Page 38 of Fall or Nothing

“You leave her out of this.” He stepped into my space.

“She doesn’t have any idea about your illegal gambling activities, does she?” My hands formed fists at my sides, ready to protect myself if needed. “Does she even know the real you?”

His jaw clicked. She probably thought he spent his Friday nights bowling with his buddies.

A woman unlocked the vehicle next to us with a loud beep. Her whining kids cried for some treat she’d bought as she started to load up her car.

Red lowered his voice. “If you say one word about that night. I’ll hunt you down. You’ll be sorry you did.” His threat landed, and he ran back toward the store.

I couldn’t let him shake me, no matter how threatening his words. “Hey! Where’s my car and wallet, asshole?” I shouted, and sheepishly apologized to the mother and her kids for cursing.

Red held up the middle finger in reply.

Someday, in about two weeks to be exact, when I had all the money in the world, I’d make Red Amos regret ever meeting me.

Not tonight, though.

Tonight I had a woman waiting on me and for a dinner I promised to provide. With any luck, I’d have a chance to feel like a decent man again instead of an easy mark some local crook had robbed blind on his first night in town.

“Excuse me.” I caught the mother’s attention. “Do you know where a guy could get a pizza around here?”

“Grove Town Pizza, just a block over. Can’t miss it.” She pointed in the general direction.

“Thanks.” I moved the truck to the end of the parkinglot, but I waited behind a clump of trees until Red and his wife exited the store. They approached a van in the handicapped spot, light blue, a newer model. I didn’t know what I’d do with that information, but it didn’t hurt to have insurance.

I rushed over to the pizza place, and picked up a bottle of cheap wine at the state liquor store, too, which curiously stood next door to the First Church of Forest Grove. Didn’t hurt to send a little prayer up that tonight with Sage would be something special.

Sage openedthe door after one knock, as I leaned against the doorframe, trying to look cool as fuck, cowboy hat and all.

“You’re late. I started to worry where you were.”

“Does this make up for it?” I held up dinner with my best smoldering smile, not about to admit why I was late. “Hope you like pepperoni and wine?”

“Cook this yourself?” She raised an eyebrow, taking the box and bottle from me, and headed into the kitchen.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the ingredients I wanted at your local store.” I followed her in after hanging her father’s coat on the rack by the door.

The apartment smelled like her the second I entered, maybe with a little vanilla mixed in this time. Still totally her, floral and unforgettable. The sight of her in softleggings and an ivory off-shoulder sweater did more to settle my nerves than the entire drive over had.

“What were you originally planning to cook?” She asked.

“Doesn’t matter now. Besides, I’d have slaved away for an hour, and I’m pretty tired from today as it is. Figured you’d be, too. I’d rather spend the time with you instead of over a stove.”

“What a shame? I was really looking forward to a man cooking for me for once.”

“Someday I will,” I blurted, not thinking clearly. She paused, reaching for the plates, and our eyes met. The words hung between us—a promise I had no right to make.

“Right. Well, Eldon does put on quite the Thanksgiving spread. You could help him out next week with that, and we’ll call it even.”

Fuck. Thanksgiving? I’d completely forgotten about the holiday. Every year at this time, Mom turned sentimental. She expected all of us to congregate in Nashville for the weekend, having her chef cook up the most elaborate meal. She could forgive if we missed Christmas, but Thanksgiving was her holiday, strangely. This year, hopefully my brothers, Mick and Jimmy, would explain my absence to her.

At this point, with almost half of my challenge already done, there was no going back now.

I took the lid off the pizza. She reached over and stole a piece of pepperoni straight off a slice before I could stop her, popping it into her mouth. Her luscious, soft-lipped mouth.

“Starving?” I popped one into mine, too.

“Very much. Thanks for the wine. I’m not much of a drinker, though, but for you I’ll make an exception. Although the best wine in the area, in my opinion, is the strawberry kind Eldon makes from berries grown right on the ranch.”