"How are you this good?" Carlos stares at the table where Stacey just sank three balls in a row.
"I hustled pool to pay for college." She lines up her next shot. "You think these nails are just decorative? They're weapons."
I'm tucked into a booth with Sergio and Nacho, watching the carnage, sipping a beer that tastes like nostalgia and bad decisions.
"Your friend is terrifying," Nacho observes.
"She's the best." I lean against Sergio's shoulder. He's warm and solid and smells like cedar. "I'm glad she came. Even if it ended with Harmony fleeing an angry mob."
"Eager mob," Sergio corrects. "They weren't angry."
"Enthusiastic mob."
His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer. "You okay? With everything? The attention in town? People talking?"
I think about the whispers in the coffee shop. The stares. The way Bethany the barista looked at me like I was committing some kind of crime by being happy.
"Yeah." The word comes out certain. "I'm okay. Let them talk. I know what I have."
"Good." He presses a kiss to my temple. "Because we're not letting you go."
"Even if I wanted to leave?"
"Especially then."
Across the bar, Stacey sinks the eight ball with a flourish. Carlos throws his hands up in defeat. Pedro, who's been watching from a barstool, actually laughs.
"Your friend can stay," Nacho decides. "She's good for pack morale."
"She can't stay. She has a job to get back to."
"Pity."
My phone buzzes. I pull it out and find a text from Harmony.
Harmony:Made it back to the city. Thank you for the refuge. Sorry about the chaos. Your pack is lovely. Hold onto them.
Me:Already planning to. Drive safe. Love you.
Harmony:Love you too.
I slip my phone back in my pocket and take another sip of beer.
"Everything good?" Sergio asks.
“Yeah!"
Stacey appears beside our booth, triumphant. "I won fifty bucks off Carlos. Who's next?"
"Not a chance." Nacho shakes his head. "I know a hustler when I see one."
"Smart man." She slides into the booth beside me. "So. When are you going to deal with your mom's house?"
The question catches me off guard. "What?"
"The house. The one that flooded weeks ago. You can't just leave it sitting there with water damage."
"I know." Guilt twists in my stomach. "I've been meaning to deal with it. I just haven't had time."
