Re: The Cat: Matt & Cat
"You'll owe me," he said, as he went back to the bar, aware of how it sounded, almost smiling. She could win. They both knew she could win, and if she lost, it was to make a point - and it had nothing to do with the money either way.
He went back to the bar and continued serving drinks, pulling down glasses and distributing beers, tucking the tips underneath the bar instead of into his pocket. By the time the game of pool was turning against Cat, there was a wad of damp bills next to the sweating water pitcher on a little rubber mat under the back of the bar, and it kept getting taller. The cash register made merry noises every minute or so, and the patrons kept right on drinking. Thanks to her generosity to the shaken members of the community, she might even come out ahead tonight.
He watched her over the heads of the bar patrons, between leaning couples. She was holding back. No question. He saw her tense her arm when she lined up her next shot, and she didn't have that kind of tell, the exertion of knocking the ball off-balance.
He didn't walk over, though. He stayed at the bar, cleaning glasses, serving patrons, and following his promise to hold down the fort to a tee. When she came around the opposite side of the table for her next shot, he was watching her.