Chapter 23
MASON Seedy Bar Devotee
Taking Daisy to Al’s was a test. Sure, Dogwood and my house were a great part of my life.
But, at my core, I was a former athlete, a coach, and a seedy bar devotee.
Could she be on board with that? As Daisy pushed me out of the way saying I had taken too long a turn at the pinball machine, I decided that she was passing my test with flying colors.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her when she reared back and then flung her entire body forward as she pressed the red buttons on the side of the machine that controlled the piece that catapulted the little silver ball.
I held my breath as it sailed all the way to the top hole.
One hundred points. She jumped up and squealed.
She was so excited as she threw her arms around me that I couldn’t find it in myself to be upset that I had lost. (I know it’s just pinball, but you don’t get to college-level sports by not having a competitive streak.)
I sort of forgot we were in a seedy bar. Until a man’s voice hollered, “Yeah, Coach,” and spontaneous applause broke out. I put Daisy down and whispered, “Sorry,” grinning at her. “I couldn’t wait one more second to kiss you.”
It was cheesy but very, very true.
She buried her face in my neck and shook her head. Then she pulled away and said, “Mason Thaysden, you sure do know how to make a girl forget about her shitty day.”
“As a person who has had some shitty days of his own, I feel I excel in that area.”
She leaned against the pinball machine.
“Want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Mason,” she scolded. “The Spin Doctors are playing. No, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Want to get out of here?” I asked.
“Not without my cheesesteak, I don’t.”
“I did promise you cheesesteak,” I said seriously. “To go?”
“Afraid I’ll beat you at pinball again?”
I looked down at my feet in mock dejection. “I can’t take the pain of another loss, Daisy.”
“How about we take those cheesesteaks back to your house?” she asked.
It wasn’t what she said; it was how she said it. And I had the feeling my day was about to get a whole lot better.