Chapter 33.

In the parking lot outside the bar, Dean went through the strategy. "Now, there are things we're gonna deceive them about and there are things we're gonna tell them honestly, like that you never played the game before."

"Should we admit that?" she said, "I bet I can fake having played it before."

"i know you can, but trust me, they'll put more money on the line if they know this is your first attempt at it."

She looked at him, frowning a little. "You mean they'll think I'm not going to be any good and they'll try to take advantage of that."

"Exactly."

"And they have no way of knowing that anything involving applied physics will be easy for me."

He smiled. He loved her intelligence. "That's right. I never hustle anyone who doesn't deserve it. The kind of people who would play for money against someone who has no chance of winning deserve all they get."

"So how do we take these losers?"

"We let them think they can't lose. You're enthusiastic and out to have fun. You know nothing about the game, but you're eager to try it."

"All accurate." she said.

"Yeah, but your early shots can't be, because they need to see you fumble and fail for a while and if you can do that in a cute and clever way ... and I know you can, they'll be completely blindsided when you start playing well."

"And then I win."

"Yeah. Just don't do it too soon. Lose a little money at the start to make more later."

"How do I know when it's time?"

"I'll let you know."

"With a signal? Because, they might notice that."

"With a word. When I call you honey, start playing to win."

"Okay. We're pretending to be a couple, then?"

"Yeah." He thought of something. "This time, though, we didn't meet in prison, okay? Bible camp."

"Nothing about you says Bible camp." she said.

"I went there hoping to meet nice chicks and I did." he said.

"Are we married?"

"No. No rings. People notice stuff like that. No, we're just together, but we've been together, like, forever."

"We're not gonna have to kiss, are we?" she said.

"No. Nobody wants to see that." he said.

"Okay, good."

"Kissing me wasn't that bad, was it?" he said.

"No, it just could confuse me. Still working out this whole platonic thing."

"Right there with you." he said, "Don't worry, we'll keep things simple. Now, if I say Poughkeepsie, get out of there and into the car. If it looks like they're coming after you, drive off, circle around and pick me up."

"Why Poughkeepsie?"

"Tradition." he said.

"I'm not afraid of them." she said, "They can't harm me."

"No, they can't, but they might try."

"I'm fine with that."

"Well, I'm not." It was weird and irrational, given his lack of respect for angels in general, but the thought of someone laying violent hands on her was abhorrent.

"Poughkeepsie." she said.

"Yeah, you can use that any time we need to get out of somewhere fast. Okay, you're Candice, I'm Ritchie. Dial down the sarcasm, go for goofy but cute. If you don't know what to say, let me do the talking. If anyone hits on you, smile and decline. You can accept a drink, though. Drink plenty. They'll expect your accuracy to be impaired."

"It won't be."

"No, it won't. Okay, let's go teach them some respect."

"What if one tries to grab me?" she said.

"Then you break his arm and I show you another fun human thing, a bar fight."

"Good to know we have a Plan B." she said.

It was insanely easy with Anael beside him. Her striking good looks and that red hair made her impossible to ignore and although the lechers were discouraged by Dean's presence, the hustlers were not. By the time they had their first drinks in their hands, they had their pick of a disreputable bunch.

"That's a shame," he said, "There's no pool table free I'll have to teach you another time."

Immediately, a man at the nearest pool table said, "Hey, I hate to disappoint a lady. You two go ahead and use this one."

"That's very generous of you." said Dean, "I'm Ritchie, this is Candice. She's been begging me to teach her to play."

"I probably won't be much good at it." she said, sounding so unlike confident, sassy Anael that he felt proud.

"Aw, sweetie, you don't need to be good at it right off. You just have fun playing and as you play more, you'll get better. My name's Randy, by the way."

"You have a great name, Randy." she said.

The guy had "hustler" written all over him, but when she said that, he looked uncertain, like a kid talking to his first crush. Anael was good.

She looked across at a game in progress. "It looks complicated."

"It's really not." said Randy, "You just gotta get the little coloured balls down the little holes." Dean wanted to punch him, so he was impressed when Anael just smiled.

Dean set up the table. "I'll show you." he said. He handed her a cue stick and took one for himself. He made a passable shot, not so good that he looked like he'd be a challenge or like he might have coached her, but good enough to look like he played regularly.

He explained the basics, with Randy helpfully explaining anything he felt might be unclear. Anael fluttered her eyelashes prettily at both and gave a good impression of someone who was extremely grateful and not at all tired of being patronised.

