“Look at you, you little tramp,” Cass said from the driver’s seat.
Tori laughed, eyeing Cass’s outfit. “I’m pretty sure mine’s legal. A reasonable amount of leg going on here.”
“What’s the good of being the law if you can’t break it once in a while?”
“Nice. Exactly what the members of the community want to hear, I’m sure.”
Cass waited for Tori to get in, and then drove in the direction of Main Street. “We’re doing shots first, and—”
“It’s, like...” Tori checked the time on the dashboard. “6:45.”
“So what? I have to work tomorrow, and you aren’t a night owl, so we start early. Not like they’re going to refuse us alcohol. Besides, I think it might take a bit for me to get you drunk enough to hit on Toby.”
Tori bit back a smile. “I’m not going to hit on him.”
“You promised me you’d loosen up. Dance with someone. Kiss someone. Maybe a little necking in the back hallway with all the other tramps.”
“Maybe.”
Cass glanced over. “Wait. What?”
“Not with the bartender, but maybe someone else.”
Cass foot dropped to the brake at the next stop sign and she physically turned in her seat. “You’re a liar!”
“What? First a tramp, then a liar?” Tori clicked her tongue. “Your dress really is too short. You seem to have lost a few brain cells.”
“Shut up. You just said you’d neck with someone like a little hussy. That doesn’t sound like you. So either you’re a liar, or you’ve been keeping secrets.” Her eyes widened. “Super sexy neighbor.”
“Super sexy neighbor.”
“You didn’t…” Cass smiled and shimmied a little in her seat.
“No.”
“Liar.”
“No. I swear. He’s a dad, Cass. And I respect that Morgan is his priority. Which basically means I can’t jump his bones when I want to because there’s a five-year-old there most of the time.”
“Too bad for him.” Cass pressed her foot on the gas. “Not about Morgan. I mean, too bad for him you can’t jump his bones when you want.”
“He brought that power washer over yesterday, and I swear I turned into a walking cliché. I was going to accidently hose him so he’d have to take off his shirt. Then he kissed me against the front door and—”
“Whoa? You don’t just say that and keep talking. You pause for effect, let me drool, and then carry on with details. He has good hands, doesn’t he? And those abs. Perfect, right? Shit. Already drooling.”
Tori laughed as Cass pulled into a space in the lot behind Stonewalls. “Nice hands. Strong. Hands that like to wander.”
“So you talked to him?”
She pulled her purse from the floorboard. “Not…no, not about everything. Not yet.”
“Not a big deal. He’s got ears. He can hear things around town, and clearly nothing seems to be scaring him off yet.”
Tori grimaced. Yet. That was what she was worried about.
“That’s not what I meant,” Cass said, “and you know it. I just meant it’s okay to give him—or whoever—a chance because it could turn out just fine.”
She had to believe that. Once in her life, she had to, or she was no better than her mother. Giving up on life because of the unknowns. Giving up on life because she was afraid.
“So super sexy neighbor, we’ll call him SSN for now—is he coming by?” Cass asked as they entered.
Music played loudly from the speakers overhead while the band set up. Tori nodded. “I told him I’d buy him some pizza and beer. If that’s okay. I know we’re supposed to—”
“Serious? You’re asking if SSN can eat dinner with us? Eye candy. Please. I’m all over that. I’m jealous, but I’m all over that.”
Tori chuckled, and waited while the waitress cleared a booth for them in the back, her mind still on Cole. His easy smile. The way his eyes locked on hers like he was really listening. The strength in his hands. The surety of his decisions.
And then she spotted Brooks.
She latched her arm through Cass’s, shoulders tense, as the waitress led them to the table.
“Tori? What—”
“Don’t look. Brooks is at the bar. If he sees me…”
“Nothing. He won’t do anything because you set him straight. If he bothers you, I’ll have Drew come on down and flash his badge around and ask questions about spray paint.”
Tori stopped at their table, her mouth dropping open. “It was him?”
“I didn’t say that. Sit down. I’ll tell you about it, but not yet. Not until shots.”
