14
Noel was chatting at the bar with Glenn when I arrived at Cooper’s. The two could not be more different—a grizzled, long-haired, outlaw biker-turned-bar-owner white dude, and a perfectly mannered, conservatively dressed and coifed black woman banker—but Noel was on the short list of people Glenn would hang out with “on duty.” I’d introduced them and provided the initial conversational bridge (let’s make fun of Sydney). I was glad they’d moved beyond that to establish a relationship of their own.
I scanned the room (both pool tables and a few booths taken, but otherwise pretty thin) to avoid staring at Glenn. Because that’s what I wanted to do, study him for cues and clues, figure out where we were. I knew we weren’t meant to be a romantic couple, but there was something between us, so
