Page 32 of Ruthless King
“I’m having a fashion crisis and need your opinion on something.”
“Hold on, Lucy, when have you ever had a crisis involving any type of couture that me, of all people, could solve?”
“There’s a first time for everything, or haven’t you heard that?”
“Very funny; where do you need me and when?” This banter thing we had going on was exhausting and if we didn’t wrap things up soon, I’d need more caffeine.
“I’ll be at Poppy’s in thirty. Can you meet?”
I didn’t need to pull up my calendar to know I was free, but I did it anyway. Pitiful. Sighing, I answered, “Yeah, I can be there.” Ending the call, I walked onto Main to pick up my dry cleaning before zipping back to my place to drop it off, then meeting my friend.
Poppy’s was a family-owned boutique that catered to Stone Creek’s elite. Considering that was only about two percent of the population, I wasn’t sure how they stayed in business. I had heard something at one time about an inheritance Poppy’s father left her when he died, but I’m not sure if that’s true.
Pushing open the hot pink door, I immediately spotted Lucy. Her back was to me when I stepped inside, but her fiery red hair glowed from the back of the shop. I heard raised voices coming from her direction and was afraid she’d be handing the poor clerk her ass if I didn’t come to the rescue quickly. “Lucy, I’m here. So, what’s the clothing emergency?”
Expecting some tragic story and tales of woe, my friend launched into full panic mode as she dragged me over to the fitting room. “Stay here and close your eyes.” I looked at her like she had grown two heads.
“Lucy Dawson, what on earth is going on? I don’t have time for games.” My voice sounded harsher than I had intended, and when she looked at me with misty eyes, I broke down. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I guess I’m still a little on edge after Saturday night.”
I hadn’t meant to bring that up. I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer. My friend asked for my help, and dammit, I was determined to give it to her. After a few tears and a comforting bear hug, she entered the dressing room while I sat scrolling through my phone, waiting for her to emerge a beautiful butterfly.
Within minutes, she called my name from behind the curtain. “The Stone Creek Halloween Festival is in three weeks, and I need to look my best.”
I wasn’t sure what she was stressing about. Lucy was the prettiest girl in town. Her auburn hair and bright blue eyes were most girls’ envy. “Is there a particular someone you’re looking to impress that night?” I mused.
Her face went pale. “What are you talking about?” The question was a lit match. I couldn’t let this one go.
“You know, tall, dark, and Jackson?” I couldn’t conceal my smile when she turned and flipped me off. “I’m just saying. You two have a twisted love/hate relationship. I think it’s cute.” I ignored the scowl she shot my way.
“The only relationship between Jackson King and me is the hate part.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.”
“You’re hilarious, Steel.” She tried to look serious for about two seconds before the corners of her lips curved into a beautiful smile. Looking down at the lime green jumpsuit, she decided. “This is the one. Come on, let’s grab dinner before you go home.”
My smile was a mile wide. “Jackson won’t know what hit him.” Lucy rolled her eyes at my comment, but I just winked as we strolled down the street arm-in-arm.
As soon as we walked into Jack’s Place, I knew it was a mistake. The place was packed for a Tuesday night.
“Wow, you wanna go someplace else?” I had to yell over the noise from the game room. What was going on in there?
“No, it’s fine. I’ll put our name down.” I watched as Lucy approached the hostess stand and left her name. When she returned, she wore a silly grin on her face. “Pool tournament,” she announced.
“What?” Did she mean this massive crowd was here to watch people play pool? Unbelievable.
“Apparently, Jackson named Tuesdays as pool night. Every patron who signs up to play gets a free round of drinks for his table. Limit four.”
I couldn’t help my chuckle. “That fool will be broke in six months.” We looked at each other and shrugged.
It didn’t take long before we were seated and sipping our first Cosmopolitan of the night. Lucy and I raised our glasses to toast. “Nobody makes a Cosmo like Gus. Believe me, I’ve searched every bar on Broadway, and nothing comes close.” Projecting my voice through the crowded room. The noise from the game room was deafening. It even drowned out the music from the jukebox, and that was a cardinal sin.
I thought back to the first time I visited Julia, and we bar-hopped all night in search of the perfect drink. There were a few close seconds, but Gus surpassed them all.
“Don’t let him hear you say that. He doesn’t need that ego boost. His head’s so big now, he can hardly hold it up.” Sophie, Gus’ wife and the best server ever, laughed at our declaration.
When Sophie delivered our fourth drink, either the chaos in the game room had slowed down, or we were too hammered to notice because I could now hear the ethereal tones of Brooks and Dunn crooning over the speakers. Tess and Ben showed up at the same time and joined our table as the music kicked up a notch. Ben grabbed my hand, and before I knew what was happening, we were sandwiched between a rowdy crowd of bar hoppers.
From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Knight coming from the game room. He met Tess at our table, and they exchanged a few words before making their way to the hardwood. Lucy was left nursing her drink, and I eyed Jackson, stealing glances her way as he pretended to wipe down the bar.