Page 64 of The Games We Play
Then the warm Texas air hit me like a wave.
I slipped a cigarette from my back pocket, lit it against the breeze, and leaned back into the sun. That had been one hell of a morning, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
As I walked to the truck, I remembered how I’d caught a glimpse of her watching me, that faint, knowing smile tugging at her lips. Yeah. I was getting through to her. Slowly but surely, I was showing her the man I wanted to be—for her.
That was validation I was doing something right, and I’d latch onto that small sliver of hope ’til the end.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, I glanced down and spotted a stubborn speck of pink glitter on the floorboard.
I laughed softly to myself.
Glitter had been in here for months. No matter how many times I vacuumed, it never went away, so I stopped trying and left it there.
A reminder. A memory.
I realized just how special Penny truly was, because glittering my truck? Yeah, that was exactly the kind of wild thingIwould do.
The thing about a woman like her?
You don’t just let her walk away.
You fight for her.
You stay.
And you figure out how to love her the way she deserves—no matter what it takes.
19
MAC
DECEMBER. FIVE MONTHS AGO
Mac: Come on in when you get here, the doors open
Penny: Is your sister there?? Do I need to mentally prepare?
Mac: Nah, she hasn’t been here yet today.
Mac: Make sure to lock the door behind you
Mac: I can’t have anyone walking in with what I’m about to do to you, Trouble.
Penny: Oh? And what is that?
Mac: You’ll just have to wait and see…
Itapped the tip of my pen against the desk, eyes glued to the latest expense report. The bar was doing well—thank God.
We weren’t raking in anything crazy, but we were solid. Profitable. Enough to keep the lights on and tuck a little something extra into our pockets.
Tourist season had wrapped about a month ago, and Faircloud had seen an impressive surge this year. The town’s proximity to the city meant we caught the overflow—people looking for a taste ofrealTexas. Small towns, open skies, cattle, ranches… and cowboys…
The bell above the front door chimed, and I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
A slow smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it. But I kept my gaze locked on the screen, trying to summon my most nonchalant expression.
Penny.
