"Hey Sweetness! You ready to see your baby brother cry?"
"The only person who's going to be crying when this game is over is you."
Kayla laughed as she walked to the door of the Cheating Heart with Bo and Steve. Clearly, the guys were falling right back into their old routine.
The appointment with Dr. Friedman had been easier than she had expected. After Steve had left the room, Dr. Friedman had asked her a few more questions and then smiled and told her that while she was certainly dealing with the after affects of a traumatic situation, she did not fit the symptom profile for PTSD.
That had surprised Kayla, although in retrospect it should not have. She had read up on PTSD after Steve had returned, after all. Dr. Friedman had suggested a few counseling sessions to try and work through the flashbacks that Kayla was having. Kayla had agreed and had set up another appointment for early next week.
"Kayla!" she heard Jimmy call out as she walked in the door. "It's good to see you."
"Thanks, Jimmy," she said, walking towards the bar. "And thank you for helping Steve and Shane find me." Steve had told her how Jimmy had given them the lead that helped them find Cal's hanger.
Kayla chuckled slightly as the big bartender's face turned red and he looked down. "I didn't really do anything much," he stammered. "I'm just glad I could help."
"You did a lot," Steve said. "And we're both very grateful."
Jimmy just blushed and nodded. Clearing his throat, he resumed his normal jovial tone and asked, "So what are you having?"
"Three beers," Steve said. "And go ahead and save yourself some time, and just put them on Bo's tab."
"Hey!" Bo protested. "Loser buys, remember? And the only loser in this room is you."
Steve laughed heartily. "Okay, Beauregard. Go set 'em up and we'll get this settled."
"My pleasure." Bo took his beer and headed for an empty pool table.
Steve grabbed his beer and gave Kayla a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back in a minute, Sweetness. It shouldn't take much longer than that to show your baby brother who's the real loser around here."
"Uhh . . . Steve," Jimmy stuttered. "Are you . . . are you sure that's . . . umm . . . I mean I don't need any trouble in here tonight."
Kayla watched Steve for his reaction. She was afraid he might get angry at Jimmy's comment, but, instead, he just laughed.
"Don't worry, Jimbo. I promise not to go nuts on you tonight." He glanced over to where Bo was waiting. "But I can't speak for Bo over there. He's always been a poor loser."
"I heard that!" Bo called out, causing all three of them to laugh. With a wink and another kiss on Kayla's cheek, Steve sauntered over to the pool table, confidence oozing from every pore.
Kayla took her beer and found a booth closer to the pool table. She smiled as she listened to Bo and Steve banter about each shot and heard the crack of the balls on the table. This place had been a second home to Steve and that had meant that it had become special to her as well.
"Kayla?"
Kayla looked up quickly to see Carly standing beside the table with a curious look on her face.
"Oh . . . Hi, Carly."
"Is everything okay?" Carly asked as she took a seat.
Kayla nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. I guess you just caught me daydreaming."
Carly smiled and then nodded towards the pool table. "I see they are at it already."
"Yeah," Kayla replied. "It never seems to take them very long to fall back into the old routine." She cast a sideways glance at Carly. "Bo said you were working late."
Carly kept her eyes focused on the pool table. "I just had to finish a few things up at the lab."
Kayla could not help but push the issue a little. "I guess this 'special project' of yours is pretty important."
Sighing, Carly turned to face Kayla. "I really can't talk about it." She held up her hand to ward off Kayla's protest. "I know you're curious and I know you don't like being kept in the dark, but that's just the way it has to be."
Raising her hands in mock surrender, Kayla smiled. "You can't blame a girl for trying, can you?"
Carly laughed. "I guess not."
The waitress appeared and Carly ordered a beer. The guys were still deep in their pool game, though Bo did take a break long enough to come and give Carly a welcoming hug and kiss. It lasted only a moment before Steve's catcalls sent Bo back to the game.
"So . . . how was your trip?" Carly asked after Bo left. "Bo said you went to South Carolina?"
Kayla nodded, reminding herself that was the cover story. "It was a good trip. It was nice to visit Charleston again. It's very beautiful."
Before Carly could respond, they heard a shout from across the room. Kayla looked up to see Steve raising his arms in triumph. She laughed as she saw the sour look on Bo's face, leaving no doubt about the outcome of the game. Within a few seconds, Steve plopped down beside her and kissed her.
"Once again, your one-eyed tomcat has schooled baby brother about the finer points of the game." Steve sat back in his chair with a satisfied grin and looked at Bo. "When are you going to learn that you can't beat me?"
Bo scowled and took a long pull from his beer. "I would have beaten you if you hadn't cheated."
"Cheated?" Steve sat forward and glared at Bo. "I beat you fair and square. It's not my fault that you can't make a shot under pressure."
"I can make a shot under pressure just fine," Bo shot back. "But you coughing in the middle of my shot is not pressure; it's cheating."
"No, dude." Steve shook his head. "I was coughing because you were using enough chalk to on your hands to write 'I will never beat Steve Johnson at pool' on the blackboard a hundred times."
Before Bo could continue the argument, Kayla jumped in. "That's enough, boys. You two can have a rematch after dinner. In the meantime, I'd like to enjoy some time together without the arguments."
Steve shot a triumphant grin in Bo's direction, causing Kayla to shake her head. They'll never change. They just can't help themselves.
The waitress appeared with menus and they ordered their food, with Steve reminding everybody that dinner was on Bo. After the waitress left, Kayla turned to Bo. "Have you heard anything from Roman or Marlena?"
Bo shook his head. "Nope. Ma and Pop were asking the other day as well." He shrugged. "I guess they must be enjoying their Mexican holiday."
Kayla smiled. "I guess so. A couple of weeks of drinking margaritas on a beach wouldn't be so bad."
"A vacation like that sounds wonderful," Carly agreed. She turned to Bo. "Maybe we'll get to have a little getaway one of these days."
Bo smiled and kissed Carly. "You can count on it. If you ever stop working overtime at that lab anyway."
Kayla caught the concerned look that flashed across Carly's face. Whatever Carly was working on was very important and, Kayla feared, dangerous. But she knew she was not going to get any answers from Carly tonight. Tonight would be about fun and friendship. Everything else could wait.