Page 30 of Catch and Release

“The reigning champ of Bingo,” he whispered back. “Bit of a sore winner, too. That’s why they hate her.”

“Ahh. So, what? She made a deal with the devil that she’d win small town Bingo every Friday? Who even keeps track of how many times someone wins?”

“The regulars do. They all pool in $50 each and whoever has the most all-time wins at the end of the summer gets the pot.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

He chortled.

“How did I never know this existed? Did my grandmother do this?” Willa asked.

“I didn’t know Betty very well,” Shawn responded softly. “I did see her here a few times, though. She wasn’t as intense as Grams.”

“Thank God for that. I don’t know if the world needs anymore of them.”

He grinned at her, and she realized this was the most pleasant interaction she’d had with him.

Okay, so she couldn’t ignore the fact that he was mouth-wateringly hot, but maybe she could still be friends with him. It’d be nice to have a friend her age. She and Layla chatted a few times when she was at the hotel, but she seemed a little timid. Maybe with Shawn, she could actually start to put down roots here.

“So are you two dating or what?” Barb broke the silence.

Shawn groaned, his cheeks reddening as he dragged a hand over his face.

“No, we’re not dating,” Willa said. “Just because two people are roughly the same age doesn’t mean they’re dating.”

“That’s not why I asked,” Barb responded. “I asked because this round just wrapped up and neither of you have put a single chip on your card because you’ve been whispering in each other’s ears.”

“We haven’t been—” Willa cut herself off, rolling her eyes. “Look, we’re not dating. ‘Kay?”

“Well, that’s a shame,” Shirley, another woman at the table, cut in. “You make such a pretty pair.”

“But if you’re available, Willa, then I can set you up with my grandson,” one of the other ladies cut in. Willa was pretty sure her name was Mary. “He’s a doctor.”

Mary waggled her eyebrows.

“Um, thanks, but I’m taking a break from dating for a while,” Willa said. “Bad breakup.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Shirley chimed in. “Well, what about you, Shawn? My granddaughter is going to be in town next weekend. Maybe you can take her out on the boat.”

Willa’s insides clenched at the thought of Shawn taking a girl out who wasn’t her. Which was silly, she reminded herself. Stupid. Idiotic, even. They weren’t dating. They were barely even friends. And she wasn’t going to date him, anyway. She couldn’t—not without breaking her promise to herself that she’d stay single for a while. She noticed her fists were clenched at her sides and tried to relax them, avoiding looking at Shawn with everything she had.

He cleared his throat.

“Thanks, Miss Shirley,” he said, ever the Southern gentleman. “But I’m going to have to take a rain check this time around. I’m booked solid next weekend.”

Shirley looked disappointed but didn’t press the issue.

A few more rounds of Bingo passed, and Willa and Shawn didn’t talk as much after that. Willa felt like she might explode from the tension, but just focused on trying to get through the night so she could go home and not be under the scrutiny of half a dozen older women.

“Alright, this is the last round for the night,” the moderator came over the speaker to say. “This time, there’s only one winner. The catch? You have to be the first to have a blackout.“

A hush of anticipation came over the crowd.

“The winner of this round will get our most coveted prize: a free, chartered fishing trip with our very own Shawn Gray! You can bring up to five people with you, and he’ll take you on a two-hour boat ride on the Bay to fish in the best spots.”

Excited chatter buzzed throughout the cafeteria and Willa looked up at Shawn quizzically. He caught her eyes for a moment and then looked away. God, was he… bashful? Why was that the most adorable thing that had ever happened in the history of men? And why was she grinning like an idiot?

“Alright, let’s get started. B-45!”

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