Page 19 of Give Me a Shot

Too frustrated after the ambush meeting to wait for their next scheduled call, Jess had emailed Alice and Stephanie to vent. Both agreed that the way she’d been recruited was problematic, but that it would be a good way to really get to know the people there. Alice, with her irritatingly good memory, had brought up a framed photo of Cassie dressed for a Faire that Jess kept in her bedroom in Sussex. Jess had significantly downplayed how much Cassie had enjoyed them. It would probably be best if she kept that information as sealed away as possible. Returning pain in Jess’s elbow drew her attention away from old memories.

“Yeah,” Jess said, rubbing again. “Mo and I talked about it. He’s uncomfortable with it, too. We said we’d participate, but we’ll have each other’s backs so neither of us feels railroaded again.”

Alice didn’t say anything. Her eyes had gone wide at the mention of Mo, but she’d remained quiet. Then she leaned forward,posed her elbow on the table, and rested her chin in her palm. She smiled.

“You and Motalked?” she asked. “Mo theAx Murderer?”

Jess was enraged that technology had not sufficiently advanced for her to reach through the screen and rub the smirk off Alice’s face.

“And?” she snapped. “Yes, Alice,I spoke to Mo. I spoke to an empathetic human being who seemed massively uncomfortable at the meeting, like I was, and we agreed to help each other through this.”

Alice was dead silent, but she’d shot up in her seat and covered her mouth with both hands. She began to giggle.

“What now?” Jess asked, narrowing her eyes.

“How do you know he’s empathetic?” Alice asked.

“It’s…a vibe,” Jess said. Clearly, she’d provided too much detail and needed to change course. Alice squinted at her.

“He did forgive you for trying to kill him, so there’s that,” Alice said. “And now he wants tohelpyou—”

Jess glared at the word “help.”

“You know, maybe it’s time to put your whole ‘Atalanta, epic female archer ever eschewing men’ thing to the side,” Alice said. “But…maybe not. If this Mo is willing to run with you—”

“Life does not reflect Greek myth. Even if it did, Mo is no Hippomenes,” Jess snapped. She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. “More…Hephaestus.” She shrugged. “Physically intimidating, muscular, blacksmith…”

“Evenbetter,” Alice said, smiling broadly. “I like what I’m hearing. A little romance is just the thing for the new life you’re building.”

Romance?

“I would like to invite you to shut up now,” Jess said.

—

Grocery list freshly typed into her phone, Jess checked that it was safe and headed to her car after locking her door. Even though she’d taken the time to finish cleaning her bathroom and make athorough list after her call with Alice, she was still shaking her head. It was rare for Alice to push her about dating. What was even more rare was that Jess kept finding her thoughts returning to a man someone had nudged her toward.

So what? He seems like a nice human. That doesn’t mean I have to throw myself at him.

She got in and locked the door.

Pretty sure I’ve never met a guy who looks like that and is empathetic.

She put on her seatbelt and dropped her keys into their spot.

And who’s willing to help me with something difficult, even though I haven’t told him why it is.

She pressed the ignition. Nothing happened. She looked down, watching the button move as she pressed it again. She glanced at her keys. They were with her; it wasn’t like they weren’t close enough. She pressed the ignition again. Still nothing. She sighed.

Lookslike I might have to call and ask him to help me with something else.

—

The tow truck pulling Jess’s car parked in the lot of Mo’s shop an hour later. Jess shouldered her bag and climbed down along with the driver. Mo had sent the truck when she’d called and explained her problem. Without her asking, he’d stressed that the driver was trustworthy and safe, so she’d felt better about getting into a vehicle with a strange man.

“I’m not sure how this works,” she said to the driver once she joined him beside the controls to lower her car. “Do I pay you now? Or will you send me a bill?”

The older man shook his head, the ends of his gray beard grazing the potbelly straining against his overalls.

---