Page 68 of Hide and Sneak
It’s a week night so Blades and Beer isn’t very busy. We both grab a beer, and Amos also gets a shot. He takes it, orders another, and we head to one of the throwing cages that’s empty. The areas are divided by metal fencing and a small wooden bar with two stools sits at each entrance.
“Want to practice before we start taking score?” Amos asks after we read over the laminated sheet of rules and score keeping.
“Good idea. I’ve never played before.”
“Me either, but we’re good at darts. How different could it be?” He stands at the black line and chucks the hatchet. It flips multiple times, bounces off the target and clangs to the floor.
“Stand back, let me show you how it’s done.” I grab the ax and mime throwing a few times, trying to get used to the weight of it and determine how far it’ll rotate. It flies straight, rotates too far, hits the target, and joins Amos’s on the floor.
“You were saying?” Amos snorts.
Two women are throwing at the next cage, and one of them grins over at us. “Loosen your grip and don’t throw so hard,” she advises. We watch as she tosses hers and easily sticks it in the target.
“Come and show me how?” Amos invites, flashing a smile.
“Buy me a drink?”
“Absolutely, your friend too. I’m Amos.”
“Mia.” Both women join us and she introduces her friend as Jenny.
Damn it. I’m not here to hit on women when I have no interest in anyone but Lila. Why is he flirting when he’s with Mandy, anyway?
It doesn’t work out for him because Mia is only interested in the game. “My husband loves to bring me here on date nights and he always wins. So I started sneaking away to practice. Next time, he’s in for it.”
We order another round of drinks, and Jenny sits beside me at the small bar while Mia shows Amos how to throw. “My first boyfriend in seventh grade was named Sutton,” she says, flipping back her blond hair. “Little skinny kid with a buzzcut.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. Sometimes I hate living in a small town. “Until you moved away in the middle of the year?” I suggest.
Her brown eyes widen and she claps her hand over her mouth. “I didn’t recognize you at all.” She drags her gaze over me. “You really grew up.”
“I hope so since we were twelve.” We both chuckle at the situation. She grins at me over her drink. “You were my first kiss.”
“Really?”
We get interrupted when Amos lets out a hoot. His axe is embedded at the edge of the target. “I got it!”
Mia waves her hand, gesturing for me to take a turn. “Come on, I’ll show you how.”
It takes me a couple of tries, but then I get the hang of it, and we start a game with the four of us. The drinks keep coming, butI stop at two beers since I’m the one driving. Amos is throwing them back left and right.
After a couple of hours, Jenny lays her hand on my knee and leans to talk into my ear over the music. “We have to go soon. Do you want my number?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m seeing someone.”
Amos walks up and slaps a hatchet down on the bar. “I’m too drunk to throw anymore. That was fun.”
Jenny slides off the stool and nods to her friend. “We should get going. Thanks for the drinks.”
As soon as they walk away, Amos takes her spot. “Dude, she was into you. Did you ask her out?”
“No, I’m not interested.”
“Are you allergic to pussy all of a sudden?” His phone beeps and he checks it. “Lila said she’d text when they made it safe to Ohio.” He shows me the picture she sent of her, Cara, and Maren at a table with margaritas. It’s captionedGirl’s Night. “Let’s send one back.”
We take a picture with both of us holding axes like we’re going to chop the other one, with the drinks visible on the table behind us. It looks hilarious and unhinged. Amos captions itBoy’s Nightand sends it back before heading to the bathroom.
My phone beeps with a text from Lila.
