“What?No, I’m not coming on to you…” The red flush had turned a bit green.“It’s your smile.”
He took a deep breath and wiped his hand over his face.“You have a really nice smile.”
Smile, huh?That was a first.
She laughed again.He was so darn cute, in that shy, deep-thinker sort of way.She leaned closer, bracing both elbows against the bar.“What’s your name?”
“Roux.”
“Roxie,” the bartender said in frustration.Gripping her waist with both hands, he moved her out of his way yet again.“Seriously.”
“All right, already.”She slapped her hand against the bar.“Do you play pool, Kanga?”
“Kanga?”
She was already moving towards the back room.A game or two sounded perfect.It would require her to focus and strategize.Maybe get her head on straight again.Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her competitor grab his beer and hop off the barstool to follow.
“Not that kind of Roo,” he huffed.“‘Roux’ as in red.It’s French.”
“Whatever.”
The back room was quieter and almost empty.That wasn’t good for the bank balance, but it was a balm to Roxie’s soul.Here, she could smell beer and cigarette smoke, not sage.She rolled a ball across the pool table.The solid clank it gave when it hit against another ball was much more soothing than the clinking of crystals back in that shop.She stretched her arms overhead.This might be just the distraction she needed.
She chose her favorite stick from the selection offered against the wall.At the table, she began collecting balls to rack them up.The kid rolled another her way.
“I bet you a plate of teeny weenies that you can’t beat me,” she challenged.
He surveyed the scene, taking in all the leather jackets and shitkickers in the vicinity.He was a quiet kid, so serious.
Yet when he looked up, there was a gleam in his eyes.“You’re on.”
He chose a pool cue and set his drink on the edge of the table.From the way he handled the stick, she could tell he’d done this a time or two.
“You’re not from around here,” she noted.
“I’m from Azureton, but I’m going to Cobalt Community College.”
“Interesting choice of bars for a college kid.”She eyed him from head to toe as she chalked up the tip of her cue.“You’re younger than most of my clientele, and you wear a lot less leather.Not that it wouldn’t look good on you…”
He wore jeans and a T-shirt.He was tall and lean with mussed dark hair.In fact, out of anyone, he fit in best with Billy.
Only he wasn’t looking at her boobs—which made him very un-Billy-like.
He shrugged.“The news made it look like an interesting place.”
She chuckled.“I bet.You break.”
“You sure?”
“I’ll get my chance.”
He lined up at the end of the table.With one smooth stroke, the white cue ball went charging across the table.There was a racket as balls ricocheted off the edges, and one fell into the corner pocket.
“Looks like you’re stripes.”Cocking her head, Roxie surveyed the table.
The gears were clicking in the kid’s head, too.It was all about angles and physics now.Roxie caught a grin.
“It might be a while,” he said cockily.
