Page 81 of Wingwoman
“Noted.”
The hat was sturdy with soft, buttery leather. But the sturdiness of the build didn’t mean it was thick or heavy. Quite the opposite, actually. It was lightweight in my hand and the inside was stitched tightly with camel-colored thread, lined with mahogany satin. I didn’t want to know how much this hat cost. Probably the same as a new pair of Jimmy Choos. Maybe more.
“What is it about these cowboy hats here in Texas anyway?” I asked. “Why don’t you just wear a baseball hat like the rest of the country to keep the sun out of your eyes?”
“Cowboy hats dosomuch more than just keep the sun out of our eyes,” he said. “Sure, that’s one purpose. But a well-made hat will both keep you cool in the hot sun and keep you warm at night. It will be sturdy enough to fan the flame of a campfire or serve your horse water from.”
He was moving slowly in the water, wading his way to the edge.Tooslowly. He was buying time, trying to formulate his own plan.
“Oh?” I asked innocently. “So it’s made to hold liquid?” I tipped the coconut more on its side, the yellow smooth liquid gliding its way toward the edge of the cup.
“Wait, wait!” Josh cried out. “Itcanholdwater. That doesn’t mean it should hold pineapple juice and coconut milk that’ll potentially curdle in the hot sun and stink to high heaven for the next two months.”
I pulled back on the tipped coconut cup slightly, uprighting it. “Well then… you know what to do. Set the cup down on the edge of the pool, nice and easy and back away. No one has to get hurt.”
“You don’t own any cowboy hats, let alone a good one,doyou?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Gee, what ever gave me away?”
“Well, for starters, if you did own one, you wouldn’t be making such a threat. If you had your own, you’d understand the love and bond a person has with their cowboy hat.”
“Could I wear mine with pearl earrings and heels?”
“If you’d like. Though I personally think turquoise jewelry would be better.”
“Turquoise?” I’d literally never worn turquoise outside of this bathing suit, which wasn’t even mine.
He made it to the edge of the pool and gently set the coconut down on the edge, putting his hands up in surrender as though I was holding him at gunpoint. “There you go. I kept my end of the bargain.”
“Now swim to the other side,” I ordered.
His eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t the deal.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I ruining your counter plan? How dumb do you think I am?”
We were both still smiling despite the standoff. It was the weirdest, most fun I’d had in a long time.
“Dumb is definitelynotthe word I’d use to describe you,” his voice rumbled. Then, stretching his arms, he did the backstroke away from the coconut.
“Do you like card games, Josh? It feels like a very Texas thing, right? I’m not sure why, though…”
He studied me for a long moment curiously before answering. “Because people associate Texas with those Old West saloons and literally the name of the game is called Texas Holdem,” he said. “But in the Old West, the saloons were notorious for card games like three-card monte, as well as non-card games like high-low, chuck-a-luck, Faro.”
His hand touched the other side of the pool and he paused his little speech.
“That makes sense,” I said as I slowly made my way to the pool’s edge, his hat still in hand. “But, did they ever play…” I paused for dramatic effect. Then, rearing back, I tossed his hat to him as I yelled, “Go Fish?”
There was a splash as he launched up and out of the pool to catch the hat. I wasn’t too worried about it getting wet. He’d already said it was designed to carry water and if it was meant to be used in the elements, then surely he wore it in the rain too.
“You little sneak!” he yelled, but he was laughing so hard, I could barely understand him.
I shrieked a noise that I’d never in my life heard come from my mouth—a cross between a girly squeal and a giggle—as I grabbed both drinks, running away from him. He plopped the hat on his head and lunged out of the pool, charging at me.
“You play dirty!” he barked as he closed in on me.
“You should remember that!” I rounded to the back of a lounge chair, putting it between us.
He was way faster than I expected him to be. Or maybe I was just slowed down by the double drinks in my hands and the mesmerizing way the water dripped from his tanned body.