Tori slid into the booth. Brooks needed to leave. Right now. Otherwise, he’d see Cole, and he’d infer something, and he’d wonder why she’d said she wasn’t ready for a relationship when her super sexy neighbor was sitting in the same booth.
“Relax. Brooks can think whatever he wants. He’s an idiot.” Cass grinned and opened her menu. “Focus on him.”
Tori glanced to the front of the bar and a jolt of need shot straight through her when she spotted Cole. He wore dark jeans, a navy shirt, and she waited as his eyes scanned the room until they found hers. Then he smiled.
“God, you’re lucky,” Cass said.
“Maybe he has a brother.”
“Genes that good, I’d settle for a dad.”
Tori pressed her fingers to her temples. “Not an image I wanted in my head. You’re right, we need shots. Tequila.”
Cass ordered drinks just as Cole arrived at the table. “Celebrating something?” he asked.
“Our night off,” Cass said. “You should celebrate, too.”
He grinned, but shook his head. “A beer. I have to pick Morgan up later.”
Cass huffed. “Responsibilities.”
Cole slid in next to Tori, surrounding her with his scent. His leg pressed against hers and he gave her a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey. Morgan do okay when you left?”
“Better. She’s settling in. Amy helps. Morgan trusts her.”
Tori nodded. “Amy’s great. I figured Morgan would like her. And there’re so many summer programs. Better than daycare, I think, though Cass and I could probably come up with names if you need someone.”
“I’ll stick with this for now. I just need a solid three or four hours a day to get the bulk of the work done, then I can manage the rest while Morgan’s home.”
“You should get her a dog,” Cass suggested.
Cole gave an easy laugh. He stretched his arm along the back of the booth, his fingers brushing Tori’s shoulder. “I thought about it. And then I thought about my level of patience. I’m still deciding if I’ll have enough of it.”
“Betty Colson’s dog just had puppies and they’re so cute,” Tori said. “She brought one with her to the tea shop last week, and I swear all the kids tripped over themselves to pet it.”
Cole brushed her shoulder again, fingers warm through her thin top. “Maybe you could get a dog.”
“I keep telling her that,” Cass said. “Tori has more patience than most of us combined.”
Over Cole’s shoulder, she saw Brooks looking their way. His eyes narrowed, following the stretch of Cole’s arm behind her.
Her stomach clenched. Cole squeezed her shoulder. “Hey. You okay?”
She blinked, trying to focus. Cass nudged her foot under the table. “You need some shots to relax you. The band is starting in ten minutes.”
Tori appreciated when Cass didn’t say anything more even though she wanted to know about the spray paint. She wanted to know who was behind the words on her driveway, even if there was nothing more she could do about it.
When beer and tequila arrived at their table, Tori took hers gratefully and clinked glasses with Cass.
“To Saturdays,” Cass said with a grin.
She tossed back her tequila and Tori did the same, amused to find Cole smiling at her.
“Nice work,” he said.
“You sure you can’t have one?” Cass said. “We can get a ride. Bring one of those cruisers over here.”
“Get a ride home from a deputy?”
Cass grinned. “Sure. They’ve got nothing better to do tonight. That’s why we always hang out on Main Street on the weekend. Nothing else going on. Then Tanner drags us in here, gives us free food, and tells us everyone who’s gone over their limit.”
Cole gripped his beer. “I’ll stick to this for now.” He glanced at Tori. “But I’ll remember that for next time, though.”
Cass gave Tori a knowing look. “I’m going to the bathroom, and then once this band starts, I’m going to dance.”
When she disappeared through the crowd, Tori turned to Cole. “You still want that pizza?”
He leaned in, brushing his lips against her cheek. “Pizza sounds good. And maybe a date next week.”
“A date?”
“Sure. I haven’t done that in…years.”
“Really?” Then she shook her head. “None of my business.”
“Sure it is. I went on one date after I split up with Deirdre.”
“Morgan’s mom?”
He nodded. “It was a blind date, set up by my neighbor who must have been blind herself. The lady was close to ten years older than me, and had kids of her own. Teenagers.”
