Page 56 of The Main Event

“Something happened between you and our esteemed boss,” Levi insisted. “I’m not an idiot. You were both acting weird when you found us.”

“Oh, so you were hiding.”I knew it!

Now Levi was the one acting innocent. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. We were just enjoying our drinks. You two are the ones who took a side trip to… I don’t even know where.”

“We didn’t take a side trip.”

“Oh, that’s crap. Leroy saw you two down the alley between the bookstore and the witch hats. You were close and looked to be arguing.” He straightened. “He didn’t try to smack you around or anything, did he?”

That was the most ridiculous assumption I’d ever heard. “Of course not.” As uncomfortable as I was around Jax, I wasn’t okay with bad gossip being spread. “He’s not even the type to do something like that.”

“What’s the type?”

“You know the type, and it’s not him.”

“I do have trouble imagining the Monopoly man doing something like that,” he agreed.

“Mr. Monopoly,” I corrected without thinking.

“What?”

“The guy’s name is Mr. Monopoly.”

“Who told you that?”

“Who do you think?”

“Hmm.” Levi planted his hands on the bar and stared hard. “What happened in the alley? Did you two, you know?”

Was he kidding me right now? “What? You think we just dropped our pants and went for it in the alley? That sounds just like me, doesn’t it?”

“Tommy Thornton.”

“Excuse me?” The name was a blast from the past, but I had no idea what it had to do with this conversation.

“In tenth grade, you let Tommy Thornton feel you up under the bleachers at the football game. That was in public.”

“First of all, he didn’t feel me up. We were down there talking, and heaccidentallyleaned in and brushed his hand against my breast. It wasn’t on purpose.”

The face Levi made would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “He left finger marks on your shirt because he’d just eaten a big pretzel, with mustard, and you were wearingwhite. The finger marks were like this.” He lifted his hands and bent his fingers, making claw hands.

“You’re remembering it wrong.”

“Lies. That was your first time making it to third base. We dissected it for months because we were convinced it meant something.”

He wasn’t wrong. We’d sat in my bedroom, in twin beanbags, and drank fizzy waters until we were ready to explode as we decided if Tommy Thornton was my destiny. That was back when I was reading romance novels nonstop. I was convinced Tommy and I were going to be together forever. Then, the next month, Mona Peters had shown up with mustard claws on her pink shirt, and the love affair was over.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” I hissed. There was nobody in the bar—people wouldn’t start showing up for another thirty minutes to have beer with their lunch—but if the wrong person got the wrong idea, I would never hear the end of it.

“That means there’s something to talk about.” Levi was practically crowing. “What happened, Daisy? You know I’m not going to just let it go. Did your hormones decide to run a repeat ofDynastyor what?”

Dynasty? What the hell was that? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Yup, I was definitely shrill now.

“Just tell me.” The order was a growl.

Who did he think he was? I wasn’t telling him anything. “I have work to do.” I was prim when focusing on my binder. The best way to irritate Levi was to not give him what he wanted.

“I’m going to wear you down,” he warned.

---