Carl Finally Gets To Finish First

"Another round?" Billy asked as he reached across the bar for the empty glass sitting near the edge.

"Nah, I'm good," Carl replied. He'd just polished off his second beer of the afternoon and now, at just after 4:00, he needed to get home.

"Hot date tonight?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, you know me," Carl answered as he stood up to leave. It was a line Billy trotted out whenever Carl had to leave his usual seat at the bar early. Most afternoons, Carl stopped by Billy's bar on his way home from work with the county highway department and had a few beers. Half of the department came with him, which, Shannon County being as small as it was, meant Gary, Steve, and Carl. In the summer work started early and ended at 3:00 to avoid the Missouri heat, and after a long day shoveling asphalt and a quick shower at the highway shed, Carl was always ready for a few cold beers.

Today, unfortunately, he had to mow his lawn, something he'd been neglecting for weeks. It had been unusually warm during the first week of June but now, on the tenth, it had cooled off to about 80 degrees. "Put those two on my tab, will ya?" Carl asked as he started for the door. "I'll settle up on Friday."

"Sure thing," Billy said. "Enjoy your date." Carl smiled and let out a halfhearted laugh. He and Billy had been friends forever, since before Carl could even remember. He knew Billy meant well, always encouraging him to find a new woman ever since he and his ex split up. Easy for him to say, Carl thought--Billy was still married to his high-school sweetheart 26 years after they'd graduated.

"You know I will," Carl said. "Me and the lawnmower on a Monday afternoon, what could be hotter than that?" Then, just as Carl turned to head for the door, it opened and a woman stepped inside. Carl knew right away she was lost. She was young, probably in her late 20s, wearing a dark business suit with high heels and a white top underneath her jacket. She wasn't a local and, unfortunately, women who looked and dressed like her simply didn't come to Billy's Tavern.

"Are you open?" the woman asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Billy said. "If you're looking for the highway, you need to go two blocks that way, down to Adams Street, and then turn left. That'll take you right to 67."

"I'm actually looking for a drink," the woman said in a slightly annoyed tone. "Is that something you can help me with? Or is the Billy's Tavern sign false advertising?"

"No, it's not false advertising," Billy said a bit defensively. "What can I get for you?"

"How about a martini?" the woman said. "With your best vodka."

"Uh, sorry, we don't serve martinis," Billy said. "No vermouth."

"Okay, how about a cosmopolitan?" she asked. "With Grey Goose, please."

"Sorry, we don't do those either," Billy said.

"I thought this was a bar," the woman said with exasperation. "Do you at least have beer?"

"Yes, we have beer," Billy said, starting to get annoyed. "But we don't have Michelob Ultra."

"Well, then how about a Busch Light?" the woman said as she walked around the front of the bar and put her purse on the bar stool to Carl's left, he having paused and then retreated back to his usual spot. It was one of those expensive ones, Carl noticed. Probably worth about as much as my truck, he thought.

"On second thought, I will have another round," Carl said. "Make it two Busch Lights." Billy shot him a skeptical glance, and Carl knew what he was thinking--he had no chance with a woman like this. She brushed the barstool off, appearing apprehensive about sitting down. Now that she was only a few feet away, Carl saw that she was gorgeous. Probably about 5'5" in her bare feet, she had brown hair that came about halfway down her back. She had tanned, shapely legs and a nice ass, firm and toned but big enough to grab onto.

As she took her jacket off, Carl saw she had perky breasts that looked to be about a B cup. Not that Carl could really opine intelligently on the matter, given that he had no idea about bra sizes. Plus, it wasn't like he'd spent much time with the ladies lately. Not really any at all, he thought forlornly as she glanced over at him and frowned slightly. Damn, she already caught me staring, Carl thought as he smiled back at her, hoping she wasn't too annoyed. She had a pretty face, with big brown eyes and flawless skin.

Billy deposited two Busch Lights on the bar and the woman took a long drink as Carl, Steve, and Gary looked on. They were seated in their usual spots at the other end of the bar, Steve on the first stool just inside the door and Gary in the fourth stool where the bar curved to its long, front side and the stools occupied by the woman and Carl to her right.

As they sat in silence, the woman said, "So are you all going to introduce yourselves or just sit and stare at me?"

"I'm Steve, and this here is Gary," Steve said. "You've already met Billy, and that there to your right is Carl."

"Nice to meet all of you," the woman said. "I'm Amy."

