A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback on Chapter 1 - hope you continue to enjoy the story :-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 2 - Fireballer
It got late in the evening, but the gang stayed at Crowleys enjoying themselves. PJ sat back in her seat and watched the scene before her. Mike, Kenny, Bobby, and Debbie were taking turns playing at air hockey. Andy had arrived from the 'burbs and was sat talking with Brando and Steph, laughing now and having a good time. Still, it bugged her the way Debbie was acting. Maybe it was partly because she was taking PJ's role in a lot of ways, and she fitted in with the guys just as well as she did. Of course, the larger part of the reason why PJ disliked Debbie's behaviour was because she knew she'd hurt Brando's feelings.
There was no way Brendan Dorff was perfect and it was possible that from Debbie's point of view he didn't handle her crush on him very well years ago. That didn't change the fact that she was being a brat right now, making him feel bad for something that ought to be ancient history. Besides, back then Debbie was just a kid, she must realise now, looking back on those old days, that Brando never could've been with her the way she wanted. It would've been beyond inappropriate, not to mention illegal, with her being so young and all.
"We need more beer" said Debbie suddenly, her announcement jogging PJ from her thoughtful state, "It's fine, I'll go. You guys play" she urged the boys as they offered to help her fetch another pitcher.
"I'll help" her cousin offered, getting up from her seat, and that at least Debbie seemed willing to accept as the two women headed up to the bar.
It did not take two of them to carry a pitcher of beer, but Debbie had a feeling that for whatever reason PJ needed to talk to her, so she didn't make a fuss. It had been years since they'd seen each other and now there was a wall of guys stood between them all the time, maybe PJ wasn't happy about that, at least that was what her cousin assumed.
"The guys are great" she enthused as they reached the bar and waited their turn to be served, "A little overly much with the compliments maybe, but a girl could get used to that" she laughed lightly, and PJ rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, they can be kinda like kids at a candy store around women they just met" she agreed, "And I'm glad you're having fun and getting to know my friends and all but..."
"But you and me really need to catch up" Debbie cut in, nodding her head knowingly, "I am sorry, Peej, I meant to make this trip a chance for me to spend time with you and Andy, but tonight kinda turned into a party vibe and..."
"Hey, it's no problem" PJ assured her, "I'm not feeling like a spare wheel or anything, you can spend time getting to know the guys tonight, it's fine" she promised her, "I just, I need you to be a little nicer to Brando" she told her, feeling awkward even having this conversation and wary of causing an upset here.
To her credit, Debbie looked almost ashamed of herself as she looked towards PJ's best friend and sighed.
"Yeah, I guess I have been kinda cold" she admitted, "I'm sorry, Peej, I know it's really lame but, and I know this sounds completely dumb, I guess I'm still a little bitter about the whole crush thing" she rolled her eyes at her own stupid behaviour, "And yes, I know, inappropriate back then and I swear I am so over it now, but I'm only human, right?" she shrugged, "The rejection still stings a little"
"I get it, I do" her cousin nodded, mindful of being bumped by her fellow patrons at the bar that seemed to be many tonight, "I just don't want bad feeling between you two. Y'know, Brendan was really happy to know you were coming to visit, and then you blow him off like you did..." she shook her head, making Debbie feel all the more bad as she gave her a disappointed look.
"I know, I know" she said, with her hands raised in some kind of surrender, immediately putting her hands back on the bar as she was shoved aside by a woman walking by, "I'll play nice now, I swear" she promised, and PJ had no reason to doubt she meant what she said.
"Thank you" she said genuinely as the two women waited their turn at the bar that seemed never to come.
"Is it always like this in here?" asked Debbie as people barged past and the few staff they could spot seemed run off their feet.
"No, not usually" replied PJ, frowning slightly as she leaned over the bar and craned her neck, "Hey, Kevin!" she called to the guy who ran the place, "What's goin' on?" she asked him with a look as he promised his patrons he'd be right back and scooted down the bar to talk one of his most loyal regulars.
"Hey, PJ" he greeted her with a forced smile, "Sorry about the wait, but short-staffed doesn't even begin to cover" he explained as he poured out drinks for waiting customers just as quickly as he could, trading full glasses for cash and making change from the register all in movements so fast that PJ and Debbie could barely see his hands at all, "I got two out on bereavement, one on maternity, another left to get married yesterday and ain't comin' back, plus three all came down with food poisoning" he told the girls, "That leaves three people on my rosta, and only two of them showed up tonight!" he complained, doing his best to stay on top of things, shouting instructions to the staff he did have available.
"Well, can't you get agency staff to help out?" asked PJ, but Kevin shook his head.
"They only got two people they could send, and they ain't comin' til next week" he told her, before moving away down the bar.
"I can help" he was told immediately he returned, "I'm Debbie MacIntyre, PJ's cousin. I've done plenty of bar work and I'm in town for at least the next week or two" she explained, as Kev glanced her way and then at PJ.
