The next night I half expected them to not show up. Agreeing to the terms and actually following them were two completely different things and I wasn't expecting an immediate change in the two bikers. They usually came in around eleven, but eleven came and went and then twelve, I figured they found somewhere else to get a drink, somewhere that the people were too afraid to speak out against them. It wasn't till almost one that the two came strolling through the back door much to Ace's delight. They took their places at the bar and I set down the two shot glasses and poured the first round.
"I was starting to think that you boys had bailed on me." I smiled at the two, happy to see the lack of leather. I took a quick glance around the room made me even happier as none of my customers were beginning to flee. Most didn't seem to even register their presence, but I saw a few patrons eyeing the two yet no one moved. Returning my eyes to them my smile widened and Tig smirked while Happy rolled his eyes.
"And miss this face?" Tig exclaimed as Ace came trotting up to him.
"Had a job to do." Happy stated and I nodded. I watched as Tig pulled a bag out of his pocket. He opened the bag and Ace immediately jumped up trying to get at the contents of the bag.
"Don't give him too many or you'll make him sick." I cautioned and Tig nodded as he made Ace sit before giving him one of the treats from the bag. I laughed at Ace's obedience knowing that it wouldn't last long, I had tried using treats when Ace was still a puppy and had only gotten as far as sit and lay before he lost interest.
"What are you trying to do, make my dog love you more?" I joked and Tig grinned as he tried to make Ace roll over. Despite Tig's efforts Ace had given up on patience, he didn't like working for his treats. Instead he just followed Tig's hand with his nose and was trying to climb Tig's bar stool in an attempt to make Tig drop the treat.
"That's the plan." Tig joked as he caved and finally handed over the treat. I shook my head as I laughed at the scene.
The guys settled into their drinks while I waited on the other customers and cleaned up as the steady flow of people began calling cabs and paying their tabs. Since the bar hadn't cleared out the second they walked in I was much busier tonight than I had been in the last two weeks and only had time to refill their glasses before being called away by another customer. It was after last call when I got the chance to stand still and fill their glasses for the last time.
"I'm heading home to Charming in a couple days. Just wanted to let you know that it might be a while before you see me again." Tig said as I poured.
"That a good or a bad thing?" I dared to ask while setting the bottle down and glancing between the two.
"It's a good thing. I miss my brothers in Charming, but doll, I'm sure gonna miss seeing you." He leaned against the bar with what I assume he thought of as a charming smile. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head as I turned to Happy.
"Please tell me that girls don't usually fall for that." Tig's smile fell into a pout while Happy's mouth twitched with the smallest hint of a smile.
"You've got to be kidding." I said in disbelief and looked to Tig with mild exasperation. He smirked and I scoffed before laughing. I knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do when insulting a biker's game, but I couldn't help myself. Happy's lip twitched again while Tig looked seriously insulted that I would laugh at his flirtation. I had meant it what I'd said the night before when I thought Tig had been comparing me to the other women around the club. The girls that hung around the club had a reputation for being a bunch of whores that would do anything to be a Son's arm candy for a little while and I never wanted to be anything like that. It made me appreciate that my standards were much higher than a smile and some pretty words to get me into bed.
"Well the only thing I've got to offer you is booze. Whenever you come back you're more than welcome here as a customer." I said while putting the whiskey away and then leaning against the bar. I hated to admit it, but I was going to miss seeing his mug at my bar for the foreseeable future.
"That mean you're gonna stop coming by?" I asked, shifting my gaze toward Happy, but he just shrugged noncommittally.
"I'll still come by." He said before throwing back his last shot. I nodded and printed out their checks, laying them on the bar. Tig was back to playing with Ace when I came back from the register, making baby faces to go with the sounds he was making. The thought had passed my mind more than once that Tig just might love that dog more than I did. I laughed as I watched the man make a fool of himself as he loved up on my dog, telling Ace how much he was going to miss him.
"Poor Ace is going to feel so unloved when Tig goes back to Cali." I said to Happy since Tig wasn't paying attention to a single thing going on around him. Happy glanced to Tig and rolled his eyes.
