Night Swimming

Chapter Six

"Wanna come out for drinks with us? We always go on Fridays."

Liam was looking at her hopefully. Steff hesitated for a minute. She was desperate for a drink. Or at least some company. She was getting cabin fever from working alone for so much of the day.

The other staff at the park seemed pretty cool. They'd been a little cautious at first, but once they'd realised she didn't mind their interruption they'd started flocking around, checking out her work, bantering with her as they took the tour groups around. She liked them. It was really just Nate she didn't want to see.

"Nate won't be there," Liam said, reading her mind. "I mean, we invite him, but he never shows up. Which is a shame, because-" he glanced over his shoulder "-if anyone needs to loosen up it's that guy."

She started laughing. "Yeah, sure. I'll come."

"Because Nate won't be there?"

"Nah," she lied, "it's just a good day for beer." Well, that was sort of true. The sky had remained ruthlessly blue since the day she'd arrived.

"Cheers to that. But it's always a good day for beer in Emperor Bay, baby!"

A whoop of assent came from the staff kitchen.

"Sascha," Liam informed her. "It's always a good day for beer for Sascha. He came out of the womb in St. Petersburg on a sub-zero morning, and before the little poppet was even wrapped in a swaddling cloth the first words out of his mouth were "Szchoo know, is a good day for a beer."

"Shut your mouth, Harding." Sascha's deep voice echoed through the park.

"At least you drink beer," Liam called cheerfully, "so you're not a complete cliché."

"Harding."

"In Soviet Russia, cliché subverts y-"

"I will challenge you to an arm wrestle. Tonight. In front of Krista."

Liam shut up. Sascha was built like the side of a mountain. Krista was Swedish and gorgeous and relentlessly flirtatious.

"Anyway," he continued blithely, "drink are at Clara's Bar on the waterfront. You may have seen it. Make sure you don't confuse it with any of the other four businesses in town."

"Can I arm wrestle you tonight?"

"Not a chance," said Liam mournfully. "I haven't won an arm wrestle at Friday drinks for two years."

"What happened two years ago?"

"Nate was babysitting his niece. She was three at the time. I think she was going easy on me."