“She should, but she won’t. She’s scared of her feelings for me. And, well, we did kick your ass last week. So maybe she’s scared that no matter what we play, she won’t be able to keep up.”
Cass gaped. “I—what?”
“Yeah, I’m a lot to handle for most women. I thought you might be able to deal with my competitive nature. But I guess not.” Mack made a sad face. “Sorry, Cass. Maybe some other time.”
“You wish.” She fumed and turned on her heel.
Jed looked back at Cass and said, “Seriously? You’re going to let a firedog make you run scared? Challenge him to pool or darts or something. Tomorrow night. I’ll back you up.”
Cass turned to look at Mack, not seeing the thumbs-up Jed shot him. “Fine. Bessie’s Bar at seven Friday night. Try not to be late, Revere.”
“Oh, I’ll be there. But will you?”
“With bells on,” she muttered.
“Anything else?”
“Huh?”
“Just bells? Or shoes and a hat? Pants, maybe?”
He heard her partner laugh before she slammed into the car, and they drove away.
“Mack, hurry up,” Reggie yelled from inside the truck.
Mack scooted to the driver’s-side door and let himself in. As he drove them to the hospital, he heard Reggie ask, “So then Elvis put the snake where? For real?”
Elvis danced with snakes. Cass Carmichael had said yes to seeing him again.
Talk about a crazy night.
Chapter Four
Cass couldn’t believe her partner had talked her into schmoozing—make that slumming—with Mack Revere. Jed knew her stance on interoffice dating. No peer dates. No peer-associationdates either.
Yet Friday night, she found herself drinking a beer, nervous and not sure why, as she waited with Jed by a pool table.
She considered Bessie’s Bar a go-to place to relax. The food and drinks weren’t too expensive but still tasty. It wasn’t a cop bar, college hangout, or hookup joint. Her feet didn’t stick to the floor, and the funky music stayed quiet enough that she could talk without having to yell to be heard. Regular people who liked to relax, shoot pool, and watch sports filled booths and tables. Hardworking, blue-collar types mixed with the occasional corporate suit. It felt comfortable.
Normally.
She sipped from the longneck in her hand and worked to calm her jitters. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
“Don’t knock it. I finally managed to find a way to get Shannon off our asses.” Jed grinned, proud of himself.
“So this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you and your wife.”
“Yep. This way, Shannon sees you having a social life, so she’ll stop trying to set you up. I don’t hear crap from you or her. Win-win! And let’s be real. Since you’d never want to go out with a firefighter—”
“It’s not that he’s a firefighter. It’s just—”
“—you aren’t really on a date since I’m here with you,” Jed finished. “Technically, you should count this as a competition. You can handle a contest with some lowlife fireman. Hell, beat him at darts or pool to make up for that mess last Saturday. You can do that, can’t you? You beat me at bar games all the time.”
“But you suck.”
Jed glared. “You’re buying the next round.”
She sighed. “Sorry, but it’s true. It’s not exactly a secret, you know.”
