City Lights, Country Nights

12.meet me at the watering hole

Liora stood at the booth, forcing a smile as she glanced at Alex, who was struggling with the finicky pump. Her gaze shifted to Jackie when she overheard the conversation with a frustrated customer.

"Sorry, we're having technical difficulties. Please, come back later," Jackie said apologetically, returning the man's money. His face fell with disappointment.

"Rory!" Jackie exclaimed, turning to Liora for help.

"What? I don't know what to do," Liora admitted, watching Alex's futile attempts. "I can't fix that," she added

Jackie walked over to Alex, leaving Liora alone just as a loud voice blasted over the speakers. Liora ignored it, along with the cheerleaders, whose performance she found underwhelming and too basic.

"Hey," a voice called out, drawing her attention.

Liora tilted her head back to see Cole. She didn't expect him to show up after he said he wouldn't, and she didn't blame him either.

"Hey, I didn't think you were coming," Liora said, surprised yet composed as Cole moved closer.

"Not selling anything?" Cole observed, peering down at the booth. Liora shook her head, gesturing towards the stubborn pump.

"There's something wrong with it," she explained. "Alex tried to fix it, but no luck." She watched as Cole stepped up, tinkered with a few things, and descended triumphantly. The pump whirred to life.

"Fixed," Cole announced, earning a grateful smile from Liora as they returned to the booth. People passed by, giving Cole curious glances as the football team took their place on stage. Liora noticed Cole's attention was drifting to them, and she quickly decided to distract him.

"Well, go on, sell some," Liora encouraged with a sweet smile. "Put that Cole charm to good use."

Cole couldn't help but return the smile. "Alright, alright," he agreed, and to Liora's amusement, he began to charm every customer, effortlessly selling cup after cup.

Liora leaned against the booth, watching him flirt. Cole was undeniably handsome, with a smile that hinted at a bad-boy vibe.

"Okay, Rory, let's see what you've got," Cole challenged, looking back at her.

Liora huffed. She'd done charity dances and sales for her studio before; she could certainly handle this. But she didn't really want to.

"Hi," she greeted a passerby with a smile. The man stopped, his eyes scanning her appreciatively. "Could I interest you in buying a drink?" she asked, batting her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner.

"Sure," the man agreed, approaching the booth. Liora collected the money and handed him his drink with a wink.

"Thank you," she said sweetly. As the man walked away, she turned to Cole. "Didn't even have to sweet-talk him," she boasted with a smirk.

"You got lucky," Cole retorted, shaking his head.

Liora rolled her eyes just as she noticed Jackie in the distance, deep in conversation with Erin. "She doesn't look too happy," Cole observed.

"She's not getting whatever she needs to get," Liora noted, wishing people would pay more attention when they were

"I can help her," he said, gazing into her eyes. "All you have to do is ask, maybe say please," Liora licked her lips as she looked at Jackie.

"Okay, fine," Liora said, looking at him. Cole just stood there, waiting for her to ask. He was really going to make her ask. "Cole... will you please help?" she asked.