Page 2 of Safe With You

Not one of us is even remotely Irish.

“Lasso’s is bringing back the mechanical bull tournaments,” Jenna chirps, a giant grin spreading across her face.

Meg groans, immediately barking ‘no’ to Jenna’s comment.

She puts her palms up in mock surrender. “Hear me out. This time … they’re allowing teams.”

“Teams?” I ask, as Meg repeatedly says, “Nope.”

“Teams,” Jenna reiterates. “I already signed us up. All three of us,” she says, pointing a finger to her chest, and then to myself and Meg, “riding at the same time.”

Meg covers her mouth to stifle herself. “Jenna, you’re fucking ridiculous. All three of us won’t even fit on a bull. We’re too old for this shit.”

“Oh, we will! You’ll be in front.” She gestures to Meg’s chest. “We want those giant ta-tas on display in case it’s crowd favorites for voting. I’ll be on the back holding up the rear,” she pauses to tap me on the head, a friendly reminder that I barely reach her chin, “and our little Lainey will be in the middle, the cream to our cookie sandwich.”

“This doesn’t evensoundlike a good idea.”

“Come on,” she whines, sitting in a rolling desk chair and immediately slumping. “We never go out anymore. And in a few years, we will be old bags full of arthritis, or osteoporosis, and unable to do anything remotely fun for fear of a fractured hip.” She snatches a Post-it note from the desk and scribbles her patient assignment from the whiteboard. “I didn’t even tell you guys the best part. First-place winners get fivehundreddollars cash.”

Meg barks out a laugh. “Do you think we will get first place? It would be a miracle if we made it through without anyone bleeding. How about I give you five hundred dollars to not have to do this? And did you sign us up to ride a bull? Or did you sign us up to ride a donkey or an emu? Or how about a camel?”

Jenna lets her head fall back dramatically. “It’s a bull tournament, you brat. With Lainey back in school, Allie starting kindergarten soon, and you helping your sis with Jax, our crazy girls’ nights are few and far between. The Dream Team needs a serious break from adulthood.”

I hate to say it, but she’s right. Around the time I moved to Chicago, Jenna reconnected with her high school sweetheart, and now they’re married and she’s a stepmom to the most adorable almost-five-year-old girl there ever was. Meg took in her little sister and nephew, and now that she spends her time off with an energetic toddler, our wild nights out are few and far between.

“Speaking of Lainey being in school,” Meg interrupts, ignoring Jenna’s mini tantrum. “Have you decided yet? Nurse practitioner?

“I still don’t know if I have the guts to do it.” I’m six months into my master’s degree and my advisor keeps pushing me to decide on which route I want to take. I’ve always wanted to be a nurse practitioner; it was the entire reason I became a nurse in the first place. But now that the decision is right in front of me, I’m panicking. There are other options besides a nurse practitioner, less anxiety-inducing ones like nurse educator or management. Something where someone’s life isn’t placed directly into my hands.

“Just do it.” She points a dainty finger at me. “You’re smart, kind, and a glutton for punishment, the perfect combination to be a practitioner. Don’t piss me off by taking the safe route.”

“Okay, Mom,” I tease, taking a step back so she can’t swat at me.

“People need to stop calling me that,” she huffs. “Jackson is in the habit of calling my sister and I both mom while we are in public. It’s fine, but I think the grocery store workers think weare a couple instead of siblings. I don’t give a shit, but it’s put a damper on my dating life.”

“Are you looking to meet eligible bachelors at the grocery store?”

Meg shrugs. “At this point, even that would be exciting for me.”

Jenna squeals and claps her hands. “Yes! We’re doing this. We’re going out, riding the bull, and celebrating our friendship.” She slings a long arm around each of our shoulders, pulling us close together. “And since it’s Lasso’s, maybe we can find Lainey a makeshift cowboy, one with a huge dick that she can ride hard ‘til the sun comes up. Celebratory style!”

I turn towards Meg, smiling at Jenna’s contagious enthusiasm. “Meg, I say we do it.” Minus the cowboy part, that is. “Honestly, how bad could it be? I promise you won’t leave with another shitty tattoo.”

Her eyes widen at me. “I’m going to remind you of those words when your ass is flipped onto the floor.”

Chapter Two

Lainey

“Guys … this was a bad idea.”

Lasso’s is always a little unruly. It’s a country-style dive bar and the go-to place for a judgment-free time to drink cheap tequila and dance. Tonight, everyone is doing just that.

Neon lights flicker and reflect off every surface as country music blasts at a crackling volume. People are packed wall-to-wall to watch the disastrous mechanical bull competition. Nearly every twenty-one-year-old girl in the city, and a surprising number of guys, has taken their turn on the bull only to land face-first on the dingy plastic mats. The DJ, who moonlights as an operator in the mechanical bull arena, is relentless with the controls. Every person has been wildly bucked off within seconds. It looks like Jenna can kiss that cash prize goodbye.

“I think the bad idea was yours when you decided to wear a dress tonight, Lain,” Meg teases, reaching a hand over to rub the cap sleeve of my dress.

“I didn’t think it would matter since I’m the sandwich filling, remember? But um … I don’t remember the bull being thatwide?” Last summer we braved the bull. The memory is a little fuzzy, but the picture I have in my mind is a lot different than reality. I remember wearing shorts that didn’t show too much thigh. I also remember falling off instantly. The rest is a blur.

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