Page 29 of Tenderfoot

“It’s coconut,” I told her.

“I need something other than the special, Tex!” she amended, again in a shout.

“What are you girls’ problems with coconut?” Tex boomed.

Since we knew he didn’t really want an answer, because he didn’t really care, we didn’t answer.

Raye, Luna and Willow got done making sure their tables were cool, and like he could see through walls, Tex lumbered into view about the time they took their stations across from Shanti, Jessie and me.

He went behind the bar and plopped down two coffees, one in front of Jess, the other, me.

Silently, Tito crept up beside him.

Interesting.

That was new. Usually, Tito left us to our crazy, and left Tex to his too.

BTW: Tito was the antithesis of Tex. Where Tex was loud, Tito barely spoke at all. Where Tex was tall, imposing and mostly wore flannels and jeans (even in the Phoenician heat), Tito was short and looked like a surfer-dude Santa Claus (and he always, but always wore sunglasses, when he was inside or out). They both had beards, longish hair, more than a hint of a belly and were close to the same age. But that was where the similarities ended.

“No lip,” Tex ordered Jessie and me after he put down our mugs. “You get what you get.”

I lifted my cup to my lips, took a sip and smiled.

Delicious.

His signature, the Textual, cherry almond mocha.

My favorite.

“You’re the best,” I said to Tex.

“Shut it, Peewee,” he replied (see what I mean about the crotchety?). “What’s this I hear about some guy you had dinner with last night getting a necklace no one wants?”

Another bit of intel about our gang.

News traveled fast.

Also, Peewee was my nickname from Tex. I wasn’t actually short. I was five six. But since Tex was around six four, that made me seem small to him (I guessed).

And Javi was at least a full foot taller than me.

Hmm.

Tex snapped his fingers in my face, calling, “Hello?”

“I didn’t have dinner with him,” I shared. “I tried to have dinner with him because he and his friend are ripping off women they meet on dating apps. But Javi muscled in and blew my cover, of a sort.”

Tex’s heavy brows formed a heavier line. “You two still circling each other?”

“No, we’re done with that,” I said.

His brows darted up. “You two got together?”

“No. We’re just not ever going to get together.”

Shanti made a noise.

Luna did too.

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