Page 22 of 1 Last Shot

"What are we celebrating?" I ask.

She pinches her lips thoughtfully for a moment, then says, "To not having to do dishes for over two decades, but to successfully figuring out how to do them anyway. Most husbands couldn't say the same."

My laugh is loud, and happy. Clinking my glass against hers, I take a sip of my first beer.

"Oh my God," I splutter once the liquid has gone down my throat. "That's not just beer, is it? What'sinthis?"

Hailey's grin is devilish. "That would be tequila."

I gape at her. "People mix liquor and beer?"

"Not usually,” she says with a cackle. “But it's my personal favorite drink and I had a theory that you'd never had anything but wine before."

"Busted," I murmur, cautiously taking another sip. The second one isn't so bad—definitely less tequila in that one.

"So after up and moving to a new city on your own, you've found an apartment, signed up for a new hobby, and made a friend. I'd say you're off to a good start."

I twirl the beer bottle on the table in front of me. Hesitantly, I voice the words I haven't actually said out loud yet.

"I actually got a job, too. I started teaching beginner yoga this week."

Hailey's jaw drops and her eyes go wide. "You justgot a job?Why did we cheers to dishes if we could've been celebratingthat?"

I shrug awkwardly.

"Well, now wedoneed to celebrate," Hailey says, stopping the waitress when she passes by us. "Can we get two shots of tequila please? With lime?"

"What?" I yelp. "I can't do a shot! I just had liquor for the first time in my life."

Hailey gives me a knowing look. "Are you telling me the whole reason you moved to Phillyisn'tbecause you wanted to try new things?"

I let out a sigh. "Touché."

Hailey grins in victory. Then something occurs to her, because her lips drop into a frown. "That timing is weird, though. Jax just told me Coach had Kane start doing yoga as a punishment. How insane would it be if he walked into one of your classes one day?”

Welp, that explains things.

Before I have to admit that that's already happened, the waitress appears with our shots.

"Okay, so we'll do a shooter and make it a legit first shot," Hailey explains, demonstrating as she talks. "Lick the salt, take the shot, and then bite the lime. Ready?"

I follow her lead and then take a second to steel myself. "Ready."

"Then cheers to getting a new job and being a total badass in a brand-new city."

Lick. Shot. Lime.

I don’t know if it’s her toast, or the bitter taste of tequila that has warmth spreading through my chest, but Hailey's doubled over laughing at my expression by the time I'm biting into the lime. "It's so bad the first time, there's no way to prepare you," she says apologetically.

"Whydoes anyone ever drink straight liquor?" I cough. "That wasawful."

She shrugs. "It hits faster. You'll feel the buzz in a few minutes."

Just then, a guy walks up to our high top. He's young, and clearly dressed for an office job with his navy suit and styled hair. And with his button-up shirt rolled up to his elbows and a beer in his hand, he's casual enough to be extremely attractive.

He's wearing a flirtatious but genuine smile when he asks, "What are we celebrating, ladies? Can I buy the next round?"

Hailey shoots me a quick glance before responding for us. "We're good for right now, but thank you."

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