AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He didn't discourage her.
It was around nine o’clock when he felt a change. He could just tell when she entered the bar, he didn’t even have to look up. Some voices in the front got hushed. Paige had no clue, but she usually commanded attention whenever she entered a room. He chuckled around the cigarette that was between his lips and shuffled around the cards he was holding.
“Parker.”
His name came out as a bark. He squinted up at her through the cigarette smoke. She was standing across the table from him, and the pissed vibes were rolling off her in tsunami sized waves. Most everyone had twisted around in their chairs to get a look at the newcomer. One guy gave a low whistle, and the look Paige gave could’ve set fire to him.
“What’s up? Everyone, this is Paige. Paige, this is ... everyone,” he laughed, looking back at his cards.
“Let’s go.”
“Eh, I’m not done here.”
“Oh, you’re done.”
A chorus of “ooohhhs” went up around the table, followed by laughing. Paige stared straight at Parker. He smiled as big as he could in return and leaned back in his chair.
“Wanna take a seat? Play a hand? We’ve never played poker, have we? I bet you’re good, you already have an amazing poker face,” he said. She swallowed and he could visibly see her containing her anger.
“Parker, I’m asking nicely. Please. Let’s go,” she urged through clenched teeth.
“Is she your girlfriend?” the girl at his side asked. Parker burst out laughing.
“No. No, she is most definitely not my girlfriend,” he laughed. Paige was almost vibrating with anger now.
“No, I’m not, but I am a girl who is a friend who is about to kick his ass,” she threatened.
“We’ll take care of him, I promise. We’ll make sure he gets home,” the redhead offered in a genuinely sweet voice.
“That’s very nice. Thank you. But I think he really wants to go home now, actually,” Paige said, her eyes never leaving Parker. He laughed again and wrapped an arm around the redhead’s hips.
“No, I don’t think I really want that. I think I really want to be here right now,” he replied, pulling the girl into his lap.
Paige surprised him. He'd figured she would get angry, possibly take a swing at him. Maybe even at the girl – he wouldn’t have let them fight. But she didn’t do either. She turned around and walked out the door, calm as could be. That was almost scarier. He may have pushed her too far. Another round of “ooohhhs” sounded.
“She's most definitely gonna kick your ass later!” a guy next to him laughed. Parker sighed and gently eased the girl off his lap before he stood up.
“I’m sorry, guys, I better go make sure she’s not burning down your town or something,” he joked. The redhead smiled sweetly up at him and suddenly he felt bad. She was actually a genuinely nice person, and he'd used her. He was better than that.
“Are you gonna be in town long? I could show you around, my dad owns a bar downtown and it’s gonna be crazy on the fourth – we could have a lot of fun,” she offered, and Parker felt even worse.
“I’m sorry, I think we’re heading out in a day or two. But it was really great meeting you,” he said, pulling her into half a hug before turning to the table. “Thanks for the game guys, I leave my bounty to be divided up between you all!” Everyone laughed and waved as he headed out the door.
He could see Paige down the street ahead of him. He lengthened his stride, but didn’t hurry beyond that. By the time he reached the motel, he was only a couple yards behind her. He knew that she knew he was behind her, but she shut the door on him anyway. He fumbled with his key and when he got into the room, Paige was just coming back out of the bathroom.
“Didn’t want to make an evening of it?” she asked coolly, an eyebrow raised. He sighed, shrugging out of his pink hoodie.
“Thought about it, but I didn’t want to come back here to my tires slashed or something. Took you a long time to find me,” he said and she snorted.
“No, I just didn’t start looking for a long time, and when I did, I only had to keep my eye out for the seediest piece of shit bar around,” she spat out. He nodded, tossing his hat across the room and stretching his arms above his head.
“Sounds like me,” was all he replied.
She lost it.
“What the fuck was that!?” she shrieked, storming up to him.
“What the fuck was what!?” he asked, holding up his hands. She circled him and he turned around, his back to the room.
