***
Ed slung an arm around Gus. It pleased him that her height matched his. That seemed to make things easier, somehow.
The door swung shut behind Nick. “He’ll be fine,” he said, echoing the assurance he’d given the kid.
“He’ll wow them,” Gus agreed.
“Now you’re gonna tell me it’s all because of that jukebox?”
Gus shrugged noncommittally. “Believe what you want. And let me believe what I want.”
He eyed the jukebox and gave her a squeeze. “I’ve gotta get back to headquarters. I’ll be off at six.”
“You know where I’ll be at six,” she said, angling her head toward the bar.
He released her and took a step toward the door, which also brought him a step closer to the jukebox. He eyed it again, then rotated back to Gus. “You got a song in there for me?”
“Pop a quarter in the slot,” she said, a teasing undertone in her voice. “Maybe it’ll play ‘Take Me Home Tonight.’”
Ed grinned. Gus winked, then sauntered to the bar, the empty iced tea glasses in her hand, her slim hips shimmying just the slightest bit.
Nick Fiore wasn’t the only guy in love, Ed thought with a sigh.
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