Page 28 of Give Me a Shot

Mo was stepping out of his truck, time slowing down. His hand on the truck’s door, his muscled forearm revealed by the rolled-up sleeve of his dress shirt. His jeans were dark and not tight, but not so loose that Jess couldn’t pick up on the fact that his thighs were impressive, too. His face seemed relaxed—as far as she could tell behind the reflective sunglasses and dark beard.

Has he always been this hot? How did I—

Her mind shut off when he looked up at her and gave her a cute half-smile.

“Hi,” he said.

Damn you, Alice.

“Hi,” Jess said back, willing her voice to sound normal.

“Lemme get your door,” Mo said, walking around to the passenger side and opening it for her.

“Thank—” A long, brightly beaded necklace clattered to the pavement, cutting her off. Mo chuckled.

“Sorry,” he said, bending to pick it up and shaking his head a little. “That’s Maddie’s.” Jess caught a little smile on his face, a balance between endearment and exasperation. She got in and he closed the door behind her. The bright, loud beads were in stark contrast to the vibe she’d gotten from him. Her curiosity was high as he rounded the truck.

“My daughter,” he said once he joined her inside.

“Oh,” Jess said, glancing at his ring finger before she’d thought to check.

“She’s twelve. Definitely a pre-teen, but the little girl is still there,” he said as he settled into his seat.

“Oh,” Jess said.

“I miss her when she goes to her mom’s, but sometimes her forgetfulness leaves me nice surprises.” The bemusement on his face was clear as he wiped the necklace with a tissue and gently nestled it into the center console. Watching him treat his daughter’s forgotten belonging like a fragile treasure made some things click for Jess—his care to make sure he wasn’t crowding her in the Folk School parking lot; his focus on making sure she knew she would be safe with the tow truck driver—Mo was a Girl Dad. The best, big mushy kind. The kind her own father had never been in spite of having only daughters. Jess cleared her throat to remove the forming lump.

“Are you two close?” she asked.

Mo shrugged.

“Like to think so. Was worried the divorce would change things. Worked hard so it wouldn’t,” he said. He gave her another half-smile.

“Ah. That’s great,” Jess said. She needed to change the subject. The positivity he was radiating was so enticing that she wanted to crawl inside his chest to know how it felt. Positive feelings that strong had been great in the past. But now that Cassie was gone, feelings like that…

“You look nice,” she said quickly. His cheeks reddened as he tucked his chin.

“Thanks,” he said softly, putting on his seatbelt. “Had a business owner’s meeting. With the city. No time to change.”

“Oh.”

What? Were you hoping he dressed up for you? Get serious, Jess.

Facing forward, Mo scratched at his beard and ran a hand down it. She’d noticed him do that during the meeting and at his shop. It didn’t seem like he was trying to groom it, but she was coming up empty on what else he might be doing. He sighed.

“So, um…I’m…” He trailed off as he gripped the steering wheel.

Jess’s stomach began to turn as her gaze danced over the dashboard. It seemed like she’d put a lot of pressure on him by accepting a ride. He was so tense, she thought to tell him that she wasperfectly fine getting an Uber, or she could call in to the meeting on Zoom or some other app. Then she heard him take a deep breath and suddenly he was talking again.

“I’m…kind of odd, right?” he said. “The thing is, I’m not angry all the time, I just pick up on a lot from other people, and you figured that out, whichnever happens.So, again, thank you for that; it means a lot.” He paused and took a quick breath. “Because I pick up the emotions of other people, it’s difficult when they’re in my space and when we have to talk because I’m bad at small talk. So if I’m weird there and back, it isn’t you. I’m not angry or anything. And I’m happy to give you a ride. Even…even if I seem weird.”

Jess blinked. For a moment, it was the only thing she could do. Her lungs had frozen; her mind put into a sort of standby mode at the deep, rumbly purr of his extended speaking voice. Up until then, she’d only heard curt, short phrases or grunts and had no idea he could sound like that. She knew he was uncertain, knew that she needed to say something to address the vulnerability he’d just displayed, but she was struggling to get back into hermindand out of her tinglingbody.Angry that she failed to maintain control of her reaction to him, she forced a light cough. She thought she caught him gulp and glanced at him. He’d sort of crunched into himself while speaking, his considerable height reduced in his seat.

“I don’t think you’re weird,” she said.

“Heh. You haven’t known me long enough.”

Jess didn’t care for that. The dislike pushed her more fully into herself.

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