“If you fuck her on it, clean up your mess,” he said.
 
 “If I fuck her on it, she’ll clean up the mess.”
 
 “And make sure she doesn’t drag her feet all over my fuckin’ bags,” he shouted as I walked away.
 
 When I stepped to her side, she was still gazing out at the street.
 
 “You alright?” I asked.
 
 She turned around. “Yeah, why?”
 
 “Just making sure.”
 
 “I was just thinking.”
 
 “About?”
 
 “Learning to ride.”
 
 “You want a bike?”
 
 She grinned and nodded. “Yep.”
 
 “Seriously?”
 
 “Yep.”
 
 “You’ve never ridden before?”
 
 “Nope.”
 
 “California’s not a great place to learn. Traffic’s a bitch.”
 
 “Corbet’s Couloir in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is the most dangerous ski slope in the world. That’s where I learned to snowboard. I surf at Black’s Beach. There, you either ride the wave or eat a rock cliff. I don’t do anything the easy way,” she said.
 
 “You’ll probably love it,” I said with a nod. “Hop off.”
 
 “Why?”
 
 “We’re not taking my bike.” I motioned to Pee Bee’s bike. “We’re taking that.”
 
 “Why?”
 
 I shrugged. “It’ll be more comfortable for you. It’s got air ride suspension, a CD player, and a gel-filled passenger seat. Hell, it’s like riding a marshmallow down the highway.”
 
 “Not interested.” She slapped the palm of her hand against the side of my gas tank. “I wanna ride on this.”
 
 I narrowed my eyes and fought the urge to smile. “Why?”
 
 “Because this is a real bike,” she said.
 
 I exhaled, nodded, and walked back into the shop.
 
 I tossed Pee Bee his keys. “Here.”
 
 “Not taking it?”
 
 “She didn’t want to ride on it.”