It was still early when Gwen arrived at the bar. It was really more of a pool hall than a bar. The owner had realized that he could make more money on the weekends by adding a dance floor and booking local bands to play. The ladies would dance while the guys played pool. That was the reason everyone had agreed to meet there—her uncles just happened to be in the band that was playing there this evening. It had been too long since she had heard them play last. She was looking forward to the show.
The stale, smoky air greeted her as she entered the building. Gwen looked around. A few patrons were roaming around, either just beginning their evening or relaxing before heading home from work. The poolroom was busy as usual. Over on the stage, the band’s gear was set-up, ready for the show.
Gwen noticed Monte, fiddling with his high-hat. “Hey Monte!” she hollered to him.
He looked up from the kit. “Lookin’ good Gwen!” She smiled and shook her head. “Kat’s not coming, is she?”
“Now Monte, you know better than that,” she laughed. “You’re just gonna have to face up to the fact that she wants you.”
Monte rolled his eyes and groaned. “I know she’s your sister, but Kat scares the hell out of me.”
“You’re not the only one.” She gave him a wave and walked over to the bar. She ordered a beer and went into the poolroom.
She was in luck. There was a free table. She grabbed a cue from the wall and looked around. “One of you guys wanna play a game with me?”
“I will.” The man put out his cigarette and picked up a cue stick. “I’ll rack ‘em, you break.”
Gwen waited as the blonde man readied the balls for her to start the game. She leaned over the table, lined up the shot, aimed for the cue ball, and hit. “I’m solid. You’re stripe.”
Their first game was over quickly. On his third shot, the man knocked in the eight ball by mistake. “Another game?”
She nodded and grabbed the rack from his hand. “You break this time.” He smiled at her and took his shot. Nothing went in. “No offence, but you suck at this.”
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. “It must be an off night. I’m usually very good at this.” Her turn, three balls in two pockets. “Let me guess, you’re a professional pool shark?”
“And you’re a professional smart-ass?” she shot back.
“Good one,” he grinned.
Gwen stared at him a moment then took her shot, another ball in the pocket. “I have a table at home. I like to play a few rounds whenever I get bored.” In quick succession, she cleared the table of the solid balls. She lined up the eight ball last. Gwen lifted her head up to look at him. “Far left corner,” she called the shot.
“Getting fancy, eh? Side pocket’s closer.”
“What? You don’t think I can do it?”
He stuck out his tongue and scrunched up his face like a small child does when they’re thinking hard. “How about I buy you a drink if you make that shot.”
“And if I miss?”
“You buy.”
Gwen leaned forward, pulled back the stick and hit the ball. The black ball bounced off the right side of the table and dropped into the left corner pocket just as she had said it would. She set the cue on the table, turned back to the man and smiled. “I never miss.”
He escorted her out into the main room of the club. They sat down at the bar.
“What’ll it be for you folks?” the bartender asked.
“Guinness, please,” Gwen ordered.
“Me too,” her companion said, looking at her strangely. “Well, since I’m paying for this, mind if I ask what your name is?”
“Gwen.” She sipped her drink.
“I’m Steven.”
There was a questioning look in his eyes when he introduced himself. Gwen wandered what it was he wanted to ask her, then passed it off as her usual reading something into nothing. “It’s nice to meet you Steven.”
She looked at her watch. It was shortly after seven. The band was set to start at seven-thirty and the others hadn’t arrived yet.
“Waiting on someone?” His question broke through her thoughts. “You’re staring awfully hard at the door. Are you waiting for someone?”
“Yeah. My friends are meeting here to hear the band. They should have arrived by now.”
“I’m waiting for my friends, too.” The fact that she was talking to him but not paying him any mind bothered Steven. “We could leave together and make them all wonder where we are.”
She immediately spun her head around to look at him. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? Would show them for making us sit around on our arses waiting for them.”
“And you’re an expert in that?” She regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth. “I’m sorry. That was totally uncalled for.” She tugged on the hem of her skirt. Gwen suddenly felt very uncomfortable sitting with Steven. She knew he had been joking. If only she knew why she had said that.
Steven noticed the change in her. Where she had been tough talking and sharp witted earlier, she now seemed reserved and demure. “Is there a problem?”
She took another drink from her glass. “Nope,” she shook her head. “Sometimes I just say things I wish I hadn’t, that’s all.”
“I have the same problem.” Gwen looked at him with a start, then laughed. “There, I knew it was in there somewhere.”
“What was?”
“Your smile.” He grinned at her from over the top of his glass.
“I was right. You ARE a smart-ass.” She grinned back.
“Seriously, I’d like very much to get better acquainted with you.” Steven feared she might get up and run away from him.
Her forehead wrinkled for a moment. “What could you possibly want to know about me?” She absently twisted the gold band she wore on her thumb.
Everything, he thought to himself. “Well, you play pool like no woman I’ve ever seen. You drink imported beer. You’ve got quite a mouth on you.” He smiled when she pretended to look offended. “I know your first name. Surely, you have another?”
“And if I don’t want to give it to you?”
He clutched his hand to his heart. “You wound me deeply,” he teased.
“You’ll live.”
“C’mon. Tell me something about yourself.” He held his index finger in front of him. “One thing.”
Gwen swallowed the rest of her beer. “I’m not easily impressed,” she commented as she set the empty glass on the bar. She pointed to a group of women that were walking through the door. “There’s my gang. Gotta go.” She stood, straightened her skirt and walked over to greet her friends as Steven watched.

