Well This Is Just Swell
Chapter 22: Birthday Party
That Saturday, Cooter had decided to throw Hilery an unofficial birthday party at the Boar’s Nest. It was a fitting location, considering it was to celebrate her 21st birthday. To put it lightly, it was a right of passage to get hammered during that party… and it was something Hilery wasn’t too thrilled about. Cooter though, was fine with it, figuring she wouldn’t like being drunk anyway; besides, it wasn’t like she was going to be driving afterward. He was the official designated driver.
Hilery looked in the mirror, looking at the new haircut. It was slowly growing on her, and she found she could leave it down without risk. It was different, but she longed for the old length. It felt strange without the extra weight.
“C’mon, Hil, your party awaits!” Cooter chuckled. She turned and looked at him, her expression showed she was unamused. It caused him to raise an eyebrow.
“No offense, DAD, but don’t you think that as a parent, you should be discouraging me from goin’ drinking instead of encouraging it?”
He couldn’t help but to laugh. “Hilery, honey, the way I see it, you’re goin’ to go out drinkin’ with your friends to celebrate sooner or later, and we both know Bo and Luke won’t pass up the chance to get you liquored up. It’s better that I be there to control the situation, than be absent and have Lord only knows what happen. Now I know that Bo and Luke would protect you from any trouble and would mind themselves… but there are others at the Boar’s Nest… and we both know those boys can become a little preoccupied when they drink. It’s better that the environment is able to be controlled, so that you can learn just how much you can handle.”
Hilery had to admit, Cooter’s reasoning made a lot of sense… and she knew it would be hard on him to be there with all the booze that would be flowing. She walked over and hugged him. She really appreciated what he was doing for her.
“Are you sure you can handle it?” she asked him gently as she pulled away.
“I can handle anything for my little girl, Hil.”
Around 7 p.m. the Davenports arrived at the Boar’s Nest. When they walked in, there was clapping and cheering. It embarrassed Hilery.
Bo and Luke were seated at the bar, each enjoying a beer. Luke had drunk about half of his glass while Bo was kinda nursing his. “Penny for your thoughts,” the elder cousin asked the younger.
“I miss the old haircut,” Bo grumbled. “But the new one looks really nice on her. I guess I just don’t like change too much.”
Luke nodded, his eye wandering as a waitress walked by. Bo didn’t even seem to notice until he stopped her. She turned around and walked back over as Bo pulled out his wallet. “A shot of whiskey for the birthday girl. Just make sure she knows it’ll burn goin’ down.”
“Think that’s really wise, startin’ her out on something that strong?” Luke asked.
Bo shrugged. “It’s what you got me for my twenty-first birthday.”
“Yeah, and I knew you could handle it. God knows we both snuck some of Uncle Jesse’s shine as teenagers. I don’t think Hilery’s ever drank before.”
Bo pondered that for a few moments, then looked across the room. The waitress was giving Hilery the shot glass and pointed to him. The young woman glanced in his direction before tentatively taking a whiff of the whiskey before putting it to her lips. She took a small sip of it, with Cooter watching.
Hilery made a small face before turning to Cooter. “Don’t think I like this very much,” she admitted. “It’s pretty strong.”
“Yeah, it’s hard liquor Hil. It’s supposed to be strong. It’s one of those things that ya only drink for medicine, or to get drunk,” Cooter replied. “It’ll clear you out if ya got a cold, that’s for dang sure.”
“Oh… well… bottoms up.” She gulped the rest of the shot in one swallow. She let out a couple of mighty coughs before handing the glass back to the waitress. Watching Hilery drink the shot made the town mechanic feel old. “Well… that wasn’t… too bad…” she said as the coughing started to subside.
It made Cooter chuckle. “C’mon, let’s go up to the bar and get you something a little less strong.” She nodded and followed him up to where Bo and Luke were sitting.
Hilery smiled at the blond Duke boy as he grabbed a beer from a passing waitress for her, but didn’t understand why he seemed so… contemplative. He hadn’t said a word to her.
When Bo finally spoke, it was to excuse himself. Luke followed him, leaving the pair at the bar.
Luke followed him into the bathroom. He watched the blond splash cold water on his face for a moment before he spoke. “Ya know, I don’t think she remembers what happened… and I doubt you’ll upset her like that again.”
“You don’t know that Luke,” Bo replied after wiping his face off with the paper towels his cousin handed him.
“Well I know she smiled at you instead gettin’ upset and sittin’ somewhere else.”
“And we both know that Hilery is good at hidin’ stuff.”
Luke sighed. Bo had a point, but he thought that if she were upset with Bo, she would have avoided him. They were going to have to do some work with the younger man to get his confidence back up. “Listen, why don’t you try complementing her?”
“I could, but flattery gets you nowhere with a woman like that.”
“Think Kendra might be able to help ya figure out how to talk to Hil?”
Bo seemed to brighten at the idea. “I think that just might work. Thanks cousin, you always was the smart one!” He punched the brunet’s arm before walking out of the men’s room.
Kendra was seated near the front entrance. She was nursing a beer, watching the goings-on of the party. She had noticed a few men had started hovering around the Davenport woman… some were even attempting to flirt. She had to laugh when Hilery pushed one drunk away and he fell off the barstool. Overall, it looked like the young woman was having a good time.
When Bo and Luke joined her she looked around to see who had sat down before stifling another laugh. She was glad that for once Bo was oblivious when it came to a beautiful woman. She didn’t think the menfolk who were hovering at the bar would make him very happy.