When they actually started to play, she started off clunky, missing balls, potting the cue ball, seeming confused about which ball she was aiming for. By now, quite a few of the hustlers were taking a lot of interest.

Then she got creative. Instead of being merely bad at pool, she became comically bad, aiming at one ball and potting two others, sending balls flying off the table and in one case, letting go of the cue stick altogether and laughing adorably as it clattered on the ground. "I'm so bad at this!" she said.

"No, you're not." said Randy, "You just need to keep playing. Look, you play with me for a while. I've been playing since I was six. I can help you to improve."

"Is that okay with you, Ritchie?" she said to Dean.

"Sounds like a good idea." he said, "Why don't I get us some more drinks?"

He watched from a distance as Randy set up the table again and spoke quietly to a smiling Anael, then he started to stand a little too close to her and Dean felt it was time to get over there with the drinks.

Anael continued with her act and also downed so many drinks that Randy was struggling to keep up. Eventually, he said, "I should stop drinking now. It makes my cue arm shake sometimes."

"Can it do that?" said Anael "I'm bad enough as it is."

"Yeah, but you look steady to me, Candice." said Randy, "And you're just playing for fun. I'm mostly here to play for money."

"That sounds like fun." she said.

"Candice," said Dean, "We probably shouldn't do that."

"You short of cash?" said Randy, oozing fake sympathy.

"No, but the odds seem to be against her." said Dean.

"I could win." said Anael.

"Nobody's saying you couldn't." said Dean.

"And I let you lose three hundred that time in Vegas."

"The cards were unlucky." said Dean, pleased with her improvisation.

"I'll bet the casino wasn't." said Randy.

Dean gave a rueful grin. "Okay, but don't lose too much."

"I think I'm getting better." said Anael.

"You are!" said Randy, "I think you're a natural."

She won a hundred dollars on the first game, because Randy threw the game. She lost two hundred on the next one and during the third game, with a masterful aim, sent the cue ball into the glass of a man who had come over to watch. That pushed the stakes up nicely.

Dean decided it was time to show what she could really do. "It's fine, honey," he said, "Ill buy this gentleman another drink. He's not angry, are you, sir?"

"Not at all." said the man."

"Thanks," she said, "I feel so bad about it."

"Don't you feel bad about a thing." said Randy, "We don't often see a lady like you in here."

"You're so sweet!" she said.

She continued with the act until the money got worth the effort, then she started to play. The balls flew across the table, each one hit with precision. The onlookers, most of whom probably lost big to Randy, were giving her encouragement.

Randy kept giving Dean threatening looks, but the bar crowd were now very much behind Anael. In the end, he had no choice but to hand over the money. "Shame you turned out to be a hustler." he said to Anael.

"What did you call her?" said Dean.

"You're both hustlers. Never played before, huh, Candice?"

"I honestly never have." she said.

"Liar."

Dean grabbed his collar. "Don't you ever call her a liar. This woman is an angel! I'd punch your face out the back of your head, but it seems a pity for us both to humiliate you in one night. She never has played before. I guess you're just that good of a teacher." He turned to Anael. "Your Mom will be waiting for us in Poughkeepsie."

She pocketed her winnings and headed for the door.

"Are you not gonna give me a chance to win it back?" said Randy.

"You called me a liar and a hustler." she said. Walking rapidly out of the door.

Dean followed. Nobody else did. As he caught up to her, he put his arm around her. "You were incredible!"

"You told me what to do. I just did it." she said.

"No, none of that was anything I could have taught you." he said. He laughed. "Randy will have nightmares about beautiful redheads for months!"

"I never knew hustling was so much fun!" she said.

"Yes you did. You've been hustling since the fall."

"Maybe it's just hustling with you. We can do this! We can be friends!"

"We can!" he said.

They almost kissed, then awkwardly backed away. They got into the car and Anael turned on the radio. A Bonnie Tyler song was playing. "All we have is tonight, don't throw away this miracle." She turned it off. "Who asked you, Bonnie?" she said.

"What will you do with your share of the money?" he said.

"We have five hundred dollars. I think two-fifty should buy a lot of baby things for Sam and Eileen."

"Good luck getting anything in his size." said Dean.

"I mean for the baby! You know that!" she said.

"Yeah, well, but my share with it too. That kid deserves everything."

"Can we tell them how we got it?" she asked.

"Of course! They'll be proud of you."

"Are you proud of me?" she said.

"Everything you did tonight was incredible. I'm very proud of you."