Tori grinned. “Not your thing?”
“It’s…not that. She was nice. But there wasn’t anything there. I took her to an Italian place. We ate. Talked colleges, which was a first.” He brushed his thumb on her cheek. “And that was it. Took her home, dodged my neighbor for a week, and everything went back to normal. There really wasn’t anyone else I was interested in. And Morgan…I want her to feel comfortable. How about you?”
“I want Morgan to feel comfortable too.”
“Ha. That’s not what I meant. What about you and dating? I bet you get asked out all the time.”
By the same person. Over and over. The same person who sat at the bar glaring at them.
“Not all the time,” she murmured.
When she looked back, Cole’s eyes were full on her face, question in them.
“What?” she asked.
“You don’t open up easy, do you?”
The band took the stage, distracting her from the question, and she spotted Cass returning from the bathroom. Cole touched her jaw, urging her to turn back and face him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t open up easy.”
He opened his mouth to say something, then dropped his hand. “Shit.”
“What?”
“Natalie.”
#
Of all the people to show up in the bar the one time he actually decided to go out. Natalie.
He cleared his throat, leaning in so Tori and Cass could hear him above the band. “I sort of told a little lie.”
Cass grinned.
“A little one,” he repeated.
It was like he could feel Natalie’s eyes on him, daggers in the back of his head.
“Tell us,” Tori whispered.
“She’s been stopping by a lot lately.”
Cass made a face. “She wants you so bad.”
He laughed at the same time Tori smacked her arm. “Looks like the tequila’s working.”
“Hell yeah, it is.” Cass shoved aside the shot glasses, however, and reached for her beer. “So…is she stalking you yet?”
Cole shifted in his seat, already regretting bringing it up. He’d met women like Natalie before. No big deal. He shrugged. “She’s stopped by a few times. She asked me before I left if I wanted to do something tonight.”
Tori frowned, and he smiled at her. Maybe he didn’t regret saying something. Or maybe it was the beer talking. “Jealous?”
She lifted her eyebrows. He squeezed her leg under the table. “I told her I had to drop Morgan off and then I had errands to run.”
“Mostly true,” Cass said. “This could be an errand.”
“Not sure if she’ll see it that way.”
“Especially because she’s glaring at you right now,” Tori said.
Cole straightened but didn’t look.
“She’ll make hell for you if she has the inclination.” Then Cass flashed a smile. “Let’s dance!”
She scooted out of the booth and went for the dance floor. Cole squeezed Tori’s knee again. “She always that spontaneous?”
“She has to be a grown-up the rest of the week so we figure she’s entitled.”
“No doubt.”
“You have to be a grown-up all the time, though, right? You don’t get a break. No time to sit back, have a few beers, and completely forget about the world.”
It was true. He missed lazy days and late mornings. But now he had damn good reason to keep his life together, and it was working pretty well for him so far. “I wasn’t acting like a grown-up at your house yesterday,” he said with a grin. “More like a horny teenager drooling over the hot neighbor girl.”
She laughed, and the sound hit him right in the gut. So did the same feeling from yesterday, the need to have his hands on her. To let himself feel instead of thinking it all through.
“We should dance,” he said, sliding from the booth and holding out his hand. “Before I have to go.”
Which disappointed him more than he wanted to admit. He could always invite her back to his place, to sit out on the patio in back with a beer or a glass of wine after Morgan went down for the night. But he didn’t want to ruin her plans.
Cole tugged Tori to the dance floor, where Cass was already spinning in circles and looking more like a woman who got high on life rather than depending on alcohol to get her there. She’d found a willing dance partner, and made him feel uncomfortable while she lifted her hands and kept up with the music.
He clasped Tori close and put his mouth to her ear. “They’ll play a slow song next.”
“You sure?”
He nodded. He’d been in bars like this before, danced with women in bars before, and the bands usually tried to play to the crowd. It looked like there were a lot of couples out on the floor, so maybe they’d cut him some slack and give him reason to hold Tori even closer.
When the song ended and they started up another, an Eric Clapton cover, Tori relaxed in his arms. “You’re right.”
