Once we all got dressed, we sat around talking until we heard a knock on the front door. I jumped up and peeked through the blinds to find Mike standing on the porch. I told the girls to head out the back door. Katie said, "What? We can't hide; I have to live with him." I told her to trust me and pointed at the back door. They went. I grabbed three beers and followed them out. I told Paige to grab a couple pieces of wood and throw them on the burn pile as I swiped the lighter fluid off my grill. I poured some lighter fluid onto the pile and lit it.
I said loudly, "Hang on, I think I hear something", and I jogged around to the gate beside the house and stepped into the front yard. Mike was knocking on the door again. I hollered to him, "Hey, I thought I heard someone out here. What's up, man?"
"Is my wife here with you?"
"Yeah, she's in the back talking to my new girlfriend. Come on."
He seemed a little confused by what I'd said. We walked into the back yard where he went straight to Katie and threw his arm around her, as if marking his territory.
"So do you plan on hanging out a while? I could grab you a beer."
"No, we gotta get home. It's late and we have a lot to do tomorrow."
"Okay, just keep your schedule open. I'm thinking about throwing a little party tomorrow night."
He looked at his watch and said, "You mean tonight? It's almost three in the morning."
"Yeah, Thursday night. But you gotta remember, it's not tomorrow to me until I go to sleep."
"Sounds good, let me know"
"Will do. Oh, I'll need to steal your wife for the night too."
"For what?" He looked pissed.
I smiled and said, "To run the bar, she's one helluva bar tender."
"Yeah that's cool. Wait, you have a bar?"
"Yeah, it's the cabinet in the corner of the living room. It opens into a bar."
"Nice, but we do have to get to bed tonight."
"That's cool. I'll get with you tomorrow when I get all the plans nailed down." I turned to Paige and Katie and said, "Alright ladies, you two are gonna have to break it up. Katie has to go home now."
Paige replied with a teasing tone, "Yes, Daddy."
Paige and I enjoyed the fire for a while before heading in to the couch. I turned the t.v. on. Paige snuggled up to me and laid her head on my chest, "Can you wake me up around nine? I have to go into work for a few hours."
"I'll set an alarm for you but if I don't get up, lock the door when you leave and I'll call you later."
"Are you really planning a party?"
"Yeah, but it won't be until Friday night."
"But you just told him Thursday night."
I smiled at her and said, "Exactly! I'll tell him sometime tomorrow that I had to move it for some bullshit reason."
I could see her eyes widen with excitement as she realized what I was doing. She smiled and laid her head back on my chest. It wasn't long before the both of us were asleep.
The house was empty when I woke up. The clock on the stove said it was almost noon. I had a lot to do if I was having a party anytime soon. After a quick shower, I was on my way. I stopped at the grocery store for finger foods, then headed to the liquor store to restock the essentials. A few texts with some friends told me the party had to wait for Friday anyway. My music guy said he was getting back in town late Thursday night, so Friday was perfect for him. Once I had things lined up, I created the event on Facebook and shared it with all the right people. I had it set up to kick off right after sundown. Since the party would be on Friday, Mike couldn't be there. His days off were Wednesday and Thursday, so he had to go back to work Friday and he probably won't like the thought of Katie coming back over without him. It was a few minutes past four. He should be expecting my call.
"Hello?"
"Hey Mike, what's up man?"
"Waiting on you. How are things looking?"
"Everything is looking good but I had to push it back to tomorrow night."
"What? Dude, you know I gotta work."
"Call and see if you can get the night off. I didn't have a choice, man. My buddy JJ, the guy who does the music for me, couldn't do today. He's out of town."
"That sucks. We've been short at work too."
"I know, but it never hurts to ask. Speaking of which, you're still gonna let me borrow your wife for the night, right?"
"Yeah, that's cool. Just keep an eye on her for me."
"I got ya. You know I'll take care of her."
"I'm gonna go ahead and call about tomorrow. I'll catch ya later."