Page 34 of Rafferty

She cranes her neck, checks out the two men at the end of the bar. They’re no longer staring at us but looking a few tables over at some women. She sighs, lifts her bottle to her lips. “Why are men so complicated?”

I think about Rafferty, and putting the issues of Tansy aside, he’s one of the least complicated men I know. “We still talking about your ex-boyfriend, the asshole?” I ask.

Farren looks over at me. “I’m talking about all men. Except my brother, of course, who is the best person ever. But I’ve always been unlucky in love, so I think I’m just going to try something else.”

“Like what?”

“I think I need to play the field. Quit looking for forever and be happy with just right now.”

I lift my beer and salute her. “There’s great merit in being that way as a woman. There’s always been a double standard that men can play the field but women can’t. So, I say go sow your wild oats.”

“Really?” She cocks an eyebrow in skepticism.

“Really,” I assure her. “Why shouldn’t you be able to do that?”

Farren considers it and then grins. “I am rather reckless and impulsive. It wouldn’t be that much of a leap to, say”—she looks over at those men—“hook up with that blond dude. He’s quite good-looking.”

I wrinkle my nose. “He’s very handsome, but ugh… the mansplaining.”

Snickering, Farren bobs her head. “Yeah… that would drive me nuts. Maybe I’ll just burn through the single Titans.”

I had been taking a swallow of my beer and it ends up shooting out my nostrils I laugh so hard. I grab napkins and wipe my nose and table as Farren doubles over with laughter.

“Are you serious?” I gasp, still feeling the fizz in my nasal cavity.

“Maybe,” she says slyly. “I mean… that’s a whole lot of muscles for the taking.”

“Your brother would flip,” I say in warning, but I’m still chuckling.

Farren sobers, pursing her lips. “He’d totally be the type who would put them off-limits to me.”

“Yes, he is that type,” I say assuredly.

“But,” she says with an evil glint in her eyes, “what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“Stop it,” I say, giving her a dismissive wave. “You’re just asking for trouble.”

“Yeah,” she says glumly, drumming her fingers on the table. “Probably not a good idea. Like, if you weren’t dating Rafferty—”

“But am I? Am I really dating him?” I interject.

“I say you are,” she says, holding a palm out to me to keep quiet. “But if you weren’t dating him, what would your dream guy look like? I’m not talking just looks but what things do you want in a man?”

I have to think about that for a bit because it’s not a question I’ve ever put too much thought into before. Only after I list a handful of qualifications do I realize I’m describing Rafferty. I’m not sure if Farren picks up on that, but if she does, she keeps it to herself.

We dive down the rabbit hole of men, keeping our eyes on the game and breaking our conversation when something exciting happens. Our chat meanders from the men back to us, to what it means to find a place where we fit, whether in someone’s life or in a new city. As the game winds down and the Titans secure a win, I feel a kinship with Farren that goes beyond our connection through Rafferty. She’s a friend, someone who just gets it, and I look forward to strengthening that bond as well.

CHAPTER 14

Rafferty

Ilook aroundmy condo one last time and I don’t see anything out of place. While I usually keep clutter to a minimum, I got up this morning and actually cleaned. Vacuumed and mopped floors, scrubbed bathrooms and dusted.

Farren eventually rolled out of bed midmorning and helped by changing the linens on my bed and in the two guest rooms and made us a late breakfast.

“Sure are going to a lot of effort to impress Tempe,” she observed.

Didn’t bother denying it. I’ve never invited another woman into my home so this is kind of a big deal.

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