Chapter Thirteen
Jo
Crash was really sweating it. I felt bad for the guy. His girlfriend must not be a very good person if she was stealing from the club her boyfriend was trying to get into. Besides, I’d just poured my guts out to Clint, so it wasn’t like I needed to hide my past.
“She’s the one in the pink shirt. I could see the shot glass in the side pocket of her purse,” Crash explained, oblivious to Clint’s scowl. “How are you gonna get it back from her?”
Sizing her up, I judged she was just about my age. This would be easy. It would feel good to practice my rusty skills. Besides, it would help me keep my thoughts away from Clint’s lips.
“I’m gonna pick her pocket. Well, her purse.” I squared my shoulders and grinned at the stunned faces surrounding me. “Krista, will you take Nana’s chair for a minute?”
Once Krista was holding on to Nana’s chair, I made my way across the clubhouse floor. It was a long walk from the bar to where the women were playing pool. Shit, maybe this had been a bad idea. I could feel Clint and Nana’s eyes boring into my back as I walked; I’d never put on a pickpocket performance before. I took a deep breath.
“Candice!” I screeched as I got over to the pool table.
The two women looked at me, confused. There was no turning back now.
“Don’t you remember me?” I asked, all smiles. “Ninth grade homeroom? I’m Jo Warner! I moved halfway through the year, but you have to remember me!”
Candice blinked at me, then smiled. “Oh my god, Jo!” She put her arms around me for a big hug.
This was my chance. As Candice was giving me a bear hug, I was rooting around in her purse. Candice’s body was blocking the view of her friend, but I was pretty sure that Clint and Nana could see everything. My fingers closed around the silver shot glass, but then my knuckles hit against something else. From the hardness of the metal and temperature, I guessed it was another shot glass. She’d stolen a set. Sneaking one was easy enough—sneaking two was going to mean more time spent and more skill to hide the first one. Damn.
“So great to see you!” I said, pulling away. I had nowhere to stash this shot glass except in my back pocket. I hoped she wouldn’t notice the obvious lump in my jeans. Now I just needed to get number two.
“What happened to you?” she asked. “I remember you left, but where did you go?”
“Oh, well, you remember my dad was in the military?” I asked.
“The army, right?” Candice smiled. “Or the navy? I can’t remember.”
Bless her heart. She had no idea I was scamming her.
I nodded. “The army. See, you remember! Anyway, he got stationed in North Carolina, so we had to move—and I got a southern accent as a bonus!”
Both Candice and her friend laughed. They offered to let me play a round with them, but I declined.
“I would love to, but I’m working.” I pouted. “I’m taking care of the lady in the wheelchair over by the bar. I’m her health aide. But it was sure nice seeing you! How about one more hug?”
“So great to see you!” Candice squealed, pulling me into another hug.
This was easy as pie. I rooted around in her purse again and quickly found the other shot glass. I did another search of her purse and didn’t feel anything else.
“See you later!” I palmed the shot glass and held it behind my back. “Bye!” I waved with my empty hand.
Nana and Krista were laughing, but Clint just looked sad. When I got back to the group, I handed my gains to Crash.
“She had two of them,” I said. “She might have more, but this was all I could find.”
“Holy shit.” Crash gave me a bear hug. “That was fucking awesome! Thanks, Jo!”
“I’m gonna go check and see if that’s all she took.” Krista grabbed the two little glasses and headed to the back of the bar. I took over the handles of Nana’s wheelchair.
“Break up with her today,” Clint told Crash. “You can’t date someone who steals from the club.”
“I know.” He shrugged. “It was nice having her around the house, though. Oh well. At least I won’t get drummed out. I’ll go talk to her now.”
We all watched in silence as Crash crossed the room and tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder. He took her hand and led her outside, away from us gawkers.
“Well, that was a real fun trick,” Nana said brightly. “Where did you learn that?”
“The school of hard knocks.” I laughed. I didn’t really want to explain any further. I’d already told Clint too much; I was still a little raw.
“She probably picked it up at the same school where you learned how to cheat at gin,” he said, winking at Nana. “Let’s leave Jo her secrets.”
I smiled at him, grateful that he’d saved me from another uncomfortable conversation. Then I realized what he had said. “Wait, you cheat at gin?” I asked her. “That’s why I never win?”
“It’s just a little card counting.” Nana laughed. “I have my secrets too,” she said with a smug smile.
“They won’t let her back at the senior center back home,” Clint explained. “She got caught.”
“I did not get caught,” Nana said firmly. “Cora Mapleton is just a sore loser.” She finished the sentence with a big yawn.
Clint laughed and rolled his eyes. “Come on, ladies.” He stepped in to push Nana’s wheelchair. “I think it’s time to head out.”
* * *
After we got back to the house, I helped Nana to bed and then went to my room. It was past ten and I was planning to go to bed early. I’d already slipped under the covers with a stack of flashcards when someone knocked on my door.
“Hey, Jo?” Clint called from the hallway. “Can I talk to you real quick?”
“Yeah, come in,” I said, sitting up in bed and making sure to gather the blankets around my waist.
“Sorry to interrupt your night,” he said from my doorway. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m going away for a few days and my mother will be staying with you and Nana.”
“Where are you going and for how long?” I asked, frowning.
“I got some club business in Southern California.” He shrugged. “I’ll probably be gone about a week. I’m leaving in two days. My mom will be here tomorrow to help out.”
“Oh.” I wanted to jump out of bed and be close to him. Funny how a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have really cared if my boss left town for a while, but now it seemed so momentous. I picked at the covers.
“I forgot to tell you earlier,” he explained, “and I didn’t want to leave it in a note. I hope you have fun with my mom. I’ll be back on Thursday, probably.”
“Okay, well, thanks for telling me.” I smiled at him as he left and closed my door. He’d be gone for nearly a week and I was going to be living with his mother.
Who would he be with? My mind started wandering. He had business for the club. I’d seen the stripper pole in the back of the bar at Family Night. Would there be other women? Women who wouldn’t pull away after kissing him?
I flopped back on my bed. It was gonna be a long week.