Chapter 39
Outside the Cedar Falls Inn, the evening sky was still light, but the temperature had come down a little bit. Mary struggled to put on her cardigan and Jake stepped in to help.
“Well, that was really great,” Dot said. “Thanks for taking us.”
“The night is young,” Tommy said. “What do you guys think about taking them over to the White Horse Saloon? They’ve got karaoke tonight.”
“We have a White Horse bar in the Village, too,” Mary said.
“Do you think it’s the same white horse?” Jake asked.
“Better than your high horse, Officer,” she teased back.
“Mary can sing!” Harper shouted. Mary shot her a look.
“All right, New York. You’re full of surprises,” Jake said. “I say we do it.”
“Fine. One round. One song. That’s it,” Mary said, climbing into the front seat of the Suburban. Harper and Dot scrambled into the far back telling Danny and Tommy they were happy to sit back there.
About fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to the bar. It was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by huge pine trees, and there were several pickups and SUVs in the parking lot.
“Oh yeah. This is my kind of place,” Jake said, pulling into an open parking spot.
Inside, the bar was hopping. It was a casual spot, with men dressed in jeans and T-shirts, and women in light summer dresses or shorts and T-shirts. The Crew stood out.
A large man in a plaid shirt and jean shorts came over. “By golly, it’s the Taylor boys. It’s good to see you. You too, Danny!”
“Ladies, this here is Big Keith,” Tommy said. “We went to school with his daughter. Keith, this is Mary, Harper, and Dot. They’re from the Big Apple. Thought we’d bring them to a real bar.”
“Welcome,” Big Keith said in his booming voice. “Ladies, you’re doing me a favor. This joint could use a little classing up. First round’s on me.”
The walls of the place were wood paneled in rough planks, and a long bar stretched across the entire length of it.
Stools that swiveled lined the bar, and several bartenders stood ready to serve.
They poured beer from the tap or mixed vodka and sodas into plastic cups.
Whole peanuts were given away for free, and customers were free to throw the shells onto the floor.
Long tables with benches filled the rest of the bar, and a makeshift stage took up one of the short ends of the building.
At the other end, a few guys played darts.
They definitely weren’t in the Big Apple anymore.
Danny snagged a table and Jake took their drink order up to the bar. Tommy wrangled them some peanuts and shelled a few for the girls.
A group of women in their forties were having a birthday party there. And one of them was up singing “Before He Cheats,” by Carrie Underwood.
“I imagine there’s a story behind that choice,” Tommy said.
“Oh, definitely.” Harper winced, thinking of being humiliated by Kai in Africa.
Why did that still sting so much? Here she was, with her friends, a good-looking guy that she liked.
She didn’t know why she tended to self-sabotage any possible good opportunities.
She vowed to just let herself have fun for the rest of the night.
“Who’s getting up there?” Jake asked. “Danny? Should I put your name in?”
“No, no, I’ll just watch,” he said, trying to get out of it.
“Not allowed. But I won’t make you go first.” He looked around. “Okay, Tommy. It’s you and me.”
Jake put their names on the list, and they waited through a seventy-year-old man singing “Free Bird” and a young woman who gave Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” a try.
“Yikes,” Mary said.
“What, you don’t think they’d make it on American Idol?” Jake asked her.
“I mean, you’ve got to have standards.”
Finally, the twins were called. The Crew and Danny cheered them on and while they did their best with “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.
“Crushed it,” Danny said to Jake when they’d returned. “If this cop thing doesn’t work out, maybe Tommy will let you sing at the bar.”
“I could work for tips,” Jake said.
“You’d starve. No one is paying to hear you sing.” Tommy loved to tease his brother.
The night was going well, but Dot thought of a way to spice things up. “I have an idea,” she said.
“You always have an idea,” Mary said. “No one can keep up.”
“Ignore her, Dot. Tell us.” Harper elbowed Mary.
