Chapter 4
“Emily, won’t you play with me? No one else will.”
Louie might look like a two-hundred-pound cherub, but Michael recognized the devil beneath the wide eyes and dimpled cheeks. He shook his head as the cameraman tried to hustle Emily.
“Aw, why won’t anyone play foosball with you?” Emily asked.
“Because he’s a shark, that’s why.” Michael tapped Louie’s chest in accusation. “Anytime the crew comes to the Arcade Bar, Louie finds a new victim. He’s cheated everyone here out of hard-earned cash. The man should go to Vegas and make a living out of it.”
“It’s foosball.” Louie threw up his hands. “How can I cheat at foosball? Either the little man hits the little ball or he doesn’t.”
Michael laughed. “Don’t believe him, Em. He’ll ask you to make asmall wagerto make it interesting and next thing you know, you’ll be out front in tatters, crying, ‘Alms for the poor.’”
Emily grimaced. “Too rich for my blood. Sorry, Louie.”
“I’ll take you on.” Eli downed the remains of his Molson’s Canadian and stood. “I need to get you back for the last time you swindled me. Let’s do this, big guy.”
A few from their team went to cheer Eli on as he confronted Louie the Foosball King.
“Thanks for saving me,” Emily said to Michael. “With this renovation, I don’t think I can afford to lose.”
“What about a game of Skee-Ball? My treat.”
“This place has Skee-Ball too? The Arcade Bar is officially my favorite hangout now.”
Michael pointed to the far corner of the pub. “See the red lights?” He elbowed her. “Think you can beat me?”
She put down her empty glass. “Oh, I know I can beat you.”
“Them’s fighting words, woman.” Michael led her over to the Skee-Ball station. Luckily, the bar was quiet this evening. He had been hoping to isolate Emily so he could talk about what he’d witnessed earlier in the day. Call him suspicious, but he just didn’t trust Trent to tell her the truth.
He put a couple of coins into the coin dispenser and motioned for Emily to take the first round. It wasn’t just chivalry that prompted him to offer her the first turn. For the most part, he also wanted to choose his words.
She bent over and picked a ball.
Taking the second turn also allowed him to check out her hot body undisturbed.
She held up her ball like a professional bowler and narrowed her eyes at the target. “Watch me now.”
“Oh, I’m watching.”
“I’m going to get a hundred points.”
Stepping back, she tossed her ball up the lane. The ball dropped into the lowest receptacle, earning zero points.
“Oh, shit!” Emily covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. “That was a practice shot.”
“Of course, it was. Feel free to take another.”
“Let me guess. When it comes to Skee-Ball, you’re another Louie?”
“I’ve had my moments, but I won’t embarrass you just yet.” As she continued to play, Michael decided to forge ahead. He couldn’t ignore the issue of Trent cheating any longer. It weighed him down more than a concrete hat. Even Emily’s gorgeous curves would only distract him for so long. “Em, there’s something I want to say to you, and I’m not sure how to say it.”
“Seeing as the Skee-Ball scouts aren’t headed my way any time soon to offer me a professional Skee-Ball job, I guess I can take a minute to hear you out.”
“I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say.”
“Is it something to do with the renovation? Let me guess. A sponsor pulled out.”