“Shot down, huh mate?” Craig gave Steven a friendly shove.
He turned to see Craig and Pete standing behind him. “How long have the two of you been here?”
“Long enough,” Pete grinned. “Must be losing your touch.”
“Naff off!” Steven snatched Craig’s cigarette from him and took a drag off it.
Pete watched the group of women as they chose a table right in front of the stage and sat down. “She has some very attractive friends.”
While his friends ordered, Steven continued to watch the table. The women flagged down a waitress and gave her their orders. As the woman headed toward the bar, Steven decided to act on an idea he was forming. “Back in a minute guys.”
“What do you think he’s up to?” Pete asked as they watched Steven stop the waitress and speak with her.
Craig shrugged. “Don’t know, but I bet he doesn’t sleep alone tonight.”

“Who’s the hunk?” Megan asked once the waitress had left.
Gwen lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “Just a guy I beat at pool. I think he said his name was Steven.”
Dianna flashed a wicked smile at her. “Girl, with a guy that fine, I would’ve let him win.”
“Maybe she’s too old to notice if he’s a babe or not,” her sister teased. “She is getting up there, you know.”
“Screw off, Kat.”
“No thanks. You’re not my type.” Everyone laughed.
Gwen took a few deep breaths to calm her self. “When’s Jules getting here? She promised me she’d show up tonight.”
“She had to work late,” Dianna informed her. “She’ll be here as soon as she gets off.”
Kat looked over at Dianna in an attempt to hide her expression from Gwen. “She’s gonna miss the first set.”
“Her loss.”
Megan glanced over at the stage. “When do they go on, anyway?”
Gwen checked her watch. “In a few minutes. I can’t wait.”
The waitress finally reappeared with their drinks. They sorted out what belonged to who and passed them around. Kat pulled a bill from her pocket. “What do we owe you?”
The woman shook her head. “You’re tab for the night has already been taken care of.” The friends all looked at one another then thanked the waitress.
“Rick and Don must have covered it,” Kat said as Gwen sipped her drink. “We’ll have to remember to thank them later.” Gwen nodded.
Dianna picked at the label on her bottle. “Who are the guys in this band again?”
“Our uncles. Rick is the bassist and Don plays guitar,” Kat explained. “Speak of the devil…”
They looked up as Rick walked onto the stage. He saw the table full of women up front and recognized who they were. He headed straight for them. “Alright, you made it!” He gave both nieces a big hug. “And you brought friends. Cool!”
Kat chuckled at her uncle’s enthusiasm. “There are more coming, but it’ll be later when they get here.”
“Awesome!” The rest of the band began to take the stage. Rick turned and looked at them. “Well, I better get over there. Enjoy yourselves.”

