“Maybe you should get to know him better,” May said with a pointed look before she walked back over to the other side of the bar.
“Gee, thanks,” Jasmine muttered as she collected the receipt from the register and stuck it in a payment wallet.
She left the receipt with the departing guests, thanking them and wishing them a good evening. Then she gathered what was left of her patience and carried the check over to the Dynamic Duo. She felt Will’s eyes on her as she passed his table. He had chosen a seat close to the frat boys, she assumed so he could best see the television currently showing SportsCenter.
“Here you go,” she said, presenting the payment wallet to the guy who’d been handing her the lines all evening.
“Wait, we’re not ready to close out the check yet,” her pursuer said.
“Yeah,” his friend agreed with a wide grin. “We’ve barely tapped the keg.”
Her pursuer shifted so his elbows were on the table and he was leaning closer to her. “What I really want to tap is that fine ass of yours, sweetheart.”
A loud laugh had them all glancing at Will. Seeing their attention had shifted to him, he made a show of getting himself back under control and said, “Sorry. I heard them coming up with that line together and I made a bet with myself that they’d never actually say something that terrible out loud. I lost.”
Jasmine looked back at the drunk guys and saw their puzzled frowns as they reasoned through what Will had said. After a minute, her pursuer finally clued in.
“What the fuck do you know, man?”
The look Will pegged him with was now cool and humorless. “I know she’s way out of your league, junior.”
Both of the frat guys surged to their feet. Will just watched them and sipped his beer.
“Holy shit!”
The outburst came from the magazine-reading guy. His gaze shifted from Will to the television and back again. It prompted Jasmine and the frat boys to do the same thing. There on the screen, Will was doing a post-game interview. He stood on the field in his uniform, dwarfing the female reporter beside him. The banner under his name said he had secured the win in a thirteen-inning game that evening.
“You’re Will Campbell,” the magazine guy said, also getting to his feet. “You’re in my fantasy baseball league, dude. What an awesome game today.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I get your autograph?”
“Sure.”
Everyone else in the bar was now watching the interaction. The two frat guys didn’t seem to know what to say. Jasmine opted to leave the check with them and do another walk-through of the dining area. After she checked on the two females and got their request for their checks, she headed back to the register. May hurried to her side.
“You didn’t mention hunka-hunka is a professional baseball player,” she said as Jasmine processed the checks. Her eyes were on Will where he was now signing autographs for a couple of older guys who had been sitting at the bar talking May up half the evening.
“What difference does it make?”
May looked at her like she had two heads. “It makes him even hotter, don’t you think?”
Jasmine shrugged and slid the payment slips into two payment wallets. “I haven’t thought about it. He’s here to talk to me about teaching his daughter to dance.”
Her sister gave her a light shove. “He’s married? You might have led with that.”
“He’s a single dad.”
“Oh. Divorced? He looks awfully young.”
“I don’t actually know,” Jasmine said, stepping around the counter. “It’s really none of our business.”
May made a face at her. “You’re no fun.”
Ignoring her, Jasmine headed over to hand the two women their checks. The next ten minutes involved getting the remaining customers all cashed out and ushering them out the door. It seemed Will had managed to put the frat boys in their place, as they didn’t attempt to flirt with her again. They didn’t leave much of a tip either, but she’d rather expected that.
Will signed autographs for a few other customers as they headed out. He was just shaking the hand of the last guy to depart when Jasmine approached him again.
“I hope you didn’t want another beer,” she said, collecting his empty glass. “We’ve hit closing time.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “I’ll just pay for this one.”
“It’s on the house,” she said. “For taking the time to sign all the autographs and for getting Frat Boys One and Two to back