Page 17 of Until Joy

Tuck grinned. “Don’t mind if I do.”

He sank a solid. Then he lined up what should have been an easy shot for another solid, but he hit the ball off center.

“My turn.” I kept my tone even. No need to gloat. At least not yet.

I sank three stripes in a row by the time Wes sauntered over to watch. “Who’s winning?”

“Graham,” Harlen answered. “He’s stripes.”

I got my next shot lined up. It was a bank shot, but I thought I should still be able to make it.

“Hmm,” Wes muttered. “He’s probably riding high since he finally got a date with Joy.”

I missed the striped ball by a mile, then I shot Wes a dark look.

Wes chuckled, and Harlen clapped me on the shoulder. “So, tell us about Joy,” Harlen coaxed.

“There’s not a lot to tell,” I answered.

“He’s lying,” Wes told the group.

I watched as Tuck lined up the only shot he had available, and missed. “You’re up,” he groused.

I had an easy one, and I purposely blocked everybody out so I could sink my shot. Then I looked over the table and saw that my next shot was ugly.

Before I could tune everybody out, Wes started talking. “I met Joy awhile back when I was picking up July. She’s cute as a button. She brought in snickerdoodle cookies for the people at the veterinary clinic and the customers. There was only one left for me.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Tuck exclaimed. “Is that who’s baking all those cookies and brownies that you bring in?” he asked me.

Shit, I was never going to be able to make my shot with all their talking. “Yeah,” I muttered, as I bent over the table.

“She’s a keeper,” Harlen grinned.

He was right. Not only was she freakin’ beautiful, but she talked about her charges at the clinic like they were real people. She loved them. Then there was the way she was with Miss Laverne. The older lady had definitely gotten a new kind of energy, like she was fifteen years younger. Joy was a miracle worker.

“Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to take your shot?” Tuck asked.

“Shut up, all of you,” I ordered.

“She has hair down to her waist. Golden, blonde hair,” Wes rhapsodized.

I missed the cue ball, and everyone laughed.

“Thanks, Graham, you left me with a great shot,” Tuck crowed.

I watched as he sank two solids. Shit, when did he start getting good?

“Now I just have to sink the eight ball, and I win twenty dollars.”

I pulled out my wallet. “Here’s another twenty dollars that says you miss, and I win the game.” Tuck always cracked under pressure when he was playing pool. However, when it really counted, he never cracked. We could always depend on our brother.

“You’re on!” he preened, then swaggered to the table.

“Everybody quiet,” I called out to the room at large. It was mean to add on the pressure, but at the same time, it was fun.

As Tuck leaned over the table, I saw perspiration breaking out on his forehead.

“You’ve got this,” I whispered.