Page 44 of Rum & Coke

She frowned slightly, a look of sorrow on her face. “Then I don’t think either one of you knows what love truly is.”

The next morning, I thought about what Sophia said as I got ready to go to the shooting range. When I was in high school, I thought I was in love, but that was short lived. Like a lot of high school boys, he cheated on me with my then best friend. I’d never trusted anyone since because, despite my father being a good guy, that boy left a mark on my heart early on. Except now, I trusted Vinny.

Fuck.

Before I could think any more about it, there was a knock on my door. As I walked out of my room toward the door, Colton was sitting in front of the TV, baseball in hand and watching a new episode ofPAW Patrol. We were making progress, little by little, and when he stopped obsessing over something I thought we could never shake, it amazed me. It made me wonder what the future had in store for Colton and me.

Looking through the peephole, I saw it was Sophia. “Morning,” I greeted her as I opened the door.

She looked me up and down. “Are you wearing that?”

I looked down at my black Chuck Taylors, capri jeans, and Giants T-shirt—a jab at Vinny because not only did it rep the Giants, but it mentioned their number of World Series wins, which was currently higher than the Dodgers’. Plus, there was a game today. “Yeah, what’s wrong with this?”

She entered and patted Colt on the head, saying hello to him before turning back to me. “You need to show your boobs.”

I chuckled and closed the door. “He’s seen them.”

“I know that, but you need to dress better for your date.”

“It’s not a date.”

She turned to face me. “Are you sure?”

“Who brings someone to a shooting range with his friends for a date?”

“His friends will be there?”

I smiled. “Yes. They’re the ones who are going to teach me how to shoot.”

“That’s a shame.”

“A shame that I need to protect myself?”

She shook her head slightly. “A shame he hasn’t had the balls to take you on a proper date.”

“Sophia!” I scolded and motioned with my head toward Colton.

She waved me off. “He’s watching his program. He’s not paying attention to us.”

She was right. When he watched his cartoons, he was zoned out like any kid his age. Before I could say anything further, there was another knock on my door. I knew it was Vinny, and after checking in the peephole to make sure, I opened the door with a huge grin on my face.

He smiled and then looked down at my T-shirt, causing his smile to fade instantly. “All right, I see how this is going to go down. You better clear some space because Dodger blue is about to fill up your world.”

I cocked my hip, resting my hand on it. “Think again. I only bleed orange and black.”

Tessa was tryingto kill me.

Okay, not really, but I knew she was wearing a Giants tee to ruffle my feathers. It was sure as shit working too. The Dodgers and Giants rivalry was a big deal, but it wasn’t unheard of for friends or couples to support rival teams; it made it fun. But I wanted to see Tessa in Dodger blue. Honestly, I wanted to see her in nothing.

After saying a quick hello and goodbye to Colton and Sophia, I drove Tessa to the shooting range where I had set up an hour of shooting with Gabe and Paul. They were both going to be there because Paul was training for an undercover mission or something. The guy had a nasty habit of revealing just enough to make you confused, but then telling you he couldn’t tell you any more details because it was top secret—just like he did when he told me he was getting married to an FBI agent. He’d also quit S&R, and that made me take a step back when it came to Tessa and me because both Gabe and Paul had quit because of women.

The night before when I’d picked Tessa up at Red Diamond, she’d asked me what we were doing—meaning us. I wasn’t sure, but I knew I wanted to keep getting to know her and not quit S&R. Saddles & Racks was more to me than just having fun with clients; it was a way to make the money I needed to live the fun life I had. Sure, I could survive on my teacher’s salary, but I also loved being able to go wherever I wanted on a whim. If I only had my teacher’s salary, I’d live paycheck to paycheck and have to save money to afford any vacation.

“Have you ever shot a gun?” Tessa asked as we got closer to the range.

“Nope,” I replied.

“Are you going to today?”