“Just old guys,” I said.
She pummeled me with a look. “Hey! You’re not that old. You might have a few years on me—not that many, actually—but you look good. And you haven’t hit on me, but it would be okay if you did. And—bein’ here with you—for me there’s a bonus.”
“What’s that?”
“Two things, actually. First—you’re a private investigator. It’s not like I have anything like a career going. So maybe I could stay with you, learn how to investigate stuff.”
“Stay with me?”
“Well, stick with you, then. Run around with you. Help out, which I totally know I could do if you give me a chance. And . . . whatever. Learn things.”
“That would be a decision you might live to regret.”
“Doubt it. And, you’re kinda sexy—well, more than kinda—so running around with you would be that kind of nice, which is the other bonus.”
I stifled a laugh. Me, more than kinda sexy? Ri-i-i-ght.
She smiled. She had a fresh, innocent face. The alcohol had put a little color in her cheeks. “You don’t think so?” she said.
“Nope.”
“Maybe it’s those facial scars. Gives you a nice piratey look. Better even than Depp since his are fake.”
“Piratey. I don’t think that’s a word.”
“It is if I shay it is.”
“Shay?”
She stared at her drink for five seconds. “I think a shay is like a carriage or a surrey. Not sure why I said it though.” She looked up at me. “Truth is, I’m not a big drinker. This thing’s got a pretty good kick to it. Sneaks up on you.”
“We could go take in that show—Fantasy. Drink plain Cokes. You could watch guys leap around in jock straps.”
“And you could check out a bunch of topless women.” Her eyes locked on mine. “But—”
“But?”
She tilted her head. “Too much of a good thing . . . ?”
“Right. I might’ve reached my limit for the day. Or week.”
“It sure better not be for a week.”
“Sounds like you’ve got ideas cookin’ in that head of yours.”
She toyed with her drink. Took another small sip. Gazed down at the slush. When she looked up, her voice had changed. “This . . . this thing we’re doing. I don’t want you to think we have to keep doing it.”
Uh-oh. Serious talk. Didn’t see that coming. I thought I had a handle on this girl, but maybe not.
“This wasn’t your idea,” she said. “At all. I get that. I pretty much bulled my way into your life, Mort. Back in Tonopah.”
“It’s been a trip and a half, Luce.”
She gazed into her drink again. “You should know—I’m not going to sleep with you tonight.”
I blinked. “I didn’t think you would.”
“That right? No expectations at all after everything we’ve done today? After what I did in the car on the way here?”
I thought about that. “I will acknowledge that the possibility crossed my mind, but it never rose to the level of an expectation. And I wondered what I would do if things looked like they were headed that way. I still think you’re too young. At least you look too young.”
She smiled. “I’m not too young. At all. But you’re a really nice guy, like you’ve got no hard edges. And I will acknowledge that the thought crossed my mind, too. About a dozen times today, actually, especially in the car. But I don’t want to do that, and I don’t want to lead you on. This is our first day of . . . of whatever this is. I mean, maybe it’s nothing, even though I’d marry you right now if you ask. But it could end up as a kind of partnership or an employer-employee-trainee sort of thing. Anyway, this is just the first day of whatever it is and no way am I ready to sleep with you—if, as you say, it starts to head in that direction.”
“I’m glad. Relieved, actually.”
“Although.” She smiled, reached over, and took my hand. “I can be kind of a tease. It’s not like I’m oblivious. I know guys like to look at undressed women and it can get them wound up.”
“Hey, it’s still a trip and a half.”
“Well, good. But the thing is, it sort of heats me up, too, if you want to know. Guess that’s one reason why I do it. I was going a little bit in the car today, even if you didn’t know it.”
“Going.”
“Yep. Little bit. Anyway, I needed to say all this, and I think this drink has made it easier—but I’m not really a huge, evil tease, like I would just tease you until the end of time. I’m not a virgin, Mort. Not even close.”
I was about to say something, not sure what, though I think it was going to be something to do with Holiday and being impervious to being teased, which might or might not be true, but she held up a hand and stopped me, which was probably a good thing. “Gotta say one more thing here, Mort.”
“Okay, shoot. I’ll shove a word in edgewise later.”
She smiled at that. “If . . . if you want to get rid of me, I’ll go. No big scene. Not even a little scene. But if you do, it would be nice if I got, I don’t know, maybe a third of what we won? That wouldn’t be too awful of me, would it? Like maybe ten or twelve thousand for being lucky. You keep the rest since you put up
