Humm...has someone new just appeared???
“Say, can I ask you something?”
“What’s that honey?”
“You know much about what goes on in this little corner of world?”
“Enough,” Ethel huffed. She stood there, one hand on the bar, the other on her hip. Who was screwing whom, literally and figuratively, what deals were about to come down, who was in trouble, and who was riding the crest of a wave. Pretty much everything.
She looked at him, a doubtful expression on her face, after he made his pitch. Who is this little twerp, anyway? He certainly didn’t look the part of an operator. Slender, more like skinny, from what she could see under his jacket. A wide brimmed cap pulled down almost to his eyebrows, dark hair pulled back into a man bun, some light scruff on his face. He cocked his head in a kind of cute way, as if he was appraising her.
“I dunno. Let’s see how it goes.”
“Fair enough,” he said. With that, he flattened a bill down on the bar. “Here’s a little encouragement.” As he got up to leave, he glanced at her in a way that made her feel immediately uncomfortable. Plus, he had a funny smell.