“She really is.” Mack smirked at Cass. “Though I don’t know if she’s as mean—or sweet-looking—as Cassandra.” He winked as he looked her over.
But she knew better. She ignored that smolder and said, “Eight ball, left corner pocket.” She sunk it.
“Damn.” Mack was still smiling. “Best out of three, I guess.”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll rack ’em.”
She watched as he worked, liking his hands. Long, graceful fingers, large palms, and he had the dexterity to move with quick, concise speed.
Jed nudged her. “Beer?”
Since she’d been nursing her first that had probably gone flat, she put it on the bar table next to them, where Jed and Tex had been standing, and nodded. “Sure. Who bought the tower of onion rings? I thought you were getting nachos.”
Jed shrugged. “Thought you could use some motivational calories.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. You bought them for yourself, but you’ll tell Shannon later all the junk food was my fault.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Why not just tell her you didn’t buy food that’s bad for you?” Mack asked.
“Because,” Cass answered for Jed, “one, Shannon can smell a lie from ten feet away.”
Jed nodded.
“And two, Jed doesn’t like lying to his wife. He did kind of buy it for me.” She took an onion ring and groaned. “Oh man. I really hate you. You know how much I love these things.”
Mack was looking at her in an odd way, so she wiped her mouth, hoping she didn’t have ketchup smeared on her lips.
He glanced down at the table and cleared his throat. “You ready?”
“Bring it, Revere.”
“I was born ready.”
Tex shook his head. “Such a hack.”
“Hey.” Mack frowned at Tex then took aim and shot at the racked balls. This time nothing went in, so she got a chance to take the lead.
She was doing fine until she heard Mack laugh. She glanced up to see him grinning at her partner, and the clear joy on his face took her aback. Sure, she liked the look of him. Mack was handsome. No doubt. But laughing, smiling, he was absolutely gorgeous.
Cass put her head back in the game, but her hands hadn’t gotten the memo, and she missed the next shot.
Soof courseMack started sinking the balls one by one. He happened to look up as she was taking a sip of her beer, with Jed trying to give her advice on how to play.
“You can do it, Cass. Don’t give up. We never give up when it comes to beating a firedoggy.”
“That hurts,” Tex said, laughter in his voice.
Mack shook his head. “Maybe she could beat me at boxing. I can see her having a mean right hook. And we know she could crush me at soccer. That slide tackle still burns. But at pool? No way.”
Cass tried not to, but Mack made her laugh. “Show me what you got, chatterbox.”
He gave her a look she couldn’t read. “You sure? I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your partner.”
Jed snorted and muttered, “Dead man talking.”
