"We fucked up," he proclaimed. "I fucked up."
"Yup."
"Thanks, Sean. Knew I could count on you." Tim waggled his glass, and his eyebrows, at the passing waitress. "Get me another one of these, would you, Stacy?"
Shaking her head, the redhead plucked the empty from Tim's fingers. "It's Tracy, and sure, Jim. Anybody else need another?"
Sean Murphy looked at his beer and shook his head no. Father Ray Mukada offered a smile and a wave. As Tracy sauntered away from the table, Ray turned the smile to Tim.
"Another one of your ex-girlfriends?"
Tim was watching Tracy's ass as she headed for the bar. "Uh, what? Oh, no, no."
"You sure about that, Timmy?"
"Yes, Sean, I'm sure." Nobody could do pissy like Tim McManus. "We never dated."
"Is that like Gloria-dating, or Diane-dating, or Claire Howell-dating?" Ray was still smiling.
"Jesus, Father! Give a guy a break here, would ya?" Tim tried to glare at Father Ray, but his eyes wouldn't focus properly. "I am having a very bad day."
Stunned silence greeted this dire, and somewhat melodramatic, pronouncement. Sean scratched his head before shrugging at a bemused Father Ray. Taking another drink of his beer, he turned to face Tim more directly.
"How, exactly, is this such a bad day?" Sean tilted his head back and rubbed at his chin. "Querns is gone, you're back in charge of Em city. Seems like a good day to me." Sean tried to sound sure, but he couldn't help it when the last sentence sounded like a question.
Tim
passed some money to Tracy without even looking at her and grabbed his
fresh drink, then leaned forward. "No, no, that's just it. Don't you
see?" he said earnestly.
"All that shit went down, and all those
people died, and all those drugs – " Tim trailed off for a minute.
"Where was I going with this?"
"I don't know," Gloria Nathan said as she slumped into her chair beside Sean, "but I know where I'm never going again. Anywhere near a pool table with this woman." Gloria jerked her thumb at Sister Peter Marie, who grinned as she took a sip of her drink. "She's a total shark. I thought nuns weren't supposed to lie about their abilities."
Sister Pete laughed as she sat back. "Gloria, I didn't lie. I told you I hadn't played in years. I just didn't tell you that when I did play it was for money. Now, why are all you gentlemen so somber? What did we miss?"
"I think Tim was trying to explain why getting Emerald city back was a bad thing." Father Ray said, his confusion evident to everyone at the table.
"Not a bad thing," Tim said with the sincerity of the mostly drunk. "Just, ya know, bad things had to happen so I could go back, and that's bad." He continued with his most earnest look. "'Cuz, ya know, bad things happen in Oz all the time, but they're not my bad things."
No one spoke for a moment, then Father Ray broke the silence. "Did anyone understand that?"
"I think Tim is trying to take responsibility for what happened in Emerald city during Quern's tenure," Sister Pete said.
"I think Tim's drunk off his ass," Gloria mumbled not quite quietly enough into her glass.
Tim glared at Gloria, then turned in his chair to face Sister Pete. "Yes, that's it. You," another quick glare at Gloria, "understand me, Sister."
"Well, Tim, it is my job to help people get a better handle on how they feel and what drives them to do what they do."
"No, no." Tim leaned closer to Sister Pete. "I mean, you understand me, probably in a way nobody else ever has." His hand reached out to stroke her fingers. "Why didn't I ever realize this before? You know," he said confidentially, "Beecher told me they'd voted you the hottest woman in Oz and I didn't believe him. I do now."
Sean had his mouth open when he felt Gloria's hand on his wrist. "What? I have to stop this."
"Please," she managed through her giggles, "let him finish. Please?"
By then it was too late anyway, and Sean sat back to watch the rest of it play out with the inevitability of an Amtrac train wreck.
Sister Pete leaned away as Tim's bourbon laden breath washed over her. "I think you might be confusing the personal with the professional, Tim."
"Like that's new?" Father Ray muttered, earning himself a glare from both Tim and Sister Pete.
"Sister, I just, there's something about you." Tim went back to the earnest look he felt had worked so well earlier. "Sister Pete, would you like to have dinner with me?"
Gloria's whoop of joy caught the attention of most of the other patrons, but Sean stared them down until they looked away. Father Ray's mouth was hanging open, but no words were coming out. Tim was waiting hopefully for an answer to his question. And Sister Pete was digging in her pocket, finally fishing out a twenty dollar bill and handing across the table to Gloria.
"What?" This was not the usual response to a Tim McManus invitation.
"I told you!" Gloria all but crowed. "I told you it was only a matter of time."
"No, seriously, what the hell?" Tim was starting to get a little angry.
"I bet her twenty bucks that'd you'd ask her out." Gloria was stroking the bill in front of her on the table. She looked up to see three stunned faces staring at her. "What? She was the only woman in Oz you hadn't dated." She shrugged. "At least I made back the money I lost at pool."
Tim turned a wounded gaze on Sister Pete. "I guess this means you won't go out with me?"
Her hand reached out toward Tim's shoulder, but Sister Pete seemed to think better of it before she touched him. It wouldn't do to lead him on. "Tim, you know I can't go out with you. I'm a nun."
"Well, yeah, but you were ready to give that up for – "
"Whoa!" Sean slapped his hand over Tim's mouth. "I think it's time for me to get you into bed, buddy." Releasing Tim's face, he stood.
"Okay." Tim wobbled to his feet, wrapping an arm around Sean's waist to keep himself upright. "But you should at least buy me dinner first."
Sean glanced back at the table just long enough to see Sister Pete's sly smile as she took the twenty back from Gloria.