When Steven rejoined Craig and Pete, they had found a table and were chatting over their drinks. Craig looked up at his friend. “Looks like she’s friendly with the locals.” He motioned in the direction of the women’s table.
Steven turned to see what Craig meant. He saw Gwen kiss one of the band member’s cheek as he hugged her. He watched in silence as each member of the group walked out to say hello to her. He raked a hand through his hair and turned back to the guys. He exhaled heavily and took a long drink of his beer. “Come on, let’s shoot some pool.”

For over an hour, the band rocked through a set of original material to an appreciative audience. As the set finished, Rick took to the microphone. “Man, you guys are too much.” He smiled at someone who yelled out ‘I love you’. “Settle down now,” he told her. “Okay then, we’re gonna take a little break now. Before we do, we’d like all of you to help us out with something.”
Gwen gave Kat a ‘you’d better not have’ look. Kat grinned.
“Gwen, come up here.” Rick stood in front of their table. Gwen shook her head. “Come on now.” Kat and Dianna grabbed Gwen by her arms and dragged her up onto the stage. Rick kept her onstage by putting his arm around her shoulders. Gwen blushed uncontrollably. “Today happens to be this lovely young lady’s birthday. We would like very much if you all would join us in wishing her a Happy Birthday."
As the crowd in the bar started to sing, Gwen shot a look at her sister and mouthed the words ‘I’m going to get you for this’.

Eric entered the poolroom and found the table where the guys were playing. “Hey, you guys missed it out there. The band’s got the whole place singing to some girl.”
Pete looked up from the table. “She wouldn’t by chance have red hair and be wearing a tiny little denim skirt, would she?”
“How’d you know?”
Steven handed his cue to Eric and walked out into the main room. Eric looked at Pete and Craig, puzzled. “What’s with him?”
Craig leaned against the edge of the table. “He chatted her up earlier. She turned him down flat.”
“That explains a lot,” Eric cracked.
Pete hit the ball and stood to face Eric. “What are they singing anyhow?”
“Happy Birthday.”

Steven watched her from the doorway. She had covered her face with her hands as the crowd cheered. Another member of the band stepped over and kissed the top of her head.
Eric came back out to talk to him. “Joey’s not coming. He wanted to get some sleep.” He saw that Steven hadn’t taken his eyes from the stage. “You didn’t even hear me, did you?”
Steven shook his head. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Never mind.”
Steven turned a bit more toward Eric. “Where’s Joey? I thought he was coming with you?” Eric just rolled his eyes and went back into the poolroom.

The girls danced as the DJ filled the break with music. The four women thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Steven crossed his arm as he observed Gwen. He was utterly intrigued by her. The longer he watched her, the more determined he was to get to know her.
Craig slapped Steven on the back. “Buy you a drink.” They walked over to the bar.
One of the band was sitting at the bar next to them. He greeted the two men. “How’re you guys enjoying the gig?”
Steven turned to answer his question. It was the man who has kissed Gwen on stage earlier. “You’re very good,” he said politely. “Have you been playing together long?”
“Since we were kids.” He held out his hand to Steven. “Name’s Don.” They shook hands. “You should come sit up by the stage for the next set.” Don took a swig from his beer. “Our nieces have the huge table up front. There’s plenty of room.”
Craig spoke the question before Steven got the chance. “You’re nieces?”
Don pointed to the women. “The red-head is Gwen and the shorter of the two blondes is Kat. Rick and I are their uncles.”
Realization struck Steven. “Rick is the bass player, right?”
“Yeah,” just then, Monte walked up and tapped Don on the shoulder. He held up one finger to him, “One sec.” He turned back to Craig and Steven. “We’re going to start the next set. You’re more than welcome to join the party.”
“We’ll keep it in mind,” Steven replied.

