Chapter 3 #2
“Maybe I’m feeling lucky all of a sudden.” She grinned with a little shrug knowing she could take him down in an instant.
“Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said as they finished, him winning the second round easily as he only had one ball left.
“Want me to break?” he offered as he sat up the table.
“I think I’ll give it a whirl,” she said holding the truth in behind her grin still. “I’ll stick with stripes,” she told him lining up the shot and letting the break sink two off the bat.
“What?” he said looking at her.
“I said I was feeling lucky,” she teased before rounding the table twice and sinking every single shot she called out before adding what should be an impossible choice for the eight ball.
“Okay you might have fooled me but that’s impossible Mel,” he remarked.
“Ah but I’m feeling…”
“Lucky?” he said as she aimed the cue and let it sail.
She stood back leaning against the table as the cue hit the eight ball sending it down against the wall before it flew back up hitting two solids and then landed in the corner pocket she’d picked.
“How the…” he asked turning to her as the crowd who’d been watching her shot cheered.
“I might play more than a little,” she told him with a huge grin.
“Oh I’d say so. Where did you learn to play like that?”
“Tate’s dad is Arthur Tatum.”
“The pool genius? Your best friend’s dad is the pool shark of the entire seaboard?”
“Maybe…he taught me and Tate to play. Tate doesn’t really care for the game, though he can still beat anyone out there except for me.”
“You are certainly full of mysteries, aren’t you?” he asked leaning closer so she could hear him over the noise.
“Jordan who’s your friend?” someone called out and he backed away, leaving her to wonder if she was happy or sad about that.
“Heard you were hustled by a babe, whoa-ho-ho,” another said as they made their way through the crowd towards them. “Man-oh-man can you pick em.”
“Sorry,” Jordan said giving her a half-smile. “Mel, these are Fred and Adam…my ex-best friends if they don’t cut it out.”
“What’d we say?” Adam the more obnoxious one asked.
“No wonder you’ve been hiding away for the last few weeks. I would too with her,” Fred added.
“I think you all should go,” Jordan told them.
“Nah, let’s stay, see how good your girl is,” Adam stated wiggling his brows at them.
“She’s not…” Jordan said but she cut him off not about to put up with that kind of crap.
“Alright,” she said setting up the table, “how about a wager? If I can make this shot…eight ball in the side pocket, you all leave and let us enjoy the night. If I don’t, we’ll stay and play a game with you.”
“Throw in dinner if you miss and we’ll play,” Fred agreed.
“Mel, there’s no way you can make that and as much as it pains me to say it, my friends here aren’t the wisest of the bunch,” Jordan said giving her an apologetic look that had her smiling.
“Trust me Jordan, I can make this shot with my eyes closed.”
“Really?” he asked.
“I’ll be nice and do it the first time with them open and once they’re gone, you can try me.”
“Okay,” he said taking a step back from the table. “Eight ball in the side pocket?”
“Eight ball in the side pocket,” she agreed hitting the cue ball with just the right angle and speed. It jumped the two balls then landed hitting the side of the eight ball sending it directly into the pocket.
“No shitin’ way,” Adam gaped.
“Watch the mouth,” Jordan warned. “A bet’s a bet right? So scram.”
“She’s not a pool shark; she’s a goddess,” Fred joked bowing down to her. “We are not worthy to be in your company, oh great one.”
Mel threw her head back and laughed until tears ran down her cheeks.
“What’s so funny Mel?” she heard a new voice ask, and she looked over in surprise making sure she wasn’t losing her mind.
“Oh, these guys are just amazed at my skills,” she answered as Tate headed towards them. “How’d you know where we were?”
“I have my ways,” he answered kissing her cheek and studying the table. “Really, you got them on this shot?”
“She claims she can make it with her eyes closed too,” Jordan said before introducing himself.
“Ah showing off Mel?”
“Not at all Tate.”
“I don’t think they’re going to believe you if you don’t prove it,” he replied.
“Yeah, and I’m turning the GPS locator on my phone off again. How you manage to keep turning it back on…you hacked into my phone’s profile, didn’t you?”
“Don’t get mad Mel; I just like knowing you’re safe. Dad would kill me if anything happened to his favorite pool buddy.”
“You play pool with his dad?” Adam asked trying to discern what was between them.
“She’s the only one I’ve ever seen beat him,” Tate said and Jordan’s brow rose. “I see you told him who taught you to play.”
“Maybe,” she said looking up at them and closing her eyes. She let the stick slide through her hands and heard it connect with the cue. She stood back and watched as it yet again flew over the two and hit the eight ball sending it straight into the pocket.
“Alright, we’re leaving,” Adam said shaking his head in disbelief.
“Why?” Tate asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked from her to them.
“Because my friends were being obnoxious jerks to my favorite office manager here and they lost the bet,” Jordan told him.
“Office manager?” Fred asked. “Wait, you’re Melinda?”
“Mel to my friends and if you both promise to stop being led around by the extra leg I don’t mind if you stay,” she offered knowing between Tate and Jordan she was perfectly safe.
“Okay, I apologize for being a bit over the top,” Adam said, “but you certainly don’t look like any pool shark I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s the whole point,” Tate told them. “Now, what do you say we show these guys a thing or two about pool?” he asked turning to her.
