Page 8 of Mess With Me
“An old tough guy?” he pressed.
“Oops!” Ally said brightly. “Didn’t mean to offend. Not old, but what’s the word I’m looking for, Cali?”
“Competent,” Cali said.
“No-o-o, not that,” Ally said.
“Gee, thanks.” He lifted his mug, took a sip and nearly spewed coffee with Ally’s further explanation.
“What’s the word for been around the block a time or two?” Ally gestured wildly. “You know, the kind of tough guy with no patience for any BS.”
“A cop,” Cali supplied.
“No-o-o, not that,” Ally said.
“Moving on,” he grumbled.
Ally pointed at him. “Jaded! You don’t smile so much as smirk. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before today.”
“I would if something was ha-ha-whee-e-e-e funny.” He grinned.
Ally smiled back. “Keep it up, tough guy, I might think you have a real sense of humor.”
He slapped a hand to his chest and staggered a bit in his seat. “Ooh! She wounds me.”
Cali piped up. “His favorite joke is brain sucker and it’s starving.” She put her hand on his head and moved it up and down in imitation of a brain sucker.
“Ha-ha.” He fixed his hair. It was short with some spikes in front that looked stupid when they weren’t lined up just right.
“That’s a classic,” Ally said.
“What’s your favorite joke?” he asked.
Cali pulled out her phone and started checking it. She wasn’t much for joking around. Good. Now he had Ally all to himself.
“Knock, knock,” Ally said.
“No,” he said.
She smiled sunnily. “You have to answer the door.”
“Nobody’s home.”
“Stopwatch.”
He groaned.
“Come on, give it to me,” she said.
He smirked, his mind going to its usual dirty place. She gestured for him to hurry up and do his part. “Stopwatch who?” he drawled.
“Stopwatch you’re doing and let me in!” She waited, but he couldn’t even fake a laugh. Didn’t stop her. “What do you call cheese that’s not yours?”
He shook his head. “No idea.”
She flashed a smile. “That’s nach-o cheese. Get it? Not yo, nach-o.”
“Stop. Just stop.”
