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“My son wants the latest video game console for Christmas.”
“And?”
“I got it, but I wish he would get outside more.”
Cass grinned and took a big drink of his water. “My brother and I would leave the house in the morning around nine. And not go home until it got dark. We rode our bikes everywhere.”
“Right?” She nodded. “I rode my bike everywhere, and if I wasn’t on my bike, I was at practice.”
He eyed her with interest. “Basketball.”
“Softball.”
“First base.”
“Yes.”
She glanced away from him as the guy from earlier approached the bar.
“Excuse me.”
He nodded and watched her talk to the guy. Even though the guy might be a real cowboy, the cowboy hat he wore annoyed Cass. Maybe it was more the head it set atop that annoyed him. The guy looked like he thought women should drop at his feet to worship. Cass found it interesting and pleasing, if he were being honest, that Marlowe seemed immune to his supposed charm.
A Christmas song played now. If he wasn’t mistaken, and he wasn’t—his parents had a huge holiday music collection—Alan Jackson was singing. Rather than feast his eyes on Marlowe—as much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to be creepy—he swiveled his head around to look at the Christmas tree again.
He hadn’t put one up at his house. Hadn’t for the last few years. When he lived with Lisa, they did, but when that all went to hell, so had the holiday joy. While he was over Lisa and the holiday joy was definitely back, he just hadn’t taken up the decorating thing again. Didn’t realize how much he missed it. Not until he started talking to Marlowe.
The night went by fast. Cass was finished with whiskey, but Marlowe didn’t seem to mind refreshing his water glass every now and then. They talked about her son and the video games. Cass and his brother had played video games, but they had been more outdoorsy. Marlowe’s son did enjoy hiking, so Cass asked her for recommendations on trails to hike in the area. Not that he had time this weekend, but he would file the information away for any future trips.
He had just come back from Spain. Spent a week in Barcelona. He’d been there before, done the touristy things—the hop on and off bus tour. This time he had done a deep dive into the churches there, studying the history, the architecture, and even the religion. Who knew? Maybe he would come back to Rodey or Kissing Springs, Kentucky, next spring for a hike.
If he did, he might look Marlowe up.
He glanced at his watch when she took a set of keys out from under the bar.
“Do you need me to get out of here?”
He looked around, realizing suddenly that he was the only patron left in the bar.
“No.” She shrugged. “Unless you need to get out of here.”
“I would love to just sit here and talk to you, Marlowe,” he told her.
She grinned and nodded. “Me, too. Let me lock up.”
He watched her when she stepped out from behind the bar. Her long legs were clothed in dark wash, wide legged jeans. Cass wondered if she had big heels on, or if she was this tall without them.
“Do you have heels on?” he called across the room.
Marlowe flipped the key in the lock and turned back to him with a frown. “Are you kidding me? I’m six feet tall without heels. That’s hard on a girl. Let me tell ya. Especially in rural Kentucky.”
“But you don’t play basketball.”
“And if I had a dollar for every time a man has said that to me, I could buy everyone in Kentucky a drink.”
“Aren’t there a lot of Baptists here? So, that’s a whole lotta drinks you wouldn’t have to buy. Just saying.”
Marlowe dropped her head back and laughed big and loud.
