Page 27 of Love Shots

CHAPTER NINE

Four times. Four times he’d been called out today. Apparently a whistling Teddy was a creepy Teddy. He wasn’t going to argue. Not when he was this damn happy.

He was still reeling from taking Summer Willis, his dream girl, on a date. Summer had actually moaned into his mouth. Put her hands on his body. Rocked on his lap. Nothing. Not one goddamn thing was going to take away his good mood today.

“Jake,” Teddy greeted as the man removed his Stetson and carefully placed it on the bar counter.

“Teddy.” Jake nodded, running his hand once over his shaggy brown hair.

“What can I get ya?”

“Just a soda, I’m driving. Just waiting for Lily to close up the store.”

Sounded about right. The stern, serious rancher was a marshmallow when it came to his wife, Lily. Every morning Teddy watched Jake drop off and pick Lily up from the hardware store across the street that she owned. It was as if the man couldn’t stand being away from her a second longer than he had to.

And you don’t feel that way about Summer?

Leaving that question for later, Teddy went about fixing Jake’s drink.

“So, you and Summer, huh?”

Teddy couldn’t help but chuckle. It had been one day. Guess you can’t keep a secret in this town. “Wow. News travels fast. Let me guess, Dotty?”

“Actually, Lily. She heard it from Alice, who heard it from Ivy, who heard it from Summer. Our women tend to talk.” A slow grin spread across Jake’s sun-stained face.

The fact that Summer was the reason people knew, made his chest tighten. He’d been ready to shout it from the rooftops the first time they’d kissed, but he’d been waiting on her. For her to feel comfortable with people knowing. Apparently he needn’t have worried.

“Good to know. In that case, yes. Me and Summer. It’s still early days, but I’m happy, man.” Teddy slid the soda over.

“I can see. Was that whistling I heard when I came in?” Jake let rip a throaty chuckle.

“Yeah, like you weren’t sickeningly happy when you and Lily started hooking up?”

“I ain’t about to deny it. So you’re hooking up then?”

Jesus. How did I manage to put my foot in my mouth straight away?

Teddy rubbed his neck. “Uh, nah, not hooking up. We’re uh ... taking it slow. Well, actually, I don’t know how we’re taking it. But it’s been like one date.”

Could he have sounded any more panicked? Jake seemed to take pity on him. “I get it, man, don’t worry. Word of advice though, from one old man to another?” Teddy grunted a “sure” before Jake continued. “Lily and I took it slow ... if you know what I mean. And I gotta say, I’m happy as fuck that we did. See, it gave us a chance to get to know each other. Like really get to know each other. And by the time we took that next step ... well, it kinda solidified what we’d built, if that makes sense?”

“I already know Summer pretty well; we grew up together.” He didn’t know why he was confirming this. It wasn’t like the man didn’t know. Everyone knew.

He watched patiently as Jake slowly took a sip of soda and swallowed it down. “I get that. But you know her as a friend. Not someone you’re dating. Not a girlfriend. Or a woman you’re in love with. Trust me, you’re both gonna need time to adjust. She ain’t your friend anymore, Teddy. Unless you stick your tongue down all your friends’ throats ... in which case, I’m gonna have to seriously rethink that barbecue invitation.” He was back to grinning now.

“Smartass.” Teddy’s hand had moved from rubbing his neck to messing up his hair as he pushed through the short strands. “Okay, I get it. You’re right. I want to move us forward out of the friend zone, but not so fast as to freak her out.”

As he was thinking about all the ways he was going to gently move their relationship forward, Jake downed the rest of his drink. It wasn’t until the glass clinked back on the bar that Teddy looked up again.

“Happy for you, man. Glad to see you finally pulled your head outta your ass and made your move. Took you long enough.”

***

Later that night Teddy wasted no time making his next move.

Teddy: I’m taking you out on Sunday. Will pick you up at 1.

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