“Us versus them or me versus you?” she asked with a grin.
“Oh no, I’m not playing you,” Fred stated holding up his hands.
“I think I’ll sit this one out too,” Adam agreed.
“Not really fair is it two against one?” Jordan added taking a step back.
“Okay, would you like to break, or shall I?” she asked Tate.
“Oh no, I’m not falling for that one again,” he said taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.
“What’s that mean?” Jordan inquired.
“It means…” he said pausing to make the break, “she either sinks the entire board in a single shot, or she deliberately sets it up so there are no possible shots for you to make.”
“She’s that good?” Adam asked as Tate made his way around the table.
“Better,” he admitted as he missed the shot. “Uh uh…you call them Mel. Just like when you play Dad.”
“Okay…but that won’t take me very long there good buddy…
because while you were…setting up your shots…
you were forgetting…that I can make anything…
you try and…throw in front of me,” she stated pausing her comment to call her shots.
She continued until she was down to the eight ball and with the easiest shot possible she decided to have a little fun.
“Eight ball corner pocket, behind the back Tate?”
“Show off,” he said kissing her cheek as it sank.
“Oh that’s not showing off,” she teased as he sat up the table again. She moved to break, and they watched as the balls sank one by one until there were only the solids and eight ball left.
“Good luck on that one Mel,” he said with a smirk seeing that it was stuck behind two of his.
“Eight ball side pocket,” she told him with an answering smirk.
“Which side pocket?” he countered lifting his eyebrow sending her the challenge with his eyes.
“This one right here,” she said putting a twenty on the ledge of the table next to it.
“Hey, it’s your money to lose Mel,” he answered putting his own on top and setting the chalk on top to keep them there.
“Twenty bucks on one shot?” Jordan asked.
“Go big,” she said letting the cue fly. “Or go home,” she added walking over to take the money and another kiss from Tate.
“Okay, she beats you in no time, steals your money and you still kiss her?” Fred asked. “Man you must love the girl something fierce.”
“You have no idea,” Tate stated winking at her. “But Dad got tired of me losing my allowance to Mel and then me getting ticked off when she beat me and stole my Skittles. So our new deal is whoever wins the game get a kiss.”
“And luckily for me I haven’t lost in…two years?” she stated purposely missing the break to set him up for failure.
“Jeez Mel, why don’t you just sink my balls, that’d be easier don’t you think?” he groaned as he walked around the table.
“So you all don’t bet money on games?” Adam inquired.
“Nope, just single shots,” she answered. “Right Tate?”
“Right and since I know I’m not going to have a chance in hell right now I’m not taking the bait.”
“Ooh…you’ve grown up Tate.”
“I still let you call me Tate, don’t I?” he replied as she took over the table.
“Yes you do. Now, what do you say we take this game…and make it a little more entertaining?” she stated before sinking the last ball.
“How much more entertaining can it be than you kicking my sorry butt?” he asked kissing her cheek.
“I don’t know; you can show me if you still remember the tricks Dad taught you.”
“At twenty a piece? Sorry I’m not that rich Mel,” he said hanging up the stick. “And since you’ve already torn my male pride to pieces on three games, I think I’ll pass.”
“You’re not going to join me and Dad at the next tournament?” she asked.
“Hell no, I’d go out in the first round. You and Dad can battle it out to see who wins; after that shred job you did on me this year there’s no way I’m ever going up against you professionally again.”
“Who’s your Dad?” Fred asked.
“What tournament?” Adam added.
“Just a little fun along the eastern seaboard, Dad managed to come out on top last year, but he had to beat Mel to do it.”
“That doesn’t tell us anything,” Fred stated.
“Alright…Mel?” Tate asked.
“I’ve got nothing to hide,” she admitted knowing no one could reveal her age and no one there cared either.
“It’s the Champion Tournament in Atlantic City, it’s for pros and amateurs.”
“Wait, the one Arthur Tatum’s won for the last ten years?” Adam asked. “That’s your Dad?”
“Yup and Mel is the daughter he never had, and he dotes on her. Probably because I didn’t love the game the way they do. He’s still trying to convince Mel to go pro.”
“I would too if I’ve managed to beat the winner of the biggest tournament even once,” Fred said with a laugh.
“Once? Mel have you been telling lies again?” Tate asked with a wink.
“I wasn’t the one who said I’ve beaten your Dad, you were.”
“I guess I was. Well let’s just say whenever we have nothing to do at our house and especially if it’s raining on Sunday, Mel and Dad take over the downstairs and play until one of them gives in, they reach a hundred and fifty balls, or else they can’t play anymore because they can’t hold onto the stick. It can be a long day.”
“So how often do you win?” Jordan asked watching as she sank shot after shot without thinking.
“About half the time, depends on who wins the coin toss really,” she admitted.
“I should have waited to place that bet, shouldn’t I?” he asked.
“Ah, I’ll let you off, I’ll only make you clean the kitchen for two weeks instead of the month.”
“You’re on,” he told her. The night hadn’t gone exactly as planned but it certainly had been enjoyable.