Wallflower Ink

Chapter 19

· Jace ·

Joe's is packed tonight--just as it usually is on a Monday. Monday nights are reserved for tournaments, and though pool doesn't have as great a following as the local high school football team, it is a big deal in its own right in this town. People come to play, and people come to wager. I only ever come to watch and relax.

Tonight, Merri and I are joined by Katie and Kyle, and as we sit awkwardly in a booth near the pool tables I wonder what's going through Merri's mind.

"Bad ass," Kyle says again, grinning at Merri. "I honestly didn't think you'd go through with it."

Merri's cheeks turn pink with Kyle's renewed interest, and she smiles shyly then looks down at her glass.

"After that shit with the spider? I honestly didn't think you had it in you. Takes a lot of backbone to get a tat like that."

Merri's blush intensifies and I chuckle to myself when I see Katie's elbow find home in Kyle's ribs.

"What the hell was that for?" he moans as he rubs the spot where he's just been assaulted by my sister.

He looks at Katie as if she'd just stabbed him, donning a mock expression of hurt. She just tilts her head, lifts one brow, and purses her lips in response.

"Think she's telling you to shut your trap, dude."

"It's okay," Merri says softly, her gaze first darting to me and then to the others at the table. Katie's own smile softens when Merri's gaze stops on her.

"Kyle's an ass, but you can't pay much attention to that. He means well. He just has a funny way of showing it sometimes."

Merri's nervous laugh seems out of place in Joe's, where most people's amusement is voiced at eardrum rattling decibels, and I fight the urge to take her hand to ease her discomfort. Instead, I offer her a warm smile.

"You get used to him, after a while. When he gets too out of control, we can always count on Katie to apply the muzzle and yank the leash to pull him back in line."

"You're damned straight," Katie says with a grin.

Kyle pouts playfully and shakes his head, then leans across the table toward Merri.

"It's in our marriage license, at the bottom in tiny print. She legally has the right to treat me like shit whenever she feels like it. You ever tie the knot, you better check that fine print. There's no telling what you'll be agreeing to if you don't."

He winks at Merri, and for the first time since we all sat down a real smile blooms on her face. Her blush compliments it, like flower petals highlighted by a bright ray of sunshine. I relax a little, hoping that's a good sign.

I hadn't told her I'd invited my sister and brother-in-law to our impromptu outing, had in fact intentionally left out that minor detail. I suspected she'd back out if I told her, and had hoped she wouldn't shut down or leave after she found out. When Katie and Kyle had flagged us down and I'd guided Merri over, she'd seemed surprised but not angry.

And now, as I watch her gradually warming to them, I think maybe I've made the right decision. She needs something bright in her life right now, and few people are brighter than Kyle. He has an infectious kind of humor that most people find powerless to resist. Merri seems to be falling into that category, and I'm glad to see it. She's had a rough day and is due a little unadulterated fun to round out her evening.