"Nice to meet you, Amy," Carl said, summoning the nerve to talk to her. She seemed to get prettier with each passing second and Carl was now pretty sure she was the most attractive woman he'd ever seen, at least in person. "What brings you to Millersville?"

"Work," Amy said. "I'm in town for depositions and then a hearing on Friday. I'm an attorney." Steve and Gary both groaned audibly. "What?" she asked. "Do you have something against attorneys?"

"My ex is living in my house, with all my money, thanks to my lawyer," Gary said.

"I paid my lawyer $1,500 just so I could spend 90 days in jail for a DWI," Steve said.

"To be fair, it was your third," Billy said.

"You know I wasn't drunk on that second one," Steve said. "I just pled guilty to get it over with."

"Well, I'm not that type of lawyer," Amy said. "I practice corporate law at a large firm in St. Louis. I'm down here for witness depositions and then a court appearance on Friday."

"Are you staying down here?" Carl asked, expecting her to say she was driving the two hours each way to St. Louis every day rather than staying over in their 3,000-person town.

"I am," Amy said, looking right at Carl. "Why do you ask?"

"How about that, boys, a fancy big city lawyer coming all the way down here to Millersville to spend time with us country folk?" Billy interrupted.

"I take it you don't care for lawyers either?" Amy asked.

"With how much I spend because of all their regulations and how much they charge me every time the city finds some new problem in here, no, I think it's fair to say I don't like them much," Billy said.

"How about you?" Amy asked, looking at Carl again.

"I got nothin' against 'em. Or against you," Carl said, immediately stopping himself from cringing at his awkward attempt to hit on her. "These guys don't either, they're just givin' you a hard time. People from the city kind of look down on us, like we don't know what a martini is or how to keep a barstool clean, so sometimes we gotta return the favor."

"Okay, fair enough," Amy said. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just been a long day. I drove down this morning and spent all day in a deposition with an uncooperative witness."

"What's a deposition?" Gary asked.

"It's when lawyers ask you questions with one of those court reporters there," Carl said. "Like you're in court, but you're not really in court."

"Very good," Amy said.

"Yeah, Carl, way to know such a big word," Billy said.

"Sorry, there I go again," Amy said. "Let me start over. Hi, I'm Amy. It's nice to meet you, Carl." She extended her hand and Carl took it. Her skin was so soft and smooth and her hand was so petite. He looked her right in the eye and she was so pretty he started to get hard inside his jeans. "What do you do for a living?"

"I work for the county highway department," Carl said.

"Ah, a man who works with his hands," Amy said. "What do you do for the highway department?"

"I'm a heavy equipment operator," Carl said. "Backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, things like that."

"I like a man who can handle his equipment," Amy said, looking right at Carl. He felt himself starting to get harder and shifted in his seat to hide it. Was she flirting with him? There's no way, he thought. Just then her phone rang and, taking the last swig of her beer, she excused herself and went outside.

"Maybe you do have a hot date tonight, huh Carl?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, right," Gary said.

"No, she's just messing with me," Carl said. "No way a woman like that is interested in me."

"Don't feel bad, Carl," Steve said. "A woman like that's not worth the trouble. I mean, sure, she's hot, if you're into that type, but did you see those clothes and that purse?"

Just then Amy came back in and announced she had to leave. "That was my boss," she said. "He just gave me a bunch of things to do to prepare for tomorrow's deposition. It was nice meeting you guys but it's time for me to check in to my hotel and get to work."

"Where are you staying?" Carl asked.

"The Millersville Hotel," Amy responded. Everyone in the bar winced. "What? Why did you all react like? Is there something I should know?"

"Have you ever been there?" Gary asked.

"No, of course not, but it's the only place that had a room on short notice," she said. "The Best Western was booked and there aren't exactly a lot of options here. Other than that, the closest place was at least 30 minutes away."

"Look, Tommy's a friend of ours," Billy said. "We've all known him since we were kids. But he's not exactly, how shall I say it, cut out for running a hotel."

"What Billy's trying to say is the place is a shithole," Steve said. "I wouldn't stay there, so a pretty little thing like yourself ain't going to be able to handle it." Carl noticed Amy bristled at Steve's comment.

"Well, I don't have any other options," Amy said. "I need Wi-Fi and a place to work so the hotel it is. I'm sure I can make do, even as a pretty little thing." She's a little salty, isn't she, Carl thought as he exchanged a knowing glance with Billy. Now even more attracted to her, Carl decided to take a chance.

