Harper chimed in. “I love that you have all these interactions with people through your day—like the woman next to you on the subway making her way to work at a hospital, or the barista making your coffee. And there’s the hustle of figuring out how all these people are going to live together on this little island. It’s a huge city, but in your neighborhood, you can feel like it’s a small town. Kind of like Main Street here, but with a lot more bagels and neurotic people.”
They looked at Mary. “What do you think?” Dot asked her. As if on cue, the impersonator struck up Sinatra’s “New York New York.”
“It’s interesting to think about. Because I grew up there and never wanted to live anywhere else. My family is a big part of that. But it’s also inspiring to see all these people doingsomething—creating, building, dreaming. It’s not a place to sit still. It’s a place to do things. Anything.”
“Well, I’d love to visit one day. I really want to see Times Square,” Tommy said.
“Oh my gosh, Tommy. Anything but Times Square!” Harper said and The Crew laughed.
No one went to Times Square.
Chapter 39
Outside the Cedar Falls Inn, the evening sky was still light, but the temperature had come down a little bit. Mary struggled to put on her cardigan and Jake stepped in to help.
“Well, that was really great,” Dot said. “Thanks for taking us.”
“The night is young,” Tommy said. “What do you guys think about taking them over to the White Horse Saloon? They’ve got karaoke tonight.”
“We have a White Horse bar in the Village, too,” Mary said.
“Do you think it’s the same white horse?” Jake asked.
“Better than your high horse, Officer,” she teased back.
“Mary can sing!” Harper shouted. Mary shot her a look.
“All right, New York. You’re full of surprises,” Jake said. “I say we do it.”
“Fine. One round. One song. That’s it,” Mary said, climbing into the front seat of the Suburban. Harper and Dot scrambled into the far back telling Danny and Tommy they were happy to sit back there.
About fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to the bar. It was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by huge pine trees, and there were several pickups and SUVs in the parking lot.
“Oh yeah. This is my kind of place,” Jake said, pulling into an open parking spot.
Inside, the bar was hopping. It was a casual spot, with men dressed in jeans and T-shirts, and women in light summer dresses or shorts and T-shirts. The Crew stood out.
A large man in a plaid shirt and jean shorts came over. “By golly, it’s the Taylor boys. It’s good to see you. You too, Danny!”
“Ladies, this here is Big Keith,” Tommy said. “We went to school with his daughter. Keith, this is Mary, Harper, and Dot. They’re from the Big Apple. Thought we’d bring them to arealbar.”
“Welcome,” Big Keith said in his booming voice. “Ladies, you’re doing me a favor. This joint could use a little classing up. First round’s on me.”
The walls of the place were wood paneled in rough planks, and a long bar stretched across the entire length of it. Stools that swiveled lined the bar, and several bartenders stood ready to serve. They poured beer from the tap or mixed vodka and sodas into plastic cups. Whole peanuts were given away for free, and customers were free to throw the shells onto the floor. Long tables with benches filled the rest of the bar, and a makeshift stage took up one of the short ends of the building. At the other end, a few guys played darts. They definitely weren’t in the Big Apple anymore.
Danny snagged a table and Jake took their drink order up to the bar. Tommy wrangled them some peanuts and shelled a few for the girls.
A group of women in their forties were having a birthday party there. And one of them was up singing “Before He Cheats,” by Carrie Underwood.
“I imagine there’s a story behind that choice,” Tommy said.
“Oh, definitely.” Harper winced, thinking of being humiliated by Kai in Africa. Why did that still sting so much? Here she was, with her friends, a good-looking guy that she liked. She didn’t know why she tended to self-sabotage any possible good opportunities. She vowed to just let herself have fun for the rest of the night.
“Who’s getting up there?” Jake asked. “Danny? Should I put your name in?”
“No, no, I’ll just watch,” he said, trying to get out of it.
“Not allowed. But I won’t make you go first.” He looked around. “Okay, Tommy. It’s you and me.”