Stroke of Luck

Austin chuckled. “Which is one of the thing

s you love about me.”

Quinn smiled. “So true.”

“April,” Austin said, “now it’s your turn. I bet you the same amount that—”

“No, I can’t,” she broke in. “I don’t have any money. Remember?”

He smiled. “No problem. We don’t both have to wager money.”

Quinn’s eyebrows arched. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

Austin’s gaze shifted to Quinn, and he expected to see sparks flaring in his eyes, but instead his friend seemed amused.

“Nothing untoward, I assure you.” He turned back to April. “Here’s the deal. If you win, I give you a hundred dollars. If you lose, then you…” He shrugged. “I don’t know … how about you answer a question?”

“Something personal, you mean?”

“Sure, it wouldn’t be much fun otherwise. But not intimate personal. I’m not going to try to embarrass you. Just something that’ll help us get to know each other better.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Quinn said. “I like the idea of you and Austin getting to know each other better.”

The look Quinn and April exchanged confused Austin, and he wasn’t used to the feeling. Usually, he could read people pretty well.

April’s cheeks flushed again, which confused him more. If he didn’t know that Quinn had it bad for her, he’d almost think Quinn was trying to push Austin and April together.

“So what’s the bet?” she asked.

“How about that the last two digits on our dinner bill—and to be clear, I mean the cents—are thirty-seven?”

Quinn leaned in close and whispered in her ear, then she gazed at Austin.

“So if it’s thirty-seven, you win and I lose?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

She smiled. “How about I accept the bet, but only if we turn it around? I win if it’s thirty-seven.”

He kept his expression even. “I don’t know.”

Just as he’d thought. Quinn had told her that Austin probably knew the amount, since he could do quick calculations in his head. His friend figured he’d set her up to lose.

The fact was he hadn’t even bothered to look at the prices.

“Maybe we should choose another bet,” Austin said.

He actually wanted her to win, and she was practically guaranteed to win the other way around.

“Come on, buddy,” Quinn said. “Give her a chance to win some money.”

Austin shrugged. “That’s what I’m trying to do, but okay. You’re on.”

Quinn flagged the waiter and asked for the bill.

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t realize you’re in a rush,” he said.

“No rush. We just have a wager on the final amount,” Quinn said.