A Wedding Tail by Casey Griffin

Author:Casey Griffin [Griffin, Casey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: 2017-07-31T18:30:00+00:00

17

Tuned Out

Zoe narrowed her eyes, envisioning that perfect, round hole. She clenched her fist, feeling the smooth firmness beneath her fingers. She shifted it slightly, getting the feel for the weight of it.

She couldn’t drive it right up the middle. No, that was too easy. She had to prove to Levi that she could keep up, that she was just as good as he was. She was aiming for that sweet spot, the hole at the far back. It was risky, but she’d get the big points for it. And if she gave Levi what he wanted, maybe she’d get what she wanted.

Zoe tightened her grip and brought her arm back. She aimed for the center, but at the last second put a spin on it. It curved up the side, popping up into the air and slipped perfectly into the hole hardest to get in.

She cried out in surprise, jumping up and down. “I did it! I don’t ever remember getting it in that hole.”

Levi nodded approvingly, clearly impressed with her beginner’s luck. “It’s a tough one. But it feels good, right?”

“Yeah. I’m getting pretty good at this. Let’s do it again.”

Laughing, Levi dug another coin out of his pocket and slipped it into the Skeeball machine. Their scores set back to zero and the machine rumbled as it spat out new balls.

Zoe reached down and picked one up. “You know, when you said you wanted to have fun…”

“I meant that I wanted to have fun,” Levi said. “You know how to do that right? Fun? It’s that thing that makes you smile.”

She rolled her eyes and gave him a sarcastic look.

“Yeah, kind of like that, but with less contempt.”

She laughed. “I know how to have fun. I just assumed that you’d put a smile on my face a different way.”

He paused mid swing. “What? You didn’t enjoy yourself this afternoon? You looked like you were having fun at the time. Big boy didn’t do it for you?”

No, she thought. It only left her wanting more from him. But she wasn’t about to tell him that in case he thought more meant more. “I just didn’t take you for an arcade man, that’s all.”

“Me? I’m practically a kid at heart.”

She looked him up and down. “Okay, well that I can see.”

“Hmm, I’m going to choose not to be offended by that.”

“That’s probably best since you drove me here.” She gave him a wink. “Okay, show me what you’ve got. And don’t be too sore when you lose.”

“Getting cocky, are you? Okay, you’re on.”

They went shot for shot. It was close, but in the end, Zoe beat him by ten points.

As they left the Musée Mécanique with its variety of antique games, they began to walk down The Embarcadero toward Pier 39. It was scorching in the late-afternoon sun, but bearable with the breeze blowing across the bay.

Zoe felt bad for dropping Freddy off at her mother’s, but it was probably for the best. With the sidewalk crowded with tourists, joggers, and dog walkers, she thought it would have been overwhelming for him.

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