“I try to be as often as possible. Makes life easier.”
She fit perfectly in his arms, let her head rest against his shoulder, reminding him to enjoy these little moments. Moments he hadn’t thought he’d have anymore once he’d taken on parenting full time.
“You know,” he murmured, “I keep having dreams about you.”
She looked up, eyes locking on his. It wasn’t the result of flattery he saw there, or even amusement.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
No, she definitely wasn’t flattered. She was worried.
“I need to use the restroom.” Tori pulled her hand from his. “Sorry. I’ll be back.”
She hurried off, leaving him in the middle of the dance floor wondering what else she was hiding.
#
What did that mean? Tori pressed her hands against the counter in the bathroom and closed her eyes. What did it mean that Cole was having dreams about her and she was having dreams about him in return?
A coincidence. It could be that simple. People had dreams all the time.
Or it could be exactly what Grams had talked to her about. It could mean there was something more, something bigger, between them. That their meeting, having something to do with each other’s lives, was destiny.
If she told him the truth, maybe he’d understand. Or at the very least, he’d accept it and move on. Or he’d laugh in her face.
No, that didn’t sound like Cole.
But it had happened before. Kids pointing and laughing, talking about her and her mother behind her back or to her face. Not everyone believed in what she could do.
Maybe Cole wouldn’t either.
Give it a chance. That’s what her grams would tell her. That’s what Cass would tell her. She couldn’t keep abandoning opportunities because of what might happen. It wasn’t fair to Cole, and it certainly wasn’t fair to herself.
Tori washed her hands, drew in a steadying breath, and left the bathroom.
A hand gripped her arm instantly, pushing her back against the wall. Music boomed around her, lights dim and moody, while her mind whirled with the vison she’d had earlier.
The one of Brooks.
“What are you doing?” she choked out.
He leaned in, breath strong with alcohol. “Just wanted to see if we could dance.”
“Brooks. You need to let go of me.”
He stepped closer, pressing her against the wall as someone else passed to use the men’s room. “What are you doing here, Tori?”
“None of your business. Let go.”
“You said you weren’t ready for…a relationship.” His voice slurred but his memory still worked. She had said that, which clearly hadn’t been the entire truth considering who she was with tonight.
“I saw you dancing. I saw how he looked at you.”
“Brooks.” She shoved her hands up between them and tried to nudge him back. “You’re drunk.”
“You’re a tease,” he mumbled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Just a little kiss.”
“No. No. Brooks!”
His breath burned hot on her cheek, mouth fumbling toward hers. She aimed a kick at his shin, hitting him hard enough he jerked back and cursed. When his face twisted, she prepared for him to lunge, but then Cole stepped in.
“Get away from her,” he said, voice low but still strong enough to hear above the music.
Tori scooted down the wall, and to the arm Cole held out for her.
“You piece of shit!” Brooks shouted. “This is none of your business.”
“Your hands were on her. She told you no. Simple as that.” He started to turn when Brooks lunged.
“Cole!”
He whipped around in time to dodge Brooks’ fist. Cass appeared, voice raising above the noise in the small hallway.
“Stop! Hey!” She pushed past Cole, who held up his hands.
But Brooks wasn’t deterred. He lunged again, shoving through the crowd.
“Stop it!” Tori shouted, and then all the breath rushed out of her when he swiveled, catching his elbow in her gut.
Cass snagged Brooks’ arm and shoved him against the wall. He complied, eyes clearing, and then focusing on Cass first before shifting to Cole.
“He started it,” Brooks said.
Cole’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. He wrapped his arm around Tori. “You okay?”
She gritted her teeth and straightened, her hand still to her stomach. “Brooks started it.”
He sputtered out a response, glaring at her.
“Save it,” she whispered. “Don’t you ever touch me again. And if you were the one who spray painted my driveway, we’re going to find out.”
She turned from the hallway, her entire body shaking. It wasn’t just the fight, the confrontation, but the knowledge that her vision about him had been right.
And not just that, the visions were getting stronger.