"Uh, well, I can't vouch for her bar tending" she admitted, "but I can for her character. She's a good person, Kev, you can totally trust Debbie" she assured the frantic boss of Crowleys who looked just about ready to lose it at any second.
He trusted PJ, he'd known her a long time, besides which he was pretty desperate for help here tonight, and probably for the next few nights, truth be told.
"When can you start, honey?" he asked Debbie with a hopeful smile.
"Right now?" she suggested with a grin of her own which only grew bigger when he nodded his head.
"You're hired" he declared, flipping up the section of the bar to the left of her and allowing Debbie to slide though.
PJ was kind of stunned by the turn of events but loved seeing how naturally her cousin took to the job she'd not had five minutes ago. Debbie had mentioned she tended bar at a local place whilst she worked her way through college, so it wasn't as if she didn't have the experience, and it had worked out almost perfectly her coming to stay right when she was needed. It was almost like fate had sent her to Chicago this particular day...
"One pitcher of beer for the lady" said the younger blonde as she handed the jug over the bar to her cousin.
"Thanks, Debbie" said PJ with a smile as she paid for the beer and then carried it back to the table where the guys were waiting, and apparently arguing.
"Kenny, you are completely delusional!" declared Mike, "Debbie said she liked guys with a sense of humour, so she was so clearly hitting on me!"
"Everybody knows that girls like quiet guys who listen to them, instead of constantly cracking jokes in their ear!" his friend protested, "Given the choice, Debbie would pick me over you any day of the week"
"Guys, seriously" said PJ as she placed the pitcher down between them, "You think we can not have a huge fight over my cousin?" she suggested, "Chances are good she wouldn't go out with either one of you"
"Yeah, I mean credit the girl with some taste" joked Bobby, making PJ laugh at least as she poured herself a drink, "Speaking of Debbie, did you lose her at the bar?" he asked, craning his neck to see where the girl had gone.
"I think she lost her behind the bar" said Brando as he came over to refill his glass, "Peej, why is DeeDee on the wrong side of the bar?" he asked with a frown.
"Kev is short handed and she offered to help out since she's around for a couple of weeks, and she has the experience so he gave her the job on the spot"
"That's cool for her" said Bobby with a nod of his head, raising his voice a little to be heard over Mike and Kenny who were still arguing the point of what women want.
Before long Brando was wading into the heated discussion and PJ and Bobby made a hasty retreat to the couch a few feet away.
"Seriously, those guys are obsessed with the perfect formula for getting a girlfriend" PJ rolled her eyes, "Like you can even find that"
"If there were such a thing, I think my family would be really happy" said Bobby with a sigh.
"Okay, I'm confused" PJ looked genuinely lost as she turned to look at him, "Did I miss something somewhere?" she checked.
"Only the entire conversation we had last week and again earlier today" he smiled, not really hurt by her lack of interest, though PJ looked mortified at the idea she'd been ignoring a friend in need, "It's okay, I know you're all into what's happening with your cousin" he waved away her obvious concern, "It's just my family are having this big charity event and I'm supposed to be there, and everyone is making a huge deal because I don't have a plus one"
"Well, that's kinda sucky" his friend sympathised, "You don't have anyone you can bring along? I mean, Bobby, come on, you're not exactly lacking in ability to get dates" she reminded him, the smile on her face genuine enough it seemed, after all, she'd been into him at one time, proving she found him at least somewhat attractive.
"It's not that" he assured her, picking up his beer and taking a drink, "I just don't want to show up with some random girl who I barely know in front of my entire family"
"Okay, easy fix" PJ nodded once, "How about I be your date? At least that way you won't be alone, the numbers will tally for the seating chart, and when we get bored we can hide behind the buffet table and talk baseball" she smiled.
"You'd do that for me?" he asked, a little surprised at the offer but mostly just relieved that he wouldn't have to attend this event as a first date with a woman he barely knew, or worse go it alone.
"Sure, what are friends for?" said PJ with a smile, making Bobby wonder if she really meant for them to be just friends after all.
* * * * *
It was getting late, really late and Crowleys had almost completely emptied out. The guys were finishing up their drinks and talking about going home to bed after a fun Friday night at the bar with their friends. They moved towards the door as a group, Mike promising he'd make sure Stephanie got home safe in the dark and both Kenny and Bobby offering to walk with PJ.
"I can't go guys, I have to wait for Debbie" she told them, realising her cousin was still helping clean up behind the bar and everything, "I don't want her wandering around in the dark by herself either" she insisted.
Kenny and Bobby looked at each other then at PJ and back, about to have some kind of awkward conversation about who should stay and who should go, or if they should both stay perhaps.
