Page 123 of Give Me a Shot

He joined her in the cab and started the engine.

“Maybe Fezzik was wrong,” she said.

“I’m sorry?” Mo asked.

“Maybe people in masks can be trusted,” she said. “Especially when they come in and save the day.”

—

Friday evening, Mo stood at the sink in the now vacant workshop next to his own, soaping his hands. He had intended to give himself at least one week’s rest before returning to his anvil, but the seed of an idea had taken root Monday night, and on Tuesday afternoon he’d left work early to get started. While he’d never tried this sort of project before, it had come together in just a few days, with only minor hiccups. Rinsing and drying his hands, he glanced up at the broken mirror and smiled.

Here goes something.

He collected the carefully wrapped package from his workshop and walked briskly to his truck. The finishing touches had taken longer than he’d anticipated, and he was due at Jess’s for dinner soon.

—

As soon as Mo pressed Jess’s doorbell, a loud, yowling meow sounded on the other side of the door. Mo chuckled, grateful to release some of the low-level nervousness that had weakened his muscles, making it difficult to hold the gift across his forearms. Steinem yowled again.

“Hi, Steinem,” Mo said through the door.

He yowled again.

“I’m coming!” Mo heard Jess call out from somewhere deep in the house. Steinem kept yowling. Mo couldn’t stifle his laughter.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Jess called out, her voice getting closer. “Goodness, Sty Sty,” she said as she opened the door. Steinem darted out and immediately wound himself around Mo’s legs. “I wasn’t moving fast enough, I guess,” she said to Mo, smile bright.

“I guess not,” he said, giving her a quick kiss as she waved him inside. He took a deep breath, his stomach grumbling to life. He’d forgotten about lunch that day, and whatever Jess had made smelled divine. “What’s for dinner?” he asked.

“Chili,” she said. “I did consider soup for Mr. Soup. But I thought that chili would be more filling. It’s soup-adjacent, though. It kind of works.”

“Oh, it works,” he said. Steinem meowed again, standing on his hind legs, stretching to paw at Mo’s leg.

“Um, you better give that to me,” Jess said, nodding at the package in Mo’s hands. “I think Steinem requires some Mo-love.”

Smiling, Mo handed her the gift and scooped up the cat. He burrowed into Mo’s chest and immediately began purring. Mo’s anxiety calmed but didn’t abate entirely.

“Can I open it?” Jess asked, smirking at him a little. Mo nodded and followed her to the couch. He focused on the softness of Steinem’s fur against his palm, the warm, vibrating weight against his body as he held his breath.

“Mo!” Jess gasped as she unwrapped the three wrought-iron roses. “These are beautiful.”

His cheeks heated and he glanced down at Steinem as his heart rate picked up in a good way.

“You made these for me?” she asked, marveling at them.

“I did,” he said.

“They’re incredible. The petals are so detailed. And the leaves…they even have thorns!” She ran her fingertips carefully over each one.

“Do you like them?” he asked.

“I adore them,” she said. She leaned in close to kiss him then went back to examining the roses. Even if she hadn’t said anything, the happiness flooding out of her was enough to put him on cloud nine.

“It was a little difficult to find the right thing,” he said.

“The right thing?”

He shrugged.

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