“We’re gonna have dirt and rocks,” Tex retorted.
“Tex—” Annette started.
“We’re gonna have dirt and rocks!” Tex boomed.
As one, the crowd in front of the coffee cubby surged back half a step at Tex’s boomier-than-usual boom.
But it was only half a step.
Nothing scared them away from Tex’s coffee. Not even Tex.
And he tried.
“I’m talking to Roxie about this,” Annette threatened.
Roxie was an RC. She was also Tex’s niece. And since Tex was all about his girls, even while pretending he wasn’t, pulling in his beloved niece was pulling out the big guns.
“Do your worst,” Tex retorted, then took a portafilter, flicked fresh-ground coffee into it in a way most of the coffee sprayed all over the place, then he tamped it down with such force, I was surprised it didn’t become one with the portafilter.
Annette bent, hefted up the other agave tub and announced to Tex, “You’re on!” she turned to us and her expression changed from stubborn to congenial. “Yo, bitches.”
She got some yos, heys and waves before her expression morphed right back to annoyed when she glared at Tex before she stomped out.
“For Nancy, don’t you want to—?” Raye started in on Tex.
With practice, Otis casually swayed back to be out of the line of fire as Tex pointed another portafilter at her, this one used, and there it was.
No matter how tight he packed it, the grounds would come out. I knew this because we all had to jump away when they went flying in our direction and plopped on the ground five inches in front of Luna’s cute wedges.
“Shut it!” he thundered.
“What’s your problem with plants?” Jessie demanded to know.
“My woman had a stroke in her fifties,” Tex bit back. “And she isn’t gonna have another one under the baking sun, and I sure as fuck ain’t gonna be out in it.”
I refrained from sharing, if he didn’t wear jeans and long-sleeved flannels, he might be more comfortable, and that no one in Phoenix wanted to be out in the baking sun, that was why there were drip systems.
But it was too sweet why he wanted dirt and rocks only, so I kept my mouth shut.
The rest of the Angels felt the same because we all wandered away from the cubby, with Harlow running to grab a rag to clean up the grounds.
“We need a new pool as to whether Annette and Roxie are going to win, or Tex is gonna win,” Shanti, feeling herself after her windfall, said.
“I’m not betting against Tex,” Luna replied. “But I’ll take that action.”
We all got our heads together and laid down the money (and since it was only ten dollars, I bought in).
Luna, Harlow and Jessie said Tex would win.
Raye, Shanti and I picked Annette and Roxie.
The reasoning behind my pick?
Tex was all bark and no bite. He loved his girls and took care of them. That included Nancy, all the Rock Chicks, all the Angels, also Annette.
He even liked Dream in a bad-tempered way.
So he might bluster.
