that for several seconds, during which the song to which they were dancing ended. CJ began to look around for Ben, expecting the man to show up at his elbow, but eventually he found Julie’s husband by the snack table, a loaded plate keeping him occupied for the time being. So CJ retained his hold on Julie’s hand and waist until another song—another slow number—started.
As the first notes began, Julie said, “It’s hard right now. But it won’t be when you leave.”
CJ frowned. “What do you mean when I leave?”
“Just that,” Julie said. “Face it, CJ. You’re not here for the long haul, no matter how bad you think things are in Tennessee right now. Eventually you’ll leave, and then things will be back to normal.”
“Normal.”
“As in, I can concentrate on being a wife and mother and not have to worry about you stealing kisses in cold garages.”
“I don’t really think I stole it,” CJ said.
Julie sighed. “And that’s the problem. You should have had to.” Then she gave him a crooked smile. “But I think I can be strong for the both of us.”
CJ supposed there wasn’t much else to say. He pulled Julie toward him and she put her cheek on his shoulder, and they danced that way for a while. At some point, as CJ shifted his feet to turn them in a half circle, Dennis floated by, a smiling redhead in his arms. He was a lot lighter on his feet than CJ would have guessed. Dennis looked his way, and CJ gave him a wink and then he danced with Julie until he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“You in or not?” Harry asked for the second time, but Dennis would not be rushed. He pondered his cards for a bit longer, then closed his eyes.
“Are you praying to the cards now?” Harry said.
“The poker gods,” Dennis mumbled. “I’m praying they clean you out and give everything you own to your ex-wife.”
“Anyone else notice that he doesn’t stutter when he’s had a few?” Jake commented.
“I’m out,” Dennis said, tossing his cards down.
“I was out an hour ago, but I was too stupid to realize it,” CJ said, following Dennis’s lead.
“Are you calling it?” Harry asked.
“I’m pretty sure Dennis has called it for us,” CJ said. Dennis’s head had slumped to his chest and he’d started to snore.
“I’m not sure what to think of a man who passes out before eleven,” Harry said.
“Go easy on him. He lost the girl of his dreams after a single dance.”
“Is he that bad a dancer?” Jake asked.
“Surprisingly, no. He’s a pretty good dancer. But let’s just say that when a man isn’t feeling well, maneuvering around a dance floor usually isn’t the best idea.”
“He didn’t,” Rick said.
Harry’s contribution was a low whistle. Dennis stirred a bit but didn’t wake up.
“I’ve heard a lot of good first-date stories,” CJ said, “but never one that wound up with a guy throwing up on a pretty girl’s shoes.”
“Which is further proof that you and I don’t travel in the same circles,” Harry said. He tipped his chair back and winked at CJ.
Silence settled over the table, and CJ sat there and enjoyed it. As the quiet lingered, and as the Doors drifted in from the next room, a thought came to him.
“You want to do me a favor?” he asked Jake Weidman.
Jake, who had picked up the cards and begun to shuffle, said, “Favors aren’t normally in my nature, but for some reason I’m feeling magnanimous.”
“There’s a guard at one of your prisons—name’s Richard Baxter.”
“A relation?”
“Cousin,” CJ said. “Is there any way he can find himself all alone in a cell with someone a bit . . . I don’t know, disgruntled?” Hearing how that sounded, he added, “Not too disgruntled, but just enough for a black eye and a lump or two.”
Jake didn’t look up but continued shuffling, cigar held in his mouth. When the cards had circled each other twice, he said, “I’ll see what I can do. But I reserve the right to reconsider in the clear light of day.”
“Fair enough,” CJ said, wondering how he would feel about the request in the morning.
In truth, much of what had gone on during the few nights he’d spent playing poker with these men was open to clearer scrutiny during daylight hours, solely for the fact that one of the men figured prominently in CJ’s current writing assignment. Here he was playing cards with a man who appeared to figure into