“I could always sponsor you in your tournament for school. There’s a dollar amount per ball option, right?”
“And how much are you willing to sponsor me for?”
“I’d say a hundred for each, but I know you’ll think that might run a tad expensive depending on who’s all playing.”
“Well Arthur did say he’d play whoever won the tournament.”
“The first one to call?” he guessed and she laughed knowing no one would even dare risk that against Arthur.
“The first to fifty-four balls.”
“At least it’s not a hundred and fifty, so how about we do twenty?”
“It’d be a hundred and eighty a game, there’s sixty-four people signed up to play so that’s seven games which would make it a little over twelve hundred, then another thousand for the game versus Arthur. You’re looking at over twenty-three hundred there, Jordan.”
“Is that all? Well then, let’s make it fifty per ball.”
“Jordan, that’d be like fifty-eight hundred dollars.”
“You’re worth it, besides, who says you’re going to win?” he teased earning a smack on the arm from her.
“Oh, I’ll win,” she promised with a grin that carried over throughout the tournament.
They were finished with the third round when Tate came to wait with her while the ones they would be facing next finished their games.
“Why are you holding back?” he asked with a sly grin.
“Oh come on if I annihilate these guys with the break there’s no fun in it.”
“You do realize that if I keep winning and you keep winning, we’ll eventually face off, right?”
“I do but you my dear Tate have to get there first and since I’m all the way up here and you’re all the way down there, we’ll only meet in the finals.”
“So that’s why you showed up so early?” he teased. “You wanted a top number, so we didn’t go at it right off the bat.”
“I set up the brackets, Tate. But of course I didn’t want us to face off at the beginning and have to take you out so easily.” She grinned as her newest opponent was finished with his game.
“Stop playing Mel; show them what you’re capable of girl.”
“Nah, I’m saving that for you and Dad,” she said with a smirk as she rounded the table to set up for the next round.
She was able to play loosely throughout the next two and she was thrilled to see Tate was as well. Her smile dimmed though when she saw her new opponent.
“Really?” she asked Tate with a glance towards Andrew. “It would be Mr. Perv that got this far, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh come on Mel, if the guys at the tournament couldn’t mess with your head Andrew isn’t likely to bother you.”
“I didn’t say he was going to mess with my head. I just don’t want him looking down my shirt.”
“Then play him like you played the tournament.”
“We’ll see,” she smiled at him.
“So Miss Sexy knows her way around a stick,” Andrew said as she took her spot next to the table. “Not too surprising there, what else can you do with one?”
She tried to keep herself from throwing up at his leering and she saw Tate send her a pointed look. Her gaze caught Jordan’s, and his stormy face warned her that though he couldn’t hearwhat Andrew had said he could guess. She shook her head lightly and waited for the coin toss.
“Heads,” Andrew called winning. “I’ll let her break; it’ll give me a nice view.”