"You could stay with me," he said.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage," Amy said tersely.

"Look, I know you just met me, but I have an extra bedroom. My house is nice. Steve's not exaggerating, that hotel is a dump. And there's no way it has Wi-Fi."

"But the ad says..." Amy said before Billy cut her off.

"Tommy says a lot of things," he interjected. "He probably had it at one point, but you have to pay the bill to keep it going. Trust me, there's no Wi-Fi there, no business center, none of the stuff you're looking for."

"Damn it, I have to be able to work in the evenings," Amy said. "But no, I'm not spending the night at your house. No offense, but for all I know you're some kind of sex offender."

"Sex offender? Hell, Carl hasn't had..." Gary started to say until Carl shot him an angry look.

"He's a perfect gentleman," Billy said. "And he's a local hero."

"Hero?" Amy said. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Carl said. "Don't mind them." Billy pointed toward the wall in the back and Amy walked over to a framed newspaper article hanging on the wall.

"Tragedy was averted late yesterday when a local man dove into the St. Francis river and saved a young girl from drowning," Amy read out loud. "Carl Edwards, 27, a lifelong resident of Millersville, was on his way home from work when he came upon a mother and her two daughters stranded in floodwaters along Highway 25. After saving the woman and her younger daughter, the older girl slipped into the river and was carried away by the raging floodwaters resulting from severe thunderstorms. Edwards, a Navy veteran, dove in and rescued the girl, performing CPR to save her life after swimming with her to shore. The girl was flown to a hospital St. Louis, where she is in serious but stable condition and expected to make a full recovery. Edwards was transported to a local hospital but has since been released. The younger girl and her mother were unharmed. The Dispatch is not identifying them since they are minors and the family declined comment, as did Edwards. This is a breaking news story and we will have further coverage in tomorrow's edition."

"Oh my gosh, you are a hero," Amy said.

"No, I'm not," Carl said. "I just did what anyone would have done."

"Trust me, that's not true," Amy said as she walked back and put her hand on Carl's shoulder. "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll take my chances at the hotel."

"Nice try, brother," Gary said to Carl moments after Amy walked out.

"Yeah, it was worth a shot," Billy said. "Have fun mowing your lawn."

Carl finished off his beer and walked to his truck, a 12-year-old Silverado with more wear and tear than he cared to admit. He drove the few blocks to his house, a small two-bedroom ranch he'd inherited from his aunt and uncle shortly after he'd moved back to Millersville after being honorably discharged from the Navy. He changed out of his work clothes, went into the garage and wheeled his lawnmower into his driveway. After filling it with gas, Carl pulled the cord and began to cut his front lawn. Just as he finished the front yard, a nice Lexus pulled up and parked in front of his house. To his astonishment, Amy got out, still in her suit and carrying her purse and wheeling a suitcase behind her.

"I can't believe I'm asking you this, but does your offer still stand?" she asked just after Carl shut off his mower. "You guys were right, that place is a shithole. I hope you don't mind, but the owner gave me your address. Can I stay with you?"

"Of course," Carl said, wiping his brow. Suddenly nervous about having a woman inside his bachelor pad, he added, "Give me a minute to tidy up." He darted inside and cleaned up as best he good, relieved to see it wasn't in bad shape. Then he opened the door and ushered Amy inside. "The guest bedroom is over here," he said. "And you can use this bathroom. It should be in good shape, but I can clean it if you want."

"It's perfect," Amy said as she set her suitcase down just inside the door to her room. She smiled at Carl and added, "I don't want to make this awkward, but I hope you're not expecting anything to happen tonight. You're a nice guy, and I know you're the town hero and all, but we just met and I'm only here for work."

"Oh, no, I didn't think, I mean, I know nothing like that is going to happen," Carl said, flustered and hoping it wasn't obvious he wasn't being honest. "I didn't expect it to."

"Good," Amy said as she exhaled loudly. "I saw the way you were staring at me earlier and I agreed to spend the night at your house, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not sleeping with you, just at your house. In a separate room."

Carl felt his face get red. Was I being that obvious, he thought. But how could I not be? She's so hot, and I'm a 44-year-old man who hasn't gotten any in a long time. But, of course she's not interested, he said to himself. Just be a gentleman and you can fantasize about her later. "Sorry, I just--you're very pretty. I'm sorry if I was inappropriate."

