Page 39 of The Story We Wrote

“Hi, ladies!” Carmen, our waitress, approached the table. I quickly shut my mouth, not wanting anyone else to overhear our conversation. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“A margarita for me, please!” Penny said, holding her finger in the air.

“Make that two, extra salt and extra tequila,” I said, giving a weary smile.

“I’ll take a coke with lemon, please,” Theo said. Carmen wrote down all our orders and departed to the bar.

Theo was the first to speak. Penny was completely silent, and I couldn’t read anything from her facial expressions. “Oh wow, okay. What changed for you?”

“Yesterday was our second ‘date.’” I used air quotes around the last word. “We went to the farmers market, and it was honestly the best day I’ve had in a while. He even put together a picnic at the end of the date. The icing on the cake was when he bought me this bracelet.” I held out my wrist. Penny grabbed my hand immediately, inspecting every inch of the silver and turquoise stones.

“Shut up!” Penny squealed.

“I know!” I shouted back. “He bought me candles and flowers, too. I don’t know what to think. Does he have feelings for me, or is he just laying it on thick to genuinely help me out?”

“Couldn’t it be both?” Theo asked. Always rational and thinking things through.

“I mean, I guess? I don’t know how to feel about it. It’s Boone we’re talking about. I don’t think I could handle anotherrejection from him without it really damaging my ego.” I sighed, throwing my head back against the booth. My ego was fragile as it was and the fact I was able to still show my face around Boone after the Tequila Cowboy took balls I didn’t know I had.

“Another?” Theo asked.

Fuck, I never told her about the hat thing at the Tequila Cowboy. I was embarrassed enough that I shoved it into the farthest compartment in my mind. I shared the highlights of that night after she’d left, not wanting to get into detail. If I did, I think I’d probably spiral having to relieve the embarrassment again.

“He definitely has feelings for you, A. Whether he’ll end up breaking your heart, I don’t know, but no man buys a woman a bracelet like that because he wants to help her write a book,” Penny says.

“Or offers to take you on dates for experience just for shits and giggles. Like real, out in public kind of dates where everyone can see you two getting along,” Theo adds.

Either they were right or Boone was the most generous man to walk the planet. He pretty much placed his claim on me by taking me out in public for the date. He took himself off the market to the public eye. Regardless, if our rule was to tell people we were friends, those who didn’t ask would still make assumptions and spread the rumor.

“I don’t know what to do,” I groaned, covering my face with my hands.

“Tell him you need more dates. That the writing isn’t going well. Use it to your advantage, and if he says yes, I think you have your answer,” Penny said, taking my hands from my face and laying them on the table.

“Flirt with him, let yourself explore whatever it is you feel. Live a little, A, don’t let yourself stay content. Take the leap and allow yourself to fall.” Theo’s words hit a nerve. It showed methat the people in my life who cared most also saw that I tended to back away from risk. I’ve felt more like myself over the last weeks with Boone than I have my entire life. I was letting my guard down and allowing the Aspen I wanted to be free.

“If shit hits the fan, you will always have us,” Penny said, giving me a hug. Theo reached across the table and took my hand in hers. Showing she was there for me too. I loved these two women, and to have them as my friends made me the luckiest girl on the planet.

“I feel better,” I said, my shoulders getting less tense.

“I have an idea!” Penny squealed, clapping her hands together. “Why don’t we all go to the rodeo tomorrow night? You can ask Boone and his friends to come with. Like a triple date!”

“Woah woah woah!” Theo said, “I’m not going on a date with any of those boys.”

“Oh come on!” Penny huffed. “It could be fun.”

I took a moment to think, honestly it was a pretty decent idea. It gave me the opportunity to spend more time with Boone and I’d have my girls by my side. “Penny, you could spend more time with Mac.”

“Yes!” She shouted, pointing at Theo. “You need to do it, for me.”

“Fine!” Theo admitted, rolling her neck. “I’ll go. But, who will be my ‘date?’”

It had to be either Rhodes or Logan. Thinking back to the night of the bonfire, I knew who it had to be.

“Rhodes,” Penny and I said in unison.

Carmen came over and took our food orders, I went with my typical two tacos and rice. After Penny and Theo ordered, I turned my attention to the latter.

“You needed to debrief too, what’s going on?” I asked.

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