“Let’s try this. Karaoke roulette,” Dot said. “We split into two teams. We’ll pick three songs, and you three pick three songs, then we’ll take our chances for who has to sing what.”
“I’m down,” Tommy said.
“Sounds like it’s boys against the girls,” Jake said.
“I love it,” Harper said.
“Well, I’m not very competitive,” Mary chimed in. “But we will win.”
“Well, let’s see what you’ve got, New York.” Jake couldn’t wait to hear her sing.
Dot found a napkin and borrowed a pen to divvy up the challenges.
They were on another round of drinks and Jake also brought a big pitcher of ice water for the table. “Everyone needs to hydrate,” he instructed. Mary admired how he took charge. She downed a glass of water.
They turned in their picks and the deejay got a kick out of this game. He got to choose the song and who would sing it.
Up first was Harper. They gave her “Since U Been Gone.” “Seriously, you guys? Kelly Clarkson, please forgive me for what’s about to happen.” She covered her face with her hands. Mary shed her sweater and she and Dot got up to sing backup to help Harper out.
“You were wonderful,” Tommy said, hugging Harper. She felt embarrassed but let herself be squeezed tight.
Tommy was chosen to sing “Sweet Caroline,” which was what the entire bar wanted to hear. And then Jake went for it with the “Folsom Prison Blues.” Then the three guys were challenged by The Crew with “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”
“How am I supposed to sing about a place I’ve never been?” Danny laughed, having more fun than he’d had in ages. Dot cheered him from her seat. When they finished, they clasped hands and Dot praised him.
“You were so good!” She showered him with praise.
“You’re crazy,” Danny said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. She felt his lips on her skin long after he’d pulled away and took his seat.
Next was Mary. “Song choice is everything,” Jake called. She went up and found out what they’d chosen.
“You have to be kidding me.” But she knew she couldn’t get out of it. She looked to the ceiling to gather herself. Then she belted out Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” Everyone in the White Horse Saloon was on their feet, dancing and singing.
“Rollin’ on the river!” Mary finished, threw her arms in the air, and curtsied twice before handing back the mic.
In a surprise move, the deejay called up Danny and Dot.
“‘Shallow’? Oh my gosh,” Dot said, instantly realizing what this was. A setup. She wondered if Danny would be okay with this, while she shot the group a look, wondering which of them had dared to do this.
At first, they didn’t look at each other while they sang.
But then, Danny reached for Dot’s hand, and she lifted her eyes to meet his.
The crowd roared their approval and gave them more confidence to keep going.
Dot knew she was no Lady Gaga, but she also knew that Danny gave Bradley Cooper a run for his money in the looks department.
They made a striking couple. Mary leaned over to Harper. “We’re far from the shallow now, that’s for sure.” Harper raised her eyebrows and nodded.
Danny and Dot’s chemistry was undeniable. They finished and smiled at the crowd, put their arms around one another, and took a bow.
“That was . . . Well, that wasn’t terrible,” Danny said when they’d sat down again.
“No. Not at all,” Dot said, reaching for a glass of water to cool down.
The last song of the night was one for the entire bar to sing. “Friends in Low Places” brought the house down, and everyone settled up with Big Keith.
Suddenly, it was two in the morning.
“I haven’t been out this late in ages,” Harper said.
“Who needs the city that never sleeps when you can have Cedar Falls?” Tommy asked.
Jake, sober all night long, drove The Crew home. Everyone got out of the Suburban and gave each other hugs goodbye. Dot and Harper started toward the house and Danny and Tommy got back into the vehicle.
Jake and Mary stood alone on the sidewalk. She’d taken off her heels and carried them in one hand, her clutch under her arm, and her sweater tied around her neck. He reached for her free hand.
“Can I see you tomorrow after my shift, New York?”
“You won’t leave me hanging?”
“Save room for dessert. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Mary counted down the time. Eighteen hours until she’d see Hot Cop Jake again. This was so impractical, she thought, knowing their stay in Cedar Falls was only temporary. But still, she could hardly wait.