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We moved through the crowd and around the table, sidling up to where Delaney stood with Mars.
“Hey,” I said. “Nice game.” I tipped my bottle at Delaney.
She smiled, a rosy flush on her cheeks. “Thanks.”
LeSean hit me with his elbow twice; this dude was definitely not playing the inconspicuous card tonight.
“Delaney, Mars, this is my buddy LeSean. LeSean, Delaney and Mars.” I waved my hands between them as an introduction.
“Nice to meet you,” Delaney said, batting her lashes at LeSean.
My chest tightened and a sliver of annoyance pinged through me. I cleared my throat.
“Can I get you a drink?” I asked, squaring up and moving in closer to Delaney.
“Sure, that’d be great. I’ll take a beer.”
“Draft or bottle?”
“Bottle is fine.”
“Mars?” I asked out of politeness.
“Vodka soda with lime.”
“Coming right up.”
I hustled to the bar and back again in record time. It was a good thing Macy still liked me. The lines were long, the room was crowded, and I didn’t like the idea of LeSean moving in on Delaney while I fetched the drinks.
“Oh my gosh, that really happened?” Delaney was patting LeSean’s bicep and clutching her side, laughing hard.
My jaw clenched and the sliver of annoyance in my gut turned into a plank.Playtime’s over,I thought.
“Vodka soda with lime, beer, and beer.” I handed the drinks out, saving Delaney’s for last. Our fingers brushed as I handed her the bottle. My eyes met hers and an electric zing zipped through me. This girl was getting to me and I was only slightly annoyed about it.
“Who taught you to play pool like that?” LeSean asked, leaning in close to Delaney.
My chest tensed again and I shifted positions, getting closer to Delaney, my left arm brushing up against her warm skin. A flash of heat rushed through me as she launched into a story about her brothers teaching her pool over a summer vacation.
“They wanted to hustle the tourists and figured I would be the most likely to reel them in. Can’t say it hasn’t come in handy.” She shrugged, her eyes gleaming in the solitary light over our table.
“The bad news about the hustle is you’re back in a small town,” I said. “Word’s gonna get around real quick that you’re a pool shark. If you’re going to capitalize on this, you may have to go a few towns over.”
“Or she could just hustle you,” LeSean said, goading me.
“Pssh,” I scoffed. “Not a chance.”
“Really?” Delaney swiveled, eyes narrowed. “You think you can beat me?” Her chin was raised, defiant.
“Yeah, I do,” I said, puffing my chest out.
“What are the stakes?” Mars asked, steepling his fingers.
“Winner take all?” Delaney motioned at the stack of cash on the table.
I shook my head. “Nah, I don’t want to take your money. Put that back into your bakery. How about loser is the winner’s personal assistant for the day?”
Delaney cocked her head, biting her lower lip, contemplating. A slow smile crept over her lips.
