Chapter 7
Jordan gave her a small kiss on the cheek asking her, “Have I told you how amazing you are, Mel?”
“Not lately, you’re not sorry you put down fifty a ball on me?”
“Not at all but what was that thing between you and that Andrew character?”
“That was me trying not to throw up at his come on; you’d think the wedding band would tell him something.”
“Maybe it’s time you wear my ring,” he said pulling her into a hug.
“We’ll see about that. Right now I have to go beat the snot out of my best friend, wish me luck?”
“You don’t need it Mel, but you have it,” he smiled giving her another kiss as she headed back inside.
“Ready for this?” Tate asked as they stepped over to the table set up in the middle of the room.
“Are you?” she countered with a grin.
“Why don’t we make it a little more interesting?”
“Your dad will kill you if he hears you,” she warned.
“For every ball I sink you owe me a home cooked meal.”
“And for everyone I sink?” she asked.
“I didn’t get that far.”
“Okay for every ball I sink…” she said thinking of ways to torture him. A grin spread across her face as the idea came to her, “You have to go shopping with me, a full day of looking, trying on, and buying per ball that goes in.”
“Well I started it, didn’t I?” Tate laughed but she knew he wouldn’t cancel their bet, he never would even with the worst punishment possible when she won.
“Who wants to call?” Mr. Grasse asked.
“Ladies first?” Tate offered.
“Tails,” she said shooting Tate a grin when she won. “So looks like I won the toss, only question is, do you want to play or be cremated?”
“The more we play the less likely you are to beat Dad, but I’d like to get a few sunk so I say play,” he answered.
“You asked for it,” she said with a wink as she went for the break.
She heard some snickering from her classmates as not a single shot fell and she sent Tate a grin.
“What happened Melinda your luck ran out?” someone from the crowd called out as Tate assessed the board.
“Quiet down,” Mr. Grasse said as more people let out comments. “Tate it’s your shot.”
“I know but it seems my best friend here has decided to block every single possible shot I could try,” he answered loudly enough for the crowd to hear. “What do you think Dad?” he added calling him over to join them.
Arthur looked at the table and shook his head. “I see a few you could try.”
“Try and miss,” Mel stated letting out a full grin at them unable to contain it.
“You think you could make them?” Tate asked seeing the ones his dad had mentioned.
“I could but that’s not in the rules of the tournament, is it Mr. Grasse?”
“If you want to switch it up, I don’t think anyone here will complain, whoever sinks theirs and the eight ball wins,” he answered. “Are you forfeiting your shot, Tate?”
“Yeah I am, so come on Mel-Mel, show me how you’d win if you were me,” he grinned at her.
“You asked for it,” she cooed at him as they stepped back from the table. She aimed the first shot and let it sail looking at Tate when it sank. “That’s one.”
“And that’s two,” she added on the next shot. “That makes…three...and four…now where are we again oh yeah…five…six…seven...and eight.”
“So that’s eight full days of shopping, think I can make it nine?” she asked checking out the cue and the eight ball’s position.
“If you make that shot, I will suck it up and make it ten, if not…” Tate said looking smug.
“What?” she said cocking a hip out towards her stick resting on the floor.
“If you miss we switch and you owe me ten meals.”
“Tate, Mel…” Arthur warned though his eyes were full of laughter.
“Alright, ten meals if I miss.”
“There’s no way you’re going to make that shot,” Tate said rechecking the board.
“I don’t know, what do you think Dad?” she asked looking at Arthur.
“I know better than to tell you that you can’t, but I don’t know if you have the room or reach to make it,” he admitted.
“Now you know that’s going to goad her into it,” Tate said as her eyes lit up. “So I think we need to redo the stakes.”
“Okay, what are you willing to lay down?” she asked as Mr. Grasse pretended not to hear.
“When you miss you have to tell the truth, where your skills came from and where you’re currently practicing them and with whom,” he said casting a glance towards Jordan. “And a month’s worth of home cooked meals.”
“And when I make it, you have to come visit Whitmore with me and go shopping whenever I want, wherever I want and you have to come work for me,” she countered waiting to see if he agreed to it. She smiled when he nodded in agreement.
“Lame,” someone from the crowd yelled. “Where’s the money?”
“I’ve got someone sponsoring fifty a ball,” she stated.
“Alright, I’ll put twenty more on it,” Tate said, “whether you make it or not it goes to the class, but my side goes on no.”
“I don’t see an issue with that,” Mr. Grasse stated. “A friendly sponsor for one shot, I think I’ll add twenty myself for yes.”
