“Don’t get mad Mel; I just like knowing you’re safe. Dad would kill me if anything happened to his favorite pool buddy.”
“You play pool with his dad?” Adam asked trying to discern what was between them.
“She’s the only one I’ve ever seen beat him,” Tate said and Jordan’s brow rose. “I see you told him who taught you to play.”
“Maybe,” she said looking up at them and closing her eyes. She let the stick slide through her hands and heard it connect with the cue. She stood back and watched as it yet again flew over the two and hit the eight ball sending it straight into the pocket.
“Alright, we’re leaving,” Adam said shaking his head in disbelief.
“Why?” Tate asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked from her to them.
“Because my friends were being obnoxious jerks to my favorite office manager here and they lost the bet,” Jordan told him.
“Office manager?” Fred asked. “Wait,you’reMelinda?”
“Mel to my friends and if you both promise to stop being led around by the extra leg I don’t mind if you stay,” she offered knowing between Tate and Jordan she was perfectly safe.
“Okay, I apologize for being a bit over the top,” Adam said, “but you certainly don’t look like any pool shark I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s the whole point,” Tate told them. “Now, what do you say we show these guys a thing or two about pool?” he asked turning to her.
“Us versus them or me versus you?” she asked with a grin.
“Oh no, I’m not playing you,” Fred stated holding up his hands.
“I think I’ll sit this one out too,” Adam agreed.
“Not really fair is it two against one?” Jordan added taking a step back.
“Okay, would you like to break, or shall I?” she asked Tate.
“Oh no, I’m not falling for that one again,” he said taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.
“What’s that mean?” Jordan inquired.
“It means…” he said pausing to make the break, “she either sinks the entire board in a single shot, or she deliberately sets it up so there are no possible shots for you to make.”
“She’s that good?” Adam asked as Tate made his way around the table.
“Better,” he admitted as he missed the shot. “Uh uh…you call them Mel. Just like when you play Dad.”
“Okay…but that won’t take me very long there good buddy…because while you were…setting up your shots…you were forgetting…that I can make anything…you try and…throw in front of me,” she stated pausing her comment to call her shots. She continued until she was down to the eight ball and with the easiest shot possible she decided to have a little fun. “Eight ball corner pocket, behind the back Tate?”
“Show off,” he said kissing her cheek as it sank.
“Oh that’s not showing off,” she teased as he sat up the table again. She moved to break, and they watched as the balls sank one by one until there were only the solids and eight ball left.
“Good luck on that one Mel,” he said with a smirk seeing that it was stuck behind two of his.
“Eight ball side pocket,” she told him with an answering smirk.
“Which side pocket?” he countered lifting his eyebrow sending her the challenge with his eyes.
“This one right here,” she said putting a twenty on the ledge of the table next to it.
“Hey, it’s your money to lose Mel,” he answered putting his own on top and setting the chalk on top to keep them there.
“Twenty bucks on one shot?” Jordan asked.
