Page 35 of Edge

“Maybe, but I’m nowhere near as good as you are.”

“This was your first time. I’ve been shooting for over twenty years. You did a hell of a lot better than I did my first time.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I think I missed the target more times than I hit it the first time I went to the gun range.”

She grinned. “Since I have no way to verify your story, I’m going to choose to believe you.”

“Good. Do you want to get something to eat before I take you home?”

“Sure, but you don’t have to take me home. I have a car at your house. Remember?”

“Oh, right.” I was slightly disappointed at the thought of not being able to drive her home. Then something occurred to me. “After dinner, I can ride to Cedar Valley with you and drive the loaner back.”

“That’ll work, but I have one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to take you to dinner.” She held up her hand to stop me when I opened my mouth to argue. “You’ve done so much to help me, and I’d like to thank you.”

“You don’t have to do anything to thank me. I was happy to help.”

“I know, but I want to.”

It went against everything in me to let her pay for my dinner. I wanted to take care of her and do things for her, not the other way around. But I could see that this was something she really wanted to do, so I obliged. “Okay. Where do you want to go?”

She laughed. “I was hoping you’d know of a place.”

“We’ll figure something out. Let’s get going.”

Once we were on the way to Cedar Valley in her car, we decided on having pizza for dinner. “I’ll place the order online. What kind of pizza do you like?”

“I’m not picky when it comes to pizza. I’ll eat anything except sardines.”

“So pineapple pizza would be okay?”

“Yes. I know it’s one of those things people love to argue about, but I think the real issue with Hawaiian pizza is the thinly sliced meat they try to pass off as ham, not the pineapple.”

“I’ve never had it, so I can’t agree or disagree, but it sounds like you have a valid point.”

“Well, now you have to try it. Order a pizza with cheese on one side and pineapple on the other for me. Then get one with whatever you want. And breadsticks.”

We picked up the order and took it back to her place to eat, where I tried pineapple pizza for the first time.

“What do you think?”

“It’s definitely not what I expected, but it’s not bad,” I said and continued eating the slice of pizza. Before I realized what I was doing, I picked up another slice and started eating it.

Evie laughed. “I’m guessing that means you like it.”

“Oh, sorry. Here. Have some of mine.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I can’t eat an entire pizza in one sitting.”

“I can, but I’m not going to.”

“Don’t hold back on my account. Eat what you want.”