“Anyone else?” Tate asked looking at the crowd. “Dad?”
“I’ll play and as much as I love you Mel, I’m gonna have to side with Tate, a hundred for no.”
“Boys, boys, boys,” she sighed as the crowd started putting in their own. The no’s being collected by Arthur while the yes’s by Mr. Grasse.
“Well, it certainly seems the no’s are in the lead,” Mr. Grasse admitted as they went through the stack of cash sponsoring the shot. “Anyone else?”
“I’ve got a thousand on yes,” Jordan said coming towards them as the crowd quieted. “I know a priceless gem when I see it.”
“Jordan,” she said sending him a soft smile.
“That’s a lot of pressure there Mel,” Tate teased. “Can you handle the pressure?”
“Can I? Oh Tate, it’s called I sure can,” she said kissing Jordan’s cheek as she walked back to the table. She leaned over and aimed, letting the stick slide between her fingers as she mentally calculated the probability of actually succeeding.
“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself as she let the stick glance the cue.
“Too bad there Mel,” Tate said but she shook her head.
“Uh uh just wait,” she stated as it sailed hitting the corner of the pocket before bouncing back into the eight ball sending it crashing into another which changed its path and let it fall into the side pocket.
“You did not,” Tate said lowering his head with a groan.
“You should know better than betting against me, Tate.” Mel laughed as the crowd admitted defeat. He nodded kissing her cheek as Arthur laughed.
“Well, what do you say we show these guys a real game?” Arthur offered. “Fifty-four balls?”
“Fifty-four,” she agreed.
They went back and forth running the table and switching breaks. They were tied at forty-five balls each when Arthur’s break went off and he missed setting up the board.
“Take it home,” he stated seeing the shots she had would be fairly simple to make.
“You didn’t do that on purpose now, did you?” she asked knowing he hadn’t.
“So I could let these guys see you beat me? This is my hometown too kiddo, getting beat by my protégé isn’t something that I want to happen here.”
She laughed kissing his cheek before setting out around the table and sinking each shot until she reached the eight ball.
“Something a little fancy you think Tate?” she asked as he saw the set-up.
“Eye closed around the back,” he stated.
“Easy peasy…” She laughed turning around to look at the crowd. She adjusted the stick and closed her eyes and then shot.
“That makes fifty-four,” Mr. Grasse stated as it sank. “Anything you’d like to say Melinda?”
“Nah, I think I’ve said everything I needed to today,” she grinned as Arthur hugged her and Tate bumped her hip.
“Well I haven’t,” Arthur stated. “As you all know the girl who just took me down is my son Tate’s best friend. She’s also the youngest and newest winner of the Atlantic City Champion Tournament beating out the ten-year running winner…me.”
The murmurs heard throughout the crowd made her laugh and she ducked out of Tate’s hold as all eyes turned towards her. “Thanks for blowing my cover Arthur.”
“Anytime Mel,” he replied. “And if you think she was impressive today you should come down to the annual trick shot competition in a few weeks and see what she can pull off.”
“Or not,” she whispered to Tate as Jordan came over to her with a smile.
“Now how much do I owe again?” he asked leading her towards the far table where they were collecting the sponsor money.
“Well, fifty a shot and I’ve made a hundred and seventeen…so…fifty-eight fifty I believe,” she answered looking to Ms. Simmons for confirmation.
“She’s right,” the teacher answered. “I’m sure you weren’t anticipating this amount when the day started.”
“Well I wanted to do a hundred a shot, but she refused to let me go that high. I’ll throw in an extra fifty though,” Jordan said handing over the cashier’s check he had prepared and then the cash.
“Hmm?” she asked him looking at the stacks.
“Well the first was for winning the tournament. That part I was sure you’d manage but there was a slight chance of Arthur pulling out the final game.”
“Okay, I’ll forgive you for that then.” Mel laughed, grinning when she saw Ms. Simmons’s face as she looked between them.
“You certainly know how to keep things to yourself Melinda. Especially some things that would be quite evident to most,” she added spying the matching wedding bands.
“You’re right and yes I do.”
“How long?” she asked handing Jordan a receipt.
“Since May seventeenth,” she answered.
“And your mother?”
“Gave her blessing; we just wanted to keep things simple. We only invited Tate and Jordan’s sister Nicole to be our witnesses.”
“And what does this do for your plans for college? We recently received notification of your test scores and they were phenomenal.”
“She’s going even if I have to force her to,” Jordan stated. “As much as I love having her around the office I think a full partnership is what’s in our future.”