Page 16 of Cross Check Christmas
"Who's currently benched." I slump further into my chair.
"Perfect timing then. No distractions." Tucker drums his fingers on the table.
"Have you met Colette? I take a sip of my now-lukewarm coffee.
"Sounds like you're chicken."
"I am not chicken." I straighten up.
"So why don't you just ask her out?" Tucker leans back, that annoying know-it-all smirk spreading across his face.
"I could ask her out if I wanted to."
Tucker's mouth curls into that lopsided smile I recognize from our poker nights.
"Look, if you're so confident about your chances with the Ice Queen..."
"Ice Queen?"
"That's what everyone calls her. She's turned down half the eligible guys in town. Even that hotshot lawyer from Toronto who came specifically to ask her out."
I nearly choke on my coffee. “Lawyer? What lawyer?”
"Tell you what. Let’s make it interesting." Tucker drums his fingers on the table. “I bet… you can't get her to go on a date with you."
I straighten up. "What?"
"And kiss under the mistletoe before Christmas."
"You want to make a bet with me. About my love life?”
"Scared?" He arches an eyebrow.
"No, but..."
"Then put your money where your mouth is. Or better yet..." His eyes light up. "That mint condition Boba Fett figure you've got."
I clutch my chest in mock horror. "Not Boba! He's never even seen air outside his package!"
"Exactly. That action figure's been calling my name for years.”
"No way! That's worth-"
"What? Afraid you'll lose?"
I look across at Daisy's Bakery where Colette's still chatting, probably plotting my demise after yesterday's gym incident. Getting her to date me seems about as likely as scoring a hat trick blindfolded.
"What's in it for me?"
He throws up his hands. “You get the girl, man!”
“No, no. If I’m putting Boba on the line, you need to ante something just as valuable.”
Tucker leans back, crossing his arms. "Fine. If you win, I'll give you my original 1977 Star Wars movie poster. The one you've been drooling over since middle school."
"The one with Luke and Leia that hung in your dad's den? Signed by Mark Hamill?"
Tucker grits his teeth. “Yes.”
