Page 150 of The Bartender Special

The people inside of it, though, were easy to recognize.

“It's me and my mom.”

Young Stella De Carlo was caught mid-laugh as a younger Benny stood next to her, both on the lip of the Robertson fountain. She was holding his hand and Benny was smiling.

“I-I don’t have any pictures like this,” he stammered out. “One where she’s laughing. She—she didn’t like her picture being taken.”

It wasn’t open like her brother’s bright and wide smile, but Carol’s small upturn of the lips seemed genuine.

“I looked through every box and photo album throughout the years to see if there were any more, but that's the only one I found of her. Mom said she might have some in her office and that she'd look⁠—”

Benny, apparently a hugger now, wrapped his arms around Carol before she could finish the thought.

“Thank you.”

Carol stiffened at the contact.

But she didn’t pull away.

“This is the part of people that sometimes makes my skin prickle,” she muttered. Though, the words weren’t unkind.

Benny pulled back and laughed.

Carol cleared her throat and readjusted the purse on her shoulder.

“Okay, I’m assuming you’ve accepted my token of apology, so now that the mushy stuff is done, I think it's time I take you to the other room now.”

She grabbed his hand, manicure and all, and pulled Benny through his carousel of emotions and confusion and right into the reception room.

Benny thought he was confused before.

Now, he was downright lost.

The dance floor from before was gone, along with the equipment, but now the lights were back on with two speakers set up at the corners of the small stage that had been used for speeches. The chairs that had already been put up were back out too, this time in two short rows facing the stage.

In those chairs sat Ms. Peggy, Justus and his mother, Felicity, Ethan, Dixon, and Santana.

Carol pulled him past the chairs to the stage itself. Ethan took her place and led him to a single chair in its center.

“What the—?” Benny started, but Ethan hushed him.

“This is one of the rare moments where I think you’ll want to just listen for a bit.”

He seated him and returned to the audience.

Callum came out next. He was grinning.

“You missed the pageant, but it was only fair you get to see this performance. And don't worry, I'm definitely going to record this.”

“Record what?”

Benny watched, confused, as his brother also ran back to one of the chairs in the audience. Marcus and Carol took their seats.

For a moment, Benny just sat there, wide-eyed and staring at a collection of people who shouldn’t have been there staring right on back.

But then, something happened.

They all started making noise.