Chapter 25

Lucky walked into Kelly’s and smiled when he saw that Elizabeth was working. “Hey there,” he greeted, making himself comfortable at the lunch counter.

Liz smiled at him, happy to see him there. “Hey yourself. What are you having?” she asked, nodding towards the menu that was in front of him.

He shook his head. “Not hungry.”

“Well then what are you doing here? In case you didn’t notice, this is a diner. We serve food here,” she joked.

“I know, but I’m here to see you,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too forward. After all, they were just friends now, and he didn’t want her to think he was trying to cross the line. It had been a week since their meeting on the docks, and so far they hadn’t seen each other too much.

“Oh,” she said, trying to keep her voice neutral, afraid she would give away how happy she was that he was there. “Well, here I am.”

He chuckled. “Yes, there you are. How much longer will you be there?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your shift. How much longer?” he clarified.

“Oh, just another hour. Why?”

“I thought we could hang out or something. I’m not sure what we could do though. Everything I thought of sounded too much like a date.”

“Like what?”

“Dinner, movie, walk in the park...” he said. She nodded in agreement.

“You’ve got a point. Um, are there any bands playing tonight at your dad’s club?”

“No, not tonight. I guess we could still go there. They’ve always got good music playing, and since I know the owner, the food is free,” he said with a smirk.

Liz laughed. “I thought you weren’t hungry?”

“Oh, I’m not. But I will be in an hour. So what do you say? Want to go to Luke’s with me?” he asked hopefully.

“Sure, sounds like fun,” she said. “Do you want to meet me back here in an hour, or should I meet you there?”

Lucky shook his head and smiled. “Actually, I think I’ll just wait here, if you don’t mind.”

Liz tried to hide her smile. “Not at all. Anyway, you know the owner here, too, so who am I to refuse?”

Lucky laughed and stood up to move to a table as Liz went over to take someone’s order.

~*~

“Okay,” Liz said, throwing down her apron. “All done.”

“Great, let’s go!” Lucky stood up and headed for the door, holding it open for her as she left. They drove to Luke’s, not quite sure what to expect from the evening. It was the first time they had tried to go out as just friends, and neither one was sure if they could pull it off.

They entered the club, immediately seeing that Luke was behind the bar.

“Hey, Cowboy,” he greeted, waving them over. “What brings you here tonight?”

“We just thought we’d hang out here, that’s all,” Lucky said, praying his father would behave himself.

“Well, have fun. Let me know if you need anything,” he said. He figured he’d give the kid a break from his teasing....for now.

“Thanks, Dad,” Lucky said with a hint of relief in his voice. He turned to Elizabeth. “You want to sit down somewhere?”

“Sure,” she answered, gazing around the club in awe. She had never been inside before, and was amazed at how cool it was. They went over to a table and sat down.

“So, what do you think?” Lucky asked, waving his hand to indicate the club.

Liz smiled. “It’s great. I never realized it was so nice in here. From the outside...”

Lucky laughed. “Yeah, I know. I think that was my dad’s intention. He wanted it to look like a seedy dive from outside. He’s kind of weird that way.” He paused for a minute, thinking. “I just remembered something I had to ask him. I’ll be right back.” He stood up as Liz nodded, and hurried over to the bar.

“Dad, how come you’re tending bar tonight?” he asked.

“Your mom’s doing witchy stuff with Lulu. I figured it was best if I stayed away.”

Lucky chuckled. “Probably a good idea. Look, I’m not really sure what to do with Elizabeth now that we’re here. We’re trying to avoid date stuff. Any ideas?”

Luke thought for a minute. “Well, the pool room’s open. Does she know how to play?”

Lucky grinned. “I don’t know, but I’ll teach her if she doesn’t. Thanks!” He hurried back to the table, happy to have an idea. “Elizabeth, have you ever played pool?” he asked, standing over her chair.

“Um, I think so, why?” she answered. Actually, she played all the time back in Boulder, and was quite good, but she liked to mess with Lucky’s head.

“My dad’s got a pool room in the back. Want to try it out?”

“Sure,” she said, standing up and following him back there. As they passed the bar, Luke reached out and grabbed him.

“Be easy on the little lady, cowboy. Try to keep the magic down,” he whispered with a laugh.

Lucky grinned. “I’ll try, but I won’t guarantee anything!”

They made their way into the small room, surprised to find it empty. “I guess this isn’t a popular night. Well, which table do you want?” Lucky asked, looking through the pool cues that were up on the wall for a good one.

“Um, how about that one?” Liz said, pointing to one of the tables at the far end of the room. They made their way over, and Lucky began to rack the balls.

“So, you know how to play, or do you want me to explain?” he asked.

Not wanting to act too stupid, Liz shook her head. “You don’t have to, I think I remember.”

“Okay, then do you want to break?”

She smiled and picked up the cue stick. “Sure.” She rounded the table and leaned over, aiming at the cue ball. Lucky stood back and smiled, wondering if she was any good. She took her shot, and there was a loud crack as all the balls scattered across the table. They stood back and watched as three went into the pockets.

“Well,” Lucky said, impressed. “Nice break.”

“Thanks,” Liz said with a grin. She hadn’t even used any magic yet. This was going to be fun.

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