“So?” Craig looked pointedly at Steven once Don was out of earshot. “Why are you still sitting here?” Steven stared blankly at him. “You’ve been looking for an excuse to get close to her since she walked away earlier. That bloke invited you to do just that.” Craig looked over at the women then back to Steven. “Hell, you’re payin’ their bloody bar bill for the evening. You might as well join them.”
Steven took a moment to consider what he had just said. “ You’re right.” He stood up from the stool. He grabbed the sleeve of Craig’s jacket and pulled him along. “And you’re coming with me.”

The girls took their seats and ordered a new round. As the band took their places, the women cheered wildly.
“Thank you. Thank you,” Rick said to them. “See me after the show and I’ll give you all the five dollars I owe you for the applause.” The crowd laughed.
“Hey!” Gwen hollered out. “You promised me twenty since it’s my birthday!”
“Dream on, Gwen.”
“Dream On—Oh, I love that song! Can you guys play it?”
Rick shook his head as he laughed at her. The band then ripped into the intro of the next set.
A rather short, dark haired woman suddenly appeared at the table. “What did I miss?” she asked, trying to catch her breath.
“Geez, Julia.” Gwen looked to her friend who appeared slightly dishevelled. “What’d you do? Run here from work?”
“Only the first set,” Megan answered Julia’s question. “They’ve just started this one.”
“They had the whole bar singing to Gwen. You should’ve seen how red she got.” Dianna stuck her tongue out at Gwen after she did the same to her.
Julia pulled up a chair. “Sorry I missed it.” She picked up a glass that was on the table in front of her. “What is this?” she asked into the glass and made a face. “What’s the scope? Any cute guys in tonight?”
“One. He hit on Gwen earlier this evening,” Kat chimed in. “She turned him down.”
“Was he my type?”
Gwen smirked. “Jules, your type of man is any guy that breathes.”
Julia sneered at Gwen for a moment. “Well, he has to be conscious, too.” Gwen couldn’t help but giggle.
“Hey Jules,” Kat called to her, “you brought the present, right?”
“Yeah,” she took a sip from the glass she had been playing with. “Should be here any minute.” What did she mean by that? Gwen thought as she looked around the table at her friends. They were all chattering away with each other, oblivious to her questioning glance. “What present? What have you guys done?”
Kat smiled at her. “Well sis, we have a surprise for you.” She looked over her shoulder and waited for the person to get closer to the table. “Ta-da!” As she moved to the side, another woman moved into the light.
Gwen’s eyes widened in surprise. She jumped up from her chair. “Andrea!” The two women hugged.
“Happy Birthday Girl!”
“Happy Birthday Andi!” Gwen was excited to see her. It had been over a year since Andrea had been promoted and moved to New York. They had met as teenagers, working in the local amusement park. When they found out their births were only one day apart, they vowed to be friends for life. “It’s great to see you. How’ve you been?”
“Fine.” Andrea sat in the chair next to Gwen’s. “Work’s a hassle, but what else is new?”
Gwen laughed. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She looked around at the others. “I can’t believe you all did this for me. Thank you.”

“Mind if we join you ladies?” Steven asked. “Don said you wouldn’t mind.”
“Don’t mind a bit,” Kat replied. “Pull up a chair.” Steven and Craig sat.
Gwen looked at the two men who were joining them. God, no, she thought to her self when she saw Steven. She forced a polite smile. “You two know our uncle?”
“We met him at the bar earlier,” Craig smiled to her. Gwen’s smile softened. He wasn’t the man she didn’t trust herself with. Why be bitchy toward him?
“That’s our Don,” Kat remarked. “I think it’s impossible for him to not make friends. Well, I guess we should all introduce ourselves. I’m Kat, and everyone here already knows Gwen.” The two sister shot glances between one another. “The rest of the gang are Andrea, Dianna, Julia, and Megan.”
“I’m Steven, and this is my buddy, Craig.” The men exchanged greetings with them all.

