Maisie wove through the crowd of people huddled around the hostess stand waiting for a table, and found Caleb at the bar, where he'd secured two recently vacated stools. He pulled one out for her and handed her a drink menu as she carefully stepped up on a metal rung to hop up. She set her clutch and phone on the bar.
"Thank you," she said.
He nodded, and glanced around in search of the bartender. They'd be lucky to spot anything in the dark bar - Maisie wondered if the proprietors thought matching toe lighting to the time of day was a good plan for business. She'd like it better if there were at least twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling to represent the stars. As it was, she had to pull out her phone to illuminate the menu.
"What'll you have?" The bartender shouted as he stepped closer and slapped his hands on the counter in front of Maisie.
"Whiskey neat," Caleb said.
"Vodka soda," Maisie said, sliding the laminated menu towards the young man. He snatched it and sauntered away, presumably to fix their drinks. Maisie turned slightly to face Caleb, whose face was partially hidden in dark. She could make out a strong jawline, but not much else. Before she could say anything, he abruptly turned.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"What?"
"I keep putting my foot in my mouth," he leaned one elbow on the bar. "It's true that I only did this because my sister made me, but that's not your fault and I shouldn't have acted like it was."
"Oh." She swiveled closer to him and picked her words carefully. "I'm okay if you don't want to treat this like a date."
"I think we've passed the point of no return." He grinned. "I guess I should explain what's going on with me."
She shook her head. "Don't feel like you have to talk about anything you're uncomfortable sharing."
A coaster skidded towards Maisie's hands. The bartender plonked a drink on top of it. "I think this is yours," she said to Caleb. The brown liquid swirled in the glass as she slid it over. The bartender had disappeared again. "Do you think he's coming back with mine?"
Caleb leaned further across the bar. "Hey!" he called. The bartender ignored him. "HEY!" he called louder. The bartender turned slowly.
"What?" he shouted.
"My date's drink?"
"Hold on a sec."
"It's fine," Maisie said, putting a hand on Caleb's arm.
"He's being an ass."
"I've dealt with worse."
He laughed. "And within the last eight hours."
She withdrew her hand and laughed, too. "You're not so bad."
"I meant Keith and Eugene."
"Of course." She smiled. "They weren't so bad, either."
A second coaster hit the counter, followed closely by a half-full glass. The bartender was already gone by the time she looked up to say "thank you." As she took a sip, her phone vibrated. Automatically, she turned it over and read the text.
"Eugene and the other guys invited me to a house party in Jersey. I'll see you in the morning."
Classic Talia, she thought, and stuffed the phone in her purse. "Sorry about that."
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Oh yeah. My friend, Talia, was just letting me know she's not coming back to the hotel tonight."
"Ah." A few moments of awkward silence passed between them. Maisie thought Caleb was going to speak several times, but he always seemed to change his mind. Finally, Caleb downed his glass and returned it to the bar with a clunk. "I have two kids - twin girls," he said.
Maisie nodded. "I know. I saw you in the elevator at the hotel and offered to help you with them."
His brows raised dangerously fast. "What?"
"Yeah, right before I went over to the Buzzfeed offices."
His mouth opened and closed, then opened again. "Oh yeah. I remember now. Jesus Christ, I'm such a dick."
Maisie burst out laughing, and after a few seconds Caleb joined in.
"My sister was on her way to pick them up and they weren't cooperating. It had nothing to do with you. They are the reason I agreed to do the dating game thing - my sister promised she would take them for an entire night if I did it, and I haven't had a night to myself since before they were born. Does that make me sound like a terrible father?"
"Not at all!"
He fiddled with his empty glass. "Their mom, my wife, she passed away really suddenly about a year ago. I wasn't supposed to be a single dad, you know?"
She didn't know. And she didn't know how to respond. "I'm so sorry."
He shrugged. "I worry about them. What if I'm doing everything wrong?"
"You're not. Just the fact that you're worried tells me you're doing something right." She finished off her drink. "Why don't we get out of here? If this is your one night free from the chains of parenthood, do you really want to spend it in a dark, crowded, loud bar with a rude staff and subpar drinks?" She reached into her purse and pulled out some cash.
"A little peace and quiet would be nice," he agreed. "But I've got the bill." He blocked her from putting the money on the bar and took a credit card from his wallet. He waved it in the air and the bartender magically materialized in front of them. A minute later he was back and gave Caleb a receipt.
He signed with a flourish. "Where should we go?"
She took a deep breath. "Talia's not coming back tonight." She paused. His face was hidden in darkness again. "Want to come to my hotel?"