” Cooper said. “I meant who do you like for the game on Sunday? I’m waiting for a call from Red. You want in on some of the action?”
Veena didn’t know if she should laugh or dump the remnants of her martini over Lamb’s head. Instead, she slipped on her sunglasses and tried to force herself to sober up. They poured them strong here.
“Sure, I’ll play along,” Veena said. “Put me down for a thousand bucks on, um, whatever team is not the Eagles.”
Cooper grinned. “You have no idea who’s playing, do you?”
“Does it ultimately matter? Overpaid gladiators in heavy padding dancing back and forth on a lawn. I mean, what is created? What possible benefit is there to mankind? Is there a point other than distracting beer-guzzling, nacho-eating Americans for an evening of capitalism and brutality?”
“I don’t know, V. Maybe it’s a good thing that we channel our collective aggressions into something frivolous rather than killing each other on the streets.”
“Plenty of people get killed anyway.”
Cooper held up a hand as if calling for a time-out. “Hang on,” he said, sputtering a little. “Rewind a sec. How can you not bet on the home team? How are you even a Philadelphian?”
“No idea,” Veena said. “But it will be worth losing every penny of that thousand bucks for the reaction you just gave me.”
Cooper smiled and leaned back. “Nicely done, Ms. Lion.”
“Rowrr.”
“Baaaaa.”
They locked eyes. There were no more elements of the case to discuss. They’d run out of jokey banter. It was just the two of them, practically alone in this bar, with the server washing martini glasses and generally minding his own damn business.
The phone on the bar top buzzed, breaking the spell. Cooper scooped up his cell. “Hey! Red! Glad I caught you, man.”
Veena watched Cooper as he placed their bets. He really did put her down for a grand! She had been kidding, but oh, well. The words coming out of his mouth were all nonsense to her. But his mouth curled occasionally into a boyish, playful smile, even though Red on the other end of the line couldn’t see it. Was that meant for her? Veena didn’t care. She wanted it anyway.
Without notice or preamble, Veena leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. She delighted in the surprised murmur that escaped his mouth—“Mmm, lemme get back to you, Red”—before pressing her case further. She heard his phone hit the bar top, and not gently. He cupped one side of her face with his hand and settled in for a long, searching kiss, totally unafraid of being seen.
Veena was relieved. Cooper Lamb was just as drunk as she was.
During a break in the action she whispered into his ear, “I like us like this.”
“So do I. Let’s go to your place.”
“No,” she said softly. “I mean I like us like this, at this moment in time. No expectations, just us. Nothing to complicate things. I don’t ever want to hate you.”
“Just keep my mouth busy so I won’t say anything stupid.”
Ah, but it was too late. The moment was over. Veena leaned back on her stool. The bartender busied himself with washing pint glasses and trying very hard not to notice their impromptu make-out session.
“Danny, can we get the check?”
Cooper blinked. “So that’s a no to your place?”
“Right away, Danny.”
She had to give Cooper credit. He tried to play it cool and gently nudge her back into the zone she’d just left: Touching her hand. Asking her to take off her sunglasses again. Suggesting they split a rideshare, you know, so they could discuss the next steps of the case. Veena gently rebuffed all these advances and gathered her things. “Give Lupe a kiss for me.”
“Hang on. The dog gets a kiss too?”
“Just be glad you didn’t bring Lupe to the bar. You would have been completely out of luck.”