Everdeen & Hawthorne Hunting & Gathering Co-Operative
(In association with Mellark Bakery)
Chapter 9: Spilled Soup
Hours pass and the lunch time whistle blows. Gale has been buried in work, venting in his office after Katniss denied him access into hers. Apparently she just didn't want to talk about it, although Gale knows he won't get off that easy.
After talking things over with clients, he thought the buzz surrounding the events that occurred last night were over. Unfortunately, corporate called and scheduled a meeting for after lunch requiring all three of their appearances.
Gale rolls up his sleeves and runs a hand through his hair, checking to make sure everything on his desk is organized before he leaves. His paperwork bin is no longer filled on the unfinished side, but stacked in the 'done' tray.
His phone rings, and he curses before answering, "Hello?"
"Yo," Peeta says, "What's this 'meeting' we have to go to?"
Gale taps on his desk, "Corporate called, we're in trouble. We can discuss it over lunch."
"Nah, no good G-man, I have a lot of bread in need of baking…got a late start this morning. You and Kat'll have to go without me," he explains.
As if Katniss would go with him now. He sighs, "Alright, I'll talk to you at noon."
Peeta hangs up and Gale is left in his office quiet and alone, looking to go out to lunch without somebody to hold a conversation with. He leans back in his chair and thinks to himself who would go with him. Peeta is out because of work, Katniss is ready to rip his head off, Madge will never go out with him to anywhere again…Delly.
No, Delly would just ask about last night. There's always Bill from accounting, but rumor has it that he has an odor following him.
Ten minutes pass before Gale decides to head out alone.
Pulling into the parking lot of Leevy's Diner, Gale shuts off his radio and yawns. He parks his corvette and walks up to the front doors, opening them up and enjoying the feeling of the air conditioning inside. It's pretty vacant today, with only 1 booth filled up and a shady character sitting on the far side of the bar.
Gale walks to the back, taking a seat in his usual booth. He stares out the window until a waitress arrives with a menu. He takes it without a word and flips it open. A burger, that's what he always orders…
"Just you today?" a familiar voice asks.
He looks up to see a girl slipping into the booth in front of him. She has dark flowing hair, sea-green eyes and a nice figure…Annie Cresta. She adorns a white shirt and white slacks, a pearl necklace looping around her neck.
She slides all the way to the window side to allow a man with blonde hair and bronze skin to sit next to her. Finnick Odair, showing up in his casual attire of a tropical-floral shirt, swim trunks, and oversized aviator sunglasses. His white smile is blinding.
Gale narrows his eyes at them both. They aren't friends, they're enemies. Finnick and Annie's Seafood Emporium was what nearly cost Gale and Katniss their business five years back. Luckily, Greasy Sae was credited towards coming up with 'Rainbow Trout Cereal', a special blend of cornflakes and fish scales. The kids loved the sweet taste, and it helped to counter the growing need for Seafood in the outer Districts. Well, that and the squirrel inside a lobster dish Peeta constructed…delicious with a side of butter and garlic.
But now the two companies compete for the best sales every year.
"You're a long way from the ocean, what you want Odair?" Gale scowls.
Finnick exchanges a mock surprise expression with Annie, and then he laughs, "Mr. Hawthorne, is that how you always address tourists?"
The waitress comes over with two more menus, handing them to the sea-bound pair.
"Only the ones I don't like. Stop playing games, what do you want?" Gale presses.
Finnick shrugs and removes his sunglasses, "Well, I just came to collect my money…"
Money? Gale shoots him a confused glance. The waitress returns, interrupting the stare down. All three of them order, sending her off. Gale returns to staring him down.
Annie smiles, "I guess Peeta never told you…he was in a poker game with us."
Gale's eyes grow wide, "Wait, he said it was a game with Peacekeepers."
Finnick frowns, "Yeah, he owes them too, but he only owes them a few thousand dollars. He was pretty drunk, and he bet us everything."
The waitress delivers their food. Gale ordered a burger, while Finnick and Annie both ordered the soup of the day. The waitress begins writing up the cost, "Is this all on the same check?"
"Yes!" Annie answers before Gale can open his mouth. The waitress turns back and disappears into the kitchen.
Gale leans forward and whispers, "What do you mean...'everything'."
Finnick loosens his collar, "Not much, just the deed to his house and all the stocks invested in your company. He signed a contract, very shakily considering his drunken state."
Annie opens up a manila folder and retrieves a slip of white paper. She slides it across to Gale and he snatches it up. He reads the top: "This legal document hereby declares exclusive rights of landowner ship provided…"
It goes on to state the terms and conditions, but the bottom catches Gale's attention. Where it says 'Signed', Peeta clearly wriggled his name across the line. There's no doubting the contract's authenticity, and no winning a case in court. It wouldn't be the first time Peeta's defense lawyer used the "Intoxicated" claim to get him out of trouble. And this is a copy of the actual contract, not the real thing. If it was, Gale would shred it up.
He begins sweating and licking his lips. He looks back up at Finnick who is smirking back. Annie reclaims the contract and stashes it away.
"Alright, tell me something first though…" Gale says.
Finnick raises his brows in response.
"Did he have a good hand?" Gale asks.
Finnick and Annie look at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Finnick can barely get the words out of his mouth between laughs, "He-he had a pair-" he laughs and wipes a tear away, "a pair of fours! But Annie here showed him that she only had a pair of twos, and acted like she was bluffing. Peeta forgot I was still in the game, and I had a pair of kings."
Gale nods with an indifferent stare, "So he was duped?"
"Yeah! Exactly, he was duped," Finnick howls. He picks up his spoon and starts to sip on some of the soup in front of him.
Gale stretches and yawns, "Nah, you were souped."
Finnick raises a brow, "Souped?"
He realizes just a second too late what that meant. Gale grabs the back of Finnick's head and slams his face down into the bowl of soup. The broth spills everywhere and soaks the entire booth, splashing out across Annie. She's the first to recover from the shock, her jaw clenching and her eye twitching.
Gale hops out of the booth just in time to avoid the bowl of hot liquid tossed at him by her.
"Stop him! He's got our money!" Finnick shouts.
A/N: I had some time to write so I got this out to you guys. Thanks for the reviews from "Death God2" and "Wetstar"!
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Chapter 10 coming soon!
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