"It's okay," Amy said. "I suppose it's only natural. Just as long as you don't do anything inappropriate and understand that absolutely nothing is going to happen between us, we'll be fine."

"Of course," Carl said as he again thought about what she'd look like naked and his boner returned. "You can use the dining room table to work, if you want. I don't have an office. I can go pick up some food or put something on the grill. Then I need to finish the lawn."

"How about you order something? My treat," Amy said. "I'll have a wrap or a salad or something like that." Carl called in an order to one of the few restaurants in town as Amy got set up. When he got back from picking it up, she was working in the dining room and ate while she worked. As usual, Carl ate in front of the TV and spent most of the meal shifting his gaze between the baseball game and Amy, fantasizing about seeing her naked.

"Do you always stare at women this much?" she answered after she lifted her eyes to find him staring at her a few minutes after he had finished his food.

Carl felt his face getting bright red. He was trying to be respectful, he really was, but after such a long drought it was impossible for him not to stare. "I, uh, I wasn't, I mean, I was trying not to...."

"Don't you need to finish mowing the lawn?" Amy asked curtly.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I do," Carl said. He went outside and finished up in the fading early summer sun, working up a good sweat for about an hour. He returned inside to find Amy still working at the dining room table, so he watched the rest of the game until, around 8:00, he heard her laptop snap shut.

"Sorry I've been such a bore," she said. "I'm all finished. Thank you so much for letting me work here. What time do you usually go to bed?"

"About 9:30," Carl said. "I get up at 5:00 for work."

"That's perfect," Amy said. "I'll get up with you and that way I can go for a run and get some work in before my deposition starts at 9:00."

"Do you always work this much?" Carl asked.

"Not quite this much, but yeah, I work long hours," Amy said. "Usually 65-70 each week."

"Doesn't leave much time for fun. At your age you should be out having a good time," Carl said. "Not that I'm one to talk. I spend most of my time at Billy's or watching TV."

"I take it you're not seeing anyone?" Amy asked.

"Nah, not at the moment," Carl said.

"I guess that's not a surprise, giving how you leer at women," Amy said.

"I don't leer at women," Carl said defensively. "Look, my ex and I split up a long time ago, right before I jumped in that river. We got married while I was in the Navy and we had a kid, but then when I was discharged and was home all the time, I don't know, it just didn't work out. She and my daughter live in Chicago with her new husband."

"How old is your daughter?" Amy said as she sat down on the couch next to Carl, seemingly warming to him just a bit. "Tell me about her." Carl smiled at the mention of his daughter.

"Her name's Kaitlin and she's 21. She's in college now, at the University of Illinois, and she'll graduate next year," he said. "I wish I got to see her more, but after we split and Linda met her new husband she moved to Chicago with him. I was pissed at first, but after I thought about it I didn't fight it too hard. He's got a great job and sent Kaitlin to private school and gave her a life I never could. But I get to see her two weeks each summer and over Christmas, so it works out."

"You sound like a good dad," Amy said, reaching out to touch his arm. Carl felt tingly throughout his body as she did, loving the feel of a woman's hand on his arm.

"Thanks," he replied. "So, what about you? What's your story?"

"Well, I'm 27 and I've been a lawyer for two years," Amy said, withdrawing her hand. "I grew up in Milwaukee with my mom and my sister. My dad passed when I was young; I barely remember him."

"I'm sorry," Carl said. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, it was hard on my mom," Amy said. "But she's strong and raised us to be strong too."

"I take it that's why you didn't care for Steve calling you a pretty little thing who couldn't handle a shitty hotel?" Carl asked.

"Yes, I can do without that," Amy said. "Anyway, my mom is a nurse and we didn't have a ton of money growing up, but I worked hard and got a scholarship to UW Madison. First in my family with a bachelor's degree. Then I came to St. Louis for law school and got a job at a big firm downtown and here I am."

"So, what do you do for fun, besides work?" Carl asked.

"Well, my boyfriend and I like to do stuff outdoors, like run and hike and canoe," Amy said. There it is, Carl thought. My boyfriend. She just slipped it in there casually, letting Carl know he had no chance. It was silly to think I did, he thought. No 27-year-old who looks like Amy wants anything to do with a washed up 44-year-old like me. "But yes, unfortunately I spend a lot of time at work," Amy continued. "Once I get all my debts paid off, I'm going to do something different. But for now, I need the money and they pay really well. Anyway, you probably need to take a shower and I need to get to bed. Thanks for letting me stay here."