"It's cool, guys" said Brando, as he walked up, finishing off his beer, "I'll wait with them, I'm staying at PJs anyway and the hotel is on our way" he said easily, just as PJ herself let out a huge yawn from her place on a stool by the bar still.
"Oh, cous, you should go home" said Debbie as she spotted said yawn, "Go with the guys, Brando can walk me when I'm done here" she smiled, much to the surprise of both PJ and Brendan himself.
"Are you sure?" she checked, looking between the two of them, not sure she understood Debbie's sudden one-eighty.
Sure, she'd promised to be nicer to Brendan now, but the question became how nice was she planning on being? PJ felt a little nauseous as she realised it was completely possible for Debbie to want to revert to her old opinion of Brando, and that was something that didn't sit well with her at all. PJ honestly didn't know why she should care if her cousin and her best guy friend ended up as a couple, and so she shook her head, put on a smile, and let the whole thing go.
"Okay" she found herself agreeing and walking away with Kenny and Bobby, waving goodbye as she went.
"So, first off" said Debbie the moment she was alone with Brendan and he pulled himself up on a bar stool to wait for her, "I was a total bitch to you today, and I'm sorry" she said sincerely, surprising Brando more with that than she even had with her bad attitude towards him.
"Okay" he said nodding slowly, "I gotta admit, kinda hurt" he admitted, moving his almost empty beer glass around on the bartop, "I thought we were always friends, DeeDee... sorry, Debbie" he amended, making her groan.
"Oh, don't do that" she urged him, "You know I always loved that you had a special nickname for me" she smiled genuinely, "I just said that before because... well, because I was being a brat, I guess" she shrugged her shoulders, as she wiped down the bartop with the cloth in her hand, "You know I had that huge crush on you back in the day and I guess making you suffer kind of appealed, even though you totally don't deserve that because you were always a real sweetheart to me"
Brando wasn't quite sure how to take that but smiled at the sentiment at least. Debbie was always a sweet kid, and now she'd grown up into a more than decent looking woman. If she still liked him now as much as she had then, he could easily see them going on a date, and he intended to tell her so.
"Well, you're not a kid anymore..." he said, giving her a look that spoke more than a few words.
Debbie stopped and stared, thought about it for a whole three seconds before shaking her head and continuing with her work.
"Nope, can't do it" she said eventually, making Brendan frown some as he had no clue what the problem was, thankfully she went on to explain, "See, what I didn't get as a teen was that you had two reasons not to date me, and they both became real clear when I got older" she said, as she rounded the bar and came over to clear the tables behind him, Brando spinning the stool around to face her as she continued, "I was too young for you, obviously, a five year age gap is nothing when you're older, but fifteen and twenty? Major-ass difference" she declared the obvious as she gathered up glasses and headed back behind the bar, Brando spinning once again to keep up with her, "Then I realised that even if I'd've been four or five years older, you still wouldn't have chosen me" she shook her head.
"How do you know that? You can't say that" he told her definitely, but Debbie only laughed, prompting him to ask; "What?"
"Get a clue, Brando!" she told him with a chuckle, "I may be built in a similar mould but I'm not PJ, and no other girl is ever going to be good enough for you"
With that she walked away down the bar, not giving Brendan a chance to argue with her. Of course, he wanted to because she was talking crazy. He and PJ were best friends, they had been for years now, but they were never a couple. Well, there was that one time when they made out in college, and that other time when they made out a couple of weeks ago, but it didn't mean anything...
"You're crazy" he told Debbie a little too forcefully when she returned to him, pulling on her coat - clearly the boss had said she'd done enough for tonight and could leave.
"Really?" Debbie checked with a sly smile, "Brendan Dorff you look me in the eye and tell me that when you imagine your perfect future, PJ isn't right there next to you"
He stood before her then, fixed her with a definite stare and opened his mouth to say the words she seemed to think would be so hard for him to say... and they wouldn't come.
"Yep, that's what I thought" nodded Debbie with satisfaction, patting him on the chest as she walked by to the door, "Let's go PJ Lover" she teased him.
Brando went after her, still feeling stunned, and yet almost relieved that somebody else seemed to have noticed something between him and his best friend. He'd tried to deny it, he figured the guys wouldn't understand, that it was just him feeling this, but he'd never thought about the fact he might be wrong til now.
"Hey, Debbie" he asked as they walked along, "If you're so sure that I'm like in love with PJ or something, do you...?"
"Think she loves you too?" she filled in for him already sure of what his question would be as she pulled her coat tighter around her against the chill of the night air, "Brando, ask yourself these two simple questions; first, how many relationships has PJ had that worked out well, and second, who does she always run to when they go wrong?"
She didn't say anything else, just watched the obvious cogs turning in Brando's brain as he thought hard on what she'd just asked him. He had to see the truth, and the shocked expression on his face as he did so seemed to prove it was the first time he'd allowed himself to wonder on two very important points. Now it would most likely be all he could think about!
To Be Continued...