“You got it, Margie. Hey, boss man. They’ve got other viewings tonight, so you can’t drink them completely under the table. The lady here just ran Margaret around the table and used a jump draw to do it.”
“Please, call me Hope.”
“And you’re getting a discount on your rent for putting this evil woman in her place. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jacob put the wine and the glasses down on the table with our Cosmos, popped the cork, and tested a sip before pouring a round and handing me a glass. “You need a little wine before we see the unit. I was just up there, and they’ve started repairs, so it’s more of a mess than I like, but I really wanted to give Margaret first crack at it, as she always brings over the nice tenants.”
“You can give me my owed drinks another day, Luke, but I’ll accept the offer of someone driving my car back to the hotel. It’s been a day.”
“You got it, Miss Hope.”
“What’s this about a jump draw?” Jacob asked.
Luke wasted no time showing his boss the video he’d taken of me making the shot, including the subsequent chaos on the table afterwards.
“In my defense, I hit the ball too hard, I meant to nudge the eight in, and it was damned luck and luck alone that it actually worked.”
“You made the shot, Hope. I couldn’t,” my real estate agent replied. “I wouldn’t have even tried, because the last time I tried a jump shot, I ruined the felt, and it was the high-end tournament felt. I ended up paying out a thousand dollars to replace it. I didn’t have to, as I had permission, but I felt guilty I’d busted the table. At least my thousand got next-day replacement.”
“She barely left a scuff, and nobody is going to care about yet another scuff on this one,” Luke replied. “That shot was something else, wasn’t it? Margie ran her around the table, and this was Hope’s revenge.”
“I will bribe you to run every damned league player in my building around the table, Hope,” the landlord announced.
I liked bribes, especially when the bribes involved playing a game I liked and could openly do well at. “What sort of bribe?”
“Free pet rent a year for each tourney player you run around the table.”
“Any bonus points if I run them around the table and they did the break?”
“I’ll figure something out. How often can you run someone around the table?”
“I’ve done it a few times. I usually target my brother when he annoys me, as there’s nothing quite as enjoyable as running him around the table in front of his friends. I usually try to lose a few times to give a surprise factor, too.”
Margaret burst into laughter. “You’re a pool shark!”
After thinking about it, I realized I really was. “I don’t take money for doing it, though. I just take payment in their pricked prides.”
“That’s just beautiful. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Do you play any other sports?”
“I like tennis, but I suck at it. I like to bowl, too, but I don’t have anyone to teach me. I want to try fingertip bowling, but I don’t know anyone who does it,” I admitted.
“I have a bowling alley in the building several blocks away, and I can definitely find someone to teach you the finer points of bowling.” Jacob took a sip of his wine. “Margaret told me you moved here from Washington?”
“Yes. I needed some fresh air, and New York has a lot of opportunities for auditing accountants. I just started my new job today, and I’m at a long-stay hotel down the street for the moment. This is really close to work.”
“That would put you at the Cercson Investment Group building if you’re an auditing accountant who works nearby. It’s a ten-minute walk on a bad day. The drive is quick, since the garage lets out right onto the main street, but you’ll have to battle the lights, so call it ten minutes either way. Most go around the block so they don’t have to try to make the left. It can be done, but it’s a lot faster just to come around the back and turn right onto our street and into the garage.”
Damn. Jacob knew his business well. “That’s right.”
“Good outfit, and they treat their employees pretty fair. You should like it, and the lack of commute will be what you need after a hard