The band began to play an up tempo number. Gwen and Kat squealed with delight, as it happened to be one of their favorite songs, and sang along as loud as they could.
Steven looked at them, amused. “I take it, they like this song.”
Megan swallowed, trying not to laugh. “I’m surprised they aren’t up there dancing.” She looked across the table at Steven. “You know, you look familiar.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Dianna added.
Gwen suddenly leaned over the table, cupping a hand to her ear. “Well, like, duh, Di! You’ve only had his pictures plastered all over your bedroom for the last five years!”
Dianna again looked at the two men sitting to her left. Her eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh my God!”
“Easy Di. We don’t wanna have to sedate you.” Kat winked at Steven. “She’s on medication for that.”
“Shut up, Kat!”
“Now, now children. We’re here to have fun,” Gwen teasingly admonished. “No fighting at my birthday party.”
“Geez Girl,” Andrea laughed, “the people you hang with nowadays.”
Gwen beamed at her best friend. “I’m charmed, I know.” She finished her drink and stood up. “Don’t know about you guys, but I’m in the mood to dance.” She headed to the dance floor. The others followed, leaving Craig and Steven at the table.

“So there you are.” Pete spoke as he and Eric joined them. “We wondered where you disappeared to.”
“Just getting to know the girls,” Steven casually answered.
Eric looked at the empty chairs. “What girls?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he was assailed by the sound of female giggles.
“Look girls! More new friends,” Kat called out.
“Cool!”
Gwen looked over the men now sitting at the table. She immediately turned to Andrea, who was just beginning to open her mouth. “Don’t even!”
Andrea drew her hand to her chest and tried to feign innocence. “Would I say something inappropriate at a time like this?”
“YES!” the other women said in unison.
Steven couldn’t help laughing at the scene in front of him. “Jesus, you sound like a female version of us.”
Gwen turned to face Steven. “We’ve all known each other since we were twelve.”
“And you’re what now…21,22?” Pete asked.
Gwen raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “I’m older than I look.”
Dianna laughed. “Gwen here turned 26 today.”
“We’d heard there was a party going on out here,” Pete commented.
“Party’s later,” Kat replied. “We’re just here for the band. The two on bass and guitar are our dad’s little brothers.”
Eric looked up at the two musicians on stage. They didn’t look much older than themselves. “Not to be nosy, but how much older are your uncles than you two?”
“Rick is five years older than I am. Don is six and a half,” Gwen answered. “They’re more like big brothers than uncles.”

As if on cue, Don and Rick leaned in on either side of Gwen. Rick smiled at her and looked around the ever-growing number at the table. “Dude, I hope our playing music hasn’t interfered with your conversation.”
Gwen tried not to laugh as Kat replied, “As a matter of fact, it was getting a bit loud there toward the end of the set.”
“We’re going back to my place afterward. You guys wanna come along?” Gwen asked.
“You could drag Monte along with you,” Kat said hopefully.
Don rolled his eyes. “What is it with you and drummers, Kat?”
She grinned at her uncle. “I like men with stamina.”
Don shook his head. “I think you’d wear poor Monte out.”
“I’d love to try,” she winked.

“I think you’ve got a house full here as is,” Rick looked at Gwen. “Besides, there’s a girl over by the pool room that I’ve had my eye on all night. I think I’ll buy her a drink after the show.”
Gwen nodded her understanding. “Suit yourself, but you’re gonna miss breakfast in the morning.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.” Rick gave her a wink and took off back stage. Gwen burst into a fit of laughter.

Once she finally calmed down, she scanned the table of people. ‘A house full’ Rick had said. Six women and four men -- not bad odds, come to think of it. “What about you all? Would you care to join our party?”
“Will anyone else be there?” one of them asked.
“Doubtful,” she shook her head. “I’ve got plenty of room. You are all more than welcome.”
She watched the men as they exchanged looks. Eric raised his eyebrows and Steven nodded. It was Pete who finally faced her and smiled. “Sure, we’d love to join you. There’s nothing we appreciate more than a home cooked breakfast.”