"He's like that with every dog." Happy grumbled like it was a burden to carry, but that just made me smile more. All the other customers had left and it was closing in on three o'clock, Eddy had left a while ago while my other customers had been trickling out. I stepped out from behind the bar to start shutting down. Happy fished out his wallet and placed the bills on the counter before getting Tig's attention. Tig pouted but pulled out his own wallet and laid the money on the counter.
"Good night, doll!" Tig called as he headed for the door.
"Good night!" I called back. Happy gave a nod and then they were gone, the roar of the bikes announcing their departure. Ace whined and scratched at the door. Once I was done shutting up I walked over to Ace and pet his head.
"It's okay, boy, he'll be back tomorrow." Ace whined again and I leaned down to kiss his head. Poor baby just loved attention. Tig would more than likely be bowled over by my over excitable pup whenever he made it back to Washington.
Happy and Tig both came in the following night as usual and then Tig went back to California. Happy didn't come by every night like he had when Tig was in town, but he stopped by at least twice a week. Ace didn't know what to make of Tig's sudden absence, he wandered the bar sniffing each customer and when I closed at night he would sit looking out the window and whine, occasionally pawing at the door. Each night I would pet his head for a couple minutes before taking him upstairs for bed. Poor pup acted like he was going through withdrawal, having gotten used to getting all the affection and treats he'd wanted for weeks now.
The first couple times Happy came in alone Ace would get excited and yip and sniff Happy all over before looking around for Tig with his tail wagging so hard it almost knocked him over. I think Ace melted something inside the cold, hard biker's heart because when Ace realized that Tig wasn't coming he sat next to Happy and whined before laying his head in Happy's lap, poking at his arm to get him to pet him. The first couple times Happy brushed him off, but eventually he pet him. Sometimes I wanted to snap a picture of the sight they made, but knew that Happy would likely protest against such action.
It was almost like the two were comforting each other, Ace comforting Happy for the loss of their mutual friend thinking Tig was never coming back while Happy knowing that Tig would be back at some point, couldn't stand to have Ace whine at his feet. It wasn't too long before I caught Happy doing some of the things that Tig had done, slipping Ace french fries when he thought I wasn't looking, playing with Ace's tug rope and after a while feeding him treats that he'd brought with him.
When I'd seen the treats I'd watched and silently waited till Happy looked up to raise an eyebrow, he shrugged and nonchalantly gave Ace one more treat before sealing the bag and sticking them in his pocket. He was trying to act like it hadn't happened. Despite his nonchalance I saw his lip twitch as he turned back to the bar and let the smile grow on my own face.
"I knew there was a dog lover in there somewhere." I teased as I filled his glass.
"Tig sent them." He stated like that explained everything. I smirked and went back to pouring drinks, letting him pretend I hadn't caught him letting his mask slip just a little.
Unlike when he and Tig came in together, Happy never came in early. He would show up around one and stay till closing, choosing to be around when the bar wasn't as packed and more people were leaving than coming in. Happy didn't seem to enjoy the large group of people and seemed to prefer coming in on Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday when the bar wasn't as busy. There was even some nights when he didn't get called away that he helped me close up, flipping the stools onto the bar and the chairs onto the table for me so that when I came down to clean in the morning it was easier to get under the tables. I really appreciated it, but I was a little confused as to why Happy helped when he didn't have to. He had never struck me as the type to help out just to be friendly and there was nothing in it for him, I still made him pay for his food and drinks and he sure wasn't in it for the conversation. Happy was a man of few words, preferring to answer with head motions and grunts then to actually use his voice. It wasn't like the food and the whiskey were something that he couldn't get anywhere else, so I remained confused as to his motives, especially since he didn't try to flirt or make a move.
After a couple nights I just shrugged it off and took the help not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. His mother must have raised him right and that was enough of an explanation for me. I'd always been a sucker for the men that treated their mommas like queens and believed that chivalry wasn't dead. They were the kind of men that I could respect and didn't use their women as sex dolls or a punching bag.
A thought occurred to me one night as I watched Happy play with Ace and his tug rope. Tig and Happy had presented a contradiction to what I usually thought of the Sons, proving to be kind when the club usually presented as violent and hateful, calm and gentle when the usual impression was rough and rowdy. Maybe I was just meant to be confused by the men of the MC and no matter what I'd thought at first, I knew I could deal with the men I had come to know.