Rewired (The Progress Series) Read Free Page B

and they were scattered beautifully across the table.
    With a couple of taps on the ashtray, Jesse emptied the resin from his pipe and shoved it back into his pocket, a cheap excuse to loosen his tightening jeans. He took his wallet out of his back pocket, along with the lighter, and set it on the bench. Smiling, he glanced at Charlie out of the corner of his eye. “Prepare yourself, Charlie. I know how to play this game, too.”
    He stepped around the table, chalking as he strode. Positioning himself, he fixed his mind on the odds for the best possible shot—each angle, every stripe and solid, and every scenario that the cue ball would bank against the cushion in order to collide with the ball of his choice. Then he considered the placement of the balls after their ricochets. With his mind working furiously, Jesse was in his zone.
    “Nine ball, corner pocket.” Calling out each shot beforehand, he sank four stripes in a row before he fouled.
    “Ha! Rookie.” She laughed and retrieved the cue ball from the hole on the side of the table. She threw it up in the air, fixing her eyes on Jesse’s. His head cocked to one side, trying to read her expression. As the ball quickly descended, her hand swept across and caught it at her waistline. If Jesse had blinked, he would have missed it.
    “Softball, nine years.” She flashed a grin.
    “Really? You played softball?”
    She giggled. “Yeah. I couldn’t get myself around the bases very fast, but I crushed the shit out of that ball. Every time.”
    “What position did you play?”
    “Pitcher and first base. I coached for a couple of years, too. I called our team The Ball Snatchers.” She smiled and set the cue ball down to take her next shot. Looking back up, she said, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. An entire lifetime, really.”
    “Like what?” he asked.
    “My birthday, for example,” she lightheartedly replied. “My phone number, my middle name, my favorite movie...” She shrugged. “You hardly ever ask me about, well, me . I’m not bothered by it much. But it occurred to me the other night that you barely know who I am.”
    What else do I need to know? “Go on, I’m listening.”
    She laughed, positioning herself for the shot. She tapped the solid 1 ball and it glided gently into the side pocket. Glancing back up at Jesse, she recognized his eager expression. “Oh, I don’t know, Jess! There are just some basic things about me that you’ve never asked.” She waved her hand, dismissing any inclination that it bothered her. “I mean, did you know that I have a sister?”
    Whoa.
    “Really? You have a sister?” His eyes shot open and he bit his lip, smirking.
    Bending over the pool table, Charlie looked up at Jess and laughed so hard she missed her shot. More annoyed at that than his insinuation, she replied, “Get it out of your head. Stay away from her.” She giggled and teasingly slapped his ass while walking by him. “Your turn.”
    “I know, I know. I’m going.”
    “No, your turn to answer some questions.”
    Chalking up his cue, a deep crease riddled his brow. “What do you want to know?”
    “How about your middle name?”
    He smiled. “You’re gonna laugh.”
    “Oh no, is it like Herman or something?”
    He shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s James.”
    She shrugged and wrinkled her nose. “Why is that so funn—Oh!” She giggled. “Jesse James.” Shaking her head, she snorted and quickly covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter.
    Wetting his lips, he flicked his chin up twice in succession. “Laugh it up.”
    “Okay, I’m sorry,” she added quickly. “So can I ask another question?”
    He tensed and bent down to line up his next shot. “Go ahead.”
    “You once told me you were in the foster system…”
    He took his shot just as the words left her lips, and the cue ball flew off the table, cracking onto the cement floor. He tried to act casual and laughed it off. “Oh, no, no, no, Charlie.