“Nice shirt, Dean,” a man with jet black hair and an easy smile said, coming down the stairs. Dean scowled at him, but let him pass. Jack hoped everyone commented on Dean's obnoxious shirt.
“Hey, Noah,” Jack greeted the newcomer. “Glad you could make it.”
“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Noah replied. “I still get to work the bar tonight, right?”
“Why do you think he invited you?” Owen quipped. “No one makes the drinks like you.”
Noah laughed, going around behind the back of the bar. “So, what'll it be, gents?” Noah asked, pulling out glasses and prepping the area. He moved easily, always on his toes. Jack still remembered that the man could pack quite a punch.
“Do you know a Naughty Shirley?” Jack asked with a wink. Noah grinned and pulled out a rounded glass. This was how the two of them had met: at a college bar with those same words. Unfortunately, Noah had been dating a girl named Shirley at the time. The two men's first meeting hadn't ended so well, with Jack learning just why the new bartender was at college on a partial boxing scholarship, but it had started their friendship.
“And for you, Owen?” Noah asked, setting the glass down.
Owen narrowed his eyes. “Nothing for me. I'm good.” At the original fight, Owen had sucker punched Noah once Jack went down. Despite years of protests to the contrary, Owen was certain Noah was going to try and get him back someday for the unclean hit. Noah swore that he had let Owen hit him and as such, felt no need to ever do anything in return. It had now turned into a form of game for the three of them.
“Um, I'm the bartender?” a quiet female voice squeaked by the stairs. All three men looked over at the girl standing on the bottom step shrinking quickly under Dean's impressive glare. “The woman upstairs told me to tell the guy wearing the Hawaiian shirt...”
“Quit scaring the poor girl,” Jack said, jumping up and putting his hand on Dean's shoulder. He knew Dean was just messing with her. In a dark vest and white shirt, it was obvious who she was. “Don't mind Dean. He's just mad that we made him dress up for the occasion.”
The girl smiled in relief. She was pretty, with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. Not really Jack's type, but definitely cute enough that he would enjoy her bar-tending for the evening.
“I'm Jack. The bar's this way.” Jack put his hand on her shoulder and guided her in the direction of the bar. Her eyes were darting every which way trying to take in everything all at once.
“I'm Izzy,” she replied. “Nice to meet you.”
She moved around the entrance of the bar, smiling at Jack and promptly ran straight into Noah, sending the ice from the drink he was making directly down his shirt.
“Oh crap! I'm so sorry,” she apologized, reaching for something to dry him off with. She flushed, and Jack thought it made her look prettier. It was such a natural thing to do. He realized, he had never seen Brandy blush like that.
“Don't worry about it. At least it was just ice,” Noah said, laughing. “I'm Noah. I'm going to be helping you out tonight.”
The two shook hands, something passing between them. Bartender secrets probably, Jack thought as Izzy blushed again. Noah released her hand and picked up a fresh glass, going back to the important task of making Jack's drink.
“A Naughty Shirley for the man of the hour,” he said, handing the completed drink across the bar to Jack. Jack took a big sip and let out a sigh of happiness.
“Best bartender ever,” Jack said, winking at Izzy. The two black eyes all those years ago had been worth it. The man knew how to make a drink.
“The woman upstairs didn't say anything about having someone else,” the female bartender said, looking at Noah and frowning slightly. It wasn't a big bar for the two of them to share.
“The guys brought me in special. I used to be their bartender when we were in college,” Noah replied with a grin. Jack could already see the wheels turning in Noah's head. Izzy was just his type.
“All right,” she said with an answering grin, pulling out an empty beer pitcher and chucking in a couple of ones. “What side of the bar do you want?”
“I'll take this side,” Noah said, inclining his head to the left.
“Barkeep!” Jack called out as he finished off his drink. “Sex on the Beach next, if you don't mind.”
“You know, you really have to buy me dinner first,” Noah told him with a wink. This banter was what had kept Jack from getting the man fired from his job.
“Make me an Angel's Tit, Noah,” Owen added.
“Any real drinks?” Izzy teased, snickering slightly.
“With these two?" Noah laughed. “Not likely. The reason I was their favorite bartender was because I was the only one who could make the drinks girly enough for them!”
Izzy started pulling out bottles of liquor to help Noah make the drinks. “So, you're Noah, you're Jack, the guy at the door is Dean, and you are?” she asked looking at Owen.
Noah, Owen, and Jack all looked at one another. Owen had just made the cover of “Business Weekly” as the top-performer at DS Oil and Gas. People came up to him at the airport because they recognized him. Jack started to laugh. Maybe Owen wasn't as famous as he thought he was.
“You don't know who he is?” Noah asked in disbelief.
“No...” she replied, looking carefully at Owen's chiseled good looks. “Should I?”
“This is my house. Jack here is just borrowing it,” Owen supplied. If she was a local, then she probably knew who all the big spenders on the island were. “Does that help?”
She frowned, thinking hard before shrugging. “I got nothing.”
Jack laughed. This was too much fun. He wondered for a moment if Rachel had found her on purpose. “Bob. His name's Bob. I guess you don't know Noah's or my last names?”
“If I didn't know his first name, how the heck am I supposed to know your last names?” she reasoned with him. His grin got bigger. “Why, are you guys famous or something?”
“Or something,” Noah said, handing “Bob” his completed Angel's Tit.
Two more men entered the man cave, getting past Hawaiian-shirt Dean with a nod. Logan, tall and slender with messy honey-colored curls patted him on the shoulder. Jack recognized the second man with a groan. It was Paul the lawyer. Jack was going to have to ask why in the hell Logan had brought the obnoxious man with him to the party.