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“Excuse me?”
“I’m kidding. Partially.” She puts a hand on my cheek. “I don’t mind this. But it’d be fun to see a less hairy Lincoln. Even if it’s just for one night.”
“Okay. I sort of get the less hairy part. But the ex-hot part. What’s that all about?”
“Sorry. I take it back. You are still…hottish. Or at least some woman would think so.”
“You’re really terrible at compliments.” I take a moment. “But I’ll accept your terms. And if I win, you need to wear pigtails with your cheerleading uniform to the party. And leave them in all night.”
She holds out her hand. “Deal.”
We begin playing and the game is close. It comes down to the last second.
Allyssa giggles as I walk her to her car, then she takes my arm. “The mighty LMB has been taken down by a cheerleader.”
“Whatever.” We arrive at her car and she leans against it.
“I can’t wait to see a clean-shaven Lincoln. It’s been years.”
I rub my beard, which is trimmed at the moment but isn’t always. I wouldn’t mind shaving. But I really don’t want to cut my hair. It’s a little longer than the regulations state but I’ve gotten away with it for a while now. I’m still confident that I’m going to win the bet, though.
“You were just lucky. That zombie came out of nowhere.”
She shakes her head. “You can’t trust those zombies.”
I look at Allyssa and I’m suddenly hit with something I’ve never felt with her before. I want to take her in my arms and kiss her. Like really, really kiss her. I take a step back and stick my hands in my pockets. It’s the only thing I can think of that would keep me from reaching for her.
She cocks her head. “Are you okay?”
“Me? Yeah. This has been a good day.”
“I agree.” She reaches for my arm and pulls my hand from my pocket and holds onto it. “It’s been really fun hanging out with you lately. It’s like old times, but even better.”
I nod. “I agree.”
“Can we keep doing it?”
My heart thumps in my chest so hard I’m afraid she can hear it. “Yes. I’d like that. Only no more upping the bet.”
She smiles. “Okay.”
“Next, you’ll have me wearing a suit or my football uniform.”
She laughs. “Nowthatwould give those cheerleaders something to talk about.”
7
Allyssa
Thegamewasgreatfun and the pizza afterwards was even better. My relationship with Link seems to be shifting but I’m not sure where it’s heading. I don’t want to overthink it. I’ll just let things play out. I love our bet and I’m pretty confident I can win it. As I head to a meeting with my client, I wonder if I’ll still be confident when it’s over.
I meet with Billy at the park. He claims to be claustrophobic and likes to be outside. He seemed fine when I met him at the jail. But I don’t question him. It’s a nice day and I don’t mind getting out of the office.
Billy is jumpy and nervous, but we have a pretty good meeting and he says he’s been staying out of trouble. I haven’t heard otherwise, so I’m inclined to believe him. We part an hour later and I’m confident he’ll show up in court. But I’m not so sure I’ll be able to get the charges dropped. I might have to track down my cheerleading uniform just in case.
After meeting with Billy, I go to have lunch with Mark. He and I get together every couple of weeks for lunch or dinner. Sometimes, Link joins us. Today, however, it’s just Mark and me.
He’s waiting at a table when I arrive. “I thought we said one.”
