feeling it’s going to be a really short engagement.”
“You could be right,” Lonnie told her. “They sure don’t look very happy about it.”
Brian nodded. “They’re getting off to a bad start, that’s for sure. He looks really mad and he just banged his fist on the table. And I can see that Darcy’s been crying.”
“Do you think I should go over there and see what’s wrong?” Lonnie asked.
Cassie shook her head. “That’s a bad idea. He looks too mad to be reasonable and he’s bigger than you are.”
Alvin came over with a tray of drinks and placed them in front of Cassie. “Here’s your flight of Tequila Sunrises. Are you going to share them with Brian?”
Cassie nodded. “I’m only having one. The other two are Brian’s. And Lonnie wants Coke after he finishes his beer.”
“Figures,” Alvin nodded, side-stepping to the soda gun behind the bar, filling a glass, and stepping back to set it in front of Lonnie. “You’re being careful tonight, huh, Lonnie?”
“You bet. It’s nasty out there on the highway and I could get called in at any time.”
“You’re right and the Coke’s on the house. The boss likes to support our law enforcement officers.”
Lonnie nodded, knowing that wasn’t true. The last people the owner wanted in his establishment were law enforcement officers who might pick up the Double Eagle customers on their way home.
“It was bad when I came to work and that was at four this afternoon,” Alvin told them.
“And it’s still nasty,” Lonnie agreed.
“I know. Everybody who comes in says that. All it takes is one idiot from out of state slamming on his brakes, and we’ve got a real . . . uh-oh!”
“What is it?” Lonnie asked, turning in the direction that Alvin was facing.
“Trouble on table six,” Alvin said, and even though Lonnie didn’t know the table numbers, he saw exactly what Alvin was seeing.
“Darcy,” he said, cueing in Cassie and Brian, who also turned to look.
As they watched, Darcy had just picked up her drink and she took a big gulp. Denny was frowning and he looked as if he wanted to throw his own drink in her face. It didn’t take a genius to recognize that Darcy and her fiancé’s altercation had escalated.
Lonnie turned back to Alvin. “We see it.”
“She hasn’t had that much to drink,” Alvin said. “This is her first drink and she asked the waitress to make sure that it was a light one, but I think I’d better eighty-six him. He’s got more than a buzz on. Do you think I should go over and tell him that I’m cutting him off?”
Lonnie shook his head. “It’s okay, Alvin. I know both of them. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Thanks a lot, Lonnie!”
Alvin looked incredibly grateful and he wasted no time hurrying back to the waitress’s station. Lonnie watched as Alvin had a brief conversation with his brother, Lenny, who was acting as the service bartender. Then both of them gave a thumbs-up in Lonnie’s direction.
Lonnie returned the salute. He couldn’t blame Alvin for not wanting to confront Denny. The Penske brothers were not large men, and Lonnie estimated that neither one weighed much more than a hundred and thirty pounds dripping wet. Denny probably outweighed either of them by more than a hundred plus pounds and he was still in fighting shape.
“Need some help?” Brian asked Lonnie, and it was obvious he’d overheard Lonnie’s conversation with Alvin. “He’s a lot bigger than you are, Lonnie.”
“Thanks, but it’s okay. Just keep an eye on things when I get there. If I give you the high sign, come and help.”
Cassie slid off her bar stool. “I can help you, Lonnie.”
“You?” Brian looked doubtful. “What can you do, Cassie?”
“I can go over there and ask Darcy if she wants to go to the ladies’ room with me. And I can make sure she stays there for a while. That’ll take her out of the picture so you guys can deal with Denny.”
“That’s a pretty good idea,” Brian complimented her. “Do you think she’ll go with you?”
“Sure, she will. Women don’t like to go to the ladies’ room alone. Haven’t you ever noticed that they always leave in pairs?”
Lonnie thought about that for a moment. “I just never thought about it before, but you’re right, Cassie. Why do they go in pairs?”
“Because it gives them a chance to talk about their dates and compare notes.”
Brian and Lonnie exchanged glances, and Lonnie suspected that they were thinking the same thing. They