“What’s up guys?” Kendra asked, taking a sip from her drink.
“Bo has a little problem Kendra.” Luke said when Bo didn’t answer. Daisy walked up with another beer for each of them before taking a seat herself.
“And what is that?” the younger of the two women asked.
“You didn’t hear about what happened on Sunday, did you?” Daisy asked, feeling sorry for her cousin.
“No, I’ve been pretty busy. Why, what happened?”
“Bo upset Hilery, and he blames himself for a couple of girls jumpin’ her in the church bathroom.” Luke answered. Bo was too busy staring into his beer. “It wasn’t his fault… but still.”
“Well Luke, if I hadn’t upset her, she wouldn’t have gone off by herself.”
“Oh Bo, honey,” Kendra said gently. She hated seeing him in such a down mood. She was used to the happy-go-lucky, flirtatious Duke boy. It bothered her. “What did you say that upset her?”
“I tried tellin’ her how I feel… she took it the wrong way.”
Kendra had to hold back a smile. Bo could be very awkward when it came to expressing himself, especially to a woman like Hilery. Normal pretty girls; he had no problems, but when it came to a girl he genuinely cared for… he became scared and scatterbrained.
“Why not just ask her to dance,” Daisy asked, appreciating Bo’s dilemma.
“And after the song is over, before you let her go, gently kiss her? I’m sure she can’t take that the wrong way.”
Bo looked at Daisy and Kendra before smiling. It was foolproof. He already knew she was interested by the way she had reacted to the earlier misunderstanding… he should have thought of it by himself. He leaned over and kissed Kendra on the cheek for suggesting it. “God I love you Kendra,” he told her.
Cooter waved the waitress off as she began to approach with another shot. Hilery had had five already, plus the beer. He was cutting her off. Her speech was slurring, and he was sure she’d have some difficulty walking a straight line. He also didn’t like how friendly some of the men were being… and the more liquor she drank, the friendlier they were becoming.
“Tom, Harry, I think I just seen your girlfriends walk in.” Cooter interrupted. He hadn’t invited either of them; in fact, he hadn’t invited half of the people who had shown up.
Tom and Harry looked at each other, and then at Cooter. They got the message loud and clear. Hilery’s elder cousin was standing guard over her for the evening, and both knew he could be a bear when protecting what he called his own.
They both excused themselves in a hurry.
“What’s wrong Hil?” Cooter asked after a few moments. She had gone quiet.
“No one to … to talk to,” she replied before smiling. It made him smile. At least she was a happy drunk instead of a mean drunk… and at least she was enjoying herself.
“Why don’t you go over and talk to Bo and Luke? They’re over talkin’ with Kendra and Daisy.”
Hilery made a face when Kendra was mentioned, but grabbed the root beer the barkeep had placed on the bar for her and meandered toward the foursome. Cooter stayed put, turning instead to talk to Jesse. He trusted the boys… and knew they wouldn’t take advantage of that trust.
She came within hearing range just when Bo kissed Kendra on the cheek… she became very unhappy… and dumped her root beer on Kendra’s pretty outfit.
“Hey, what ya do that fer?” Kendra shrieked before she realized it was Hilery who had poured the drink on her.
Before Kendra could apologize, she almost immediately responded. “’Cause, someone had to cool yer dang jets ya dang whore.”
Bo was utterly flabbergasted at Hilery’s behavior. He didn’t know what to think… until he realized why she had reacted the way she had. When he got up to put himself between the two women, he smelled the whiskey almost immediately. It caused him to relax and wrap his arms around her, his arm finally being out of the sling. He still wore the cast, but he was able to get his arms around her nonetheless.
The young Davenport woman relaxed after a moment and seemed to melt against him. Tentatively, she wrapped her own arms around his tall, muscular frame, resting her head against his chest.
“I didn’t mean anything by what I said to her Hil,” he whispered, resting his chin on her head. He was annoyed that he’d upset her once again.
After a few minutes, a small voice was heard, somewhat muffled by his arm. “You didn’t?”
“No darlin’,” Bo replied gently. “You’re the only gal I want.” When she pulled back, he saw she had been crying. He reached out with his left hand and wiped the tear away with his thumb.
“You mean that?” she said.
“I really do Hil… and ya know I’ve never lied to ya.” He wrapped his arms back around her and just held her, shifting them both so he could lean back against the wall. She felt so fragile in his arms and it made him sigh. It felt good to finally hold her the way he wanted to. He shut his eyes.
When he opened them a few moments later, Kendra had left to go home and change, and Daisy had gone back to work. Luke too had managed to wander off. When he looked over toward the bar, Bo saw his cousin had joined Jesse and Cooter. All three were watching them intently. Bo shifted again, letting her pull back a little.
“You want to dance?” His voice was gentle and soft, meant only for her ears. She nodded and they walked over to where the tables had been pushed back to form a small dance floor, as they usually were for parties, dances, and jukin’.
As they arrived at the small clearing in the room, a love song began to play; I Cross My Heart, by George Strait.
Bo gently placed his hands on Hilery’s waist, she placed her hands behind his neck, and they both began to sway slowly to the music; Bo helping her keep her balance. She really had had entirely too much to drink, and would be paying for it in the morning.
Cooter, Luke, and Jesse were all watching the two of them. The youngest of the group was happy for his cousin, but there were a lot of things he was going to miss. Now that Bo had found someone it was time he began to look for a serious relationship for himself. It also meant there would be no more squabbling over girls; no more flirting with them; no more competing. In a way, he mourned the past, but knew it was for the best that they both moved on.
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