Page 151 of Just for the Plot

I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “No, I can’t.”

“Not yet?” he asks.

“I don’t know. I can’t think about it. I’m taking this one day at a time.”

God, today, it felt like one minute at a time.

“That’s fair,” he says. “Were you nervous that we would have gone all the way?”

“Yes,” I answer. “I’ve thought about it all day and I’m just not…I don’t think—”

“You don’t need to explain,” he says. “Seriously, Bower. I get it. And I don’t want you feeling like I’m pressuring you.”

“I don’t feel that at all. Not even a little.”

“Good, tell me if you ever do.”

“I will.” I let out a deep sigh. “God, I don’t want to talk about this. I’ve thought about it all day and I’m just fried at this point. Can you…can you tell me something stupid?”

“Something stupid?” he asks, and I can hear in his voice he’s really thinking it over. “Let me think…Oh, you know how you asked me if I could set you up with Nolan when you first came out here?”

“Yes,” I say.

“Well, good thing I didn’t because he has been wearing a thong every day during his hitting streak, and my guess is, if you two were dating, he’d be dipping into your drawers.”

I let out a laugh, the weight on my chest slightly lifting, just what I need. “He would have gotten his hand slapped. No one touches my underwear but me.”

“Yeah? What about me?”

I smile to myself. “Only when you’re pulling it off.”

“There’s my girl,” he says with all the joy in his voice.

I jot down the make and model of the two trucks I like in my notebook along with the dimensions. Okay, I’ve been able to narrow it down to two, which is impressive given how many options there were, but I like this, I think.

I stare at the options, overthinking maybe a little. Either one would do the job. Both have complimentary reviews; now I just have to pick one and be done with it.

“Interesting. I didn’t think you’d show up.” I lift my gaze to find Cougar standing in front of me with his coffee and what looks to be a tub of protein powder. He clenches it and says, “The store next door was having a mega sale. I might make millions, but I like saving a buck.” He plops down in the chair across from me and sets his garbage can–sized protein on the table.

“Why didn’t you think I was going to show up? You were the one who interrupted me yesterday. This is my spot. You’re just taking over.”

He leans back in his chair, studying me while sipping his coffee. “You’re quite sassy, you know that? Any other woman would be fawning over me right now.”

“And what did I say from day one, Cougar? I’m not like every other woman.”

“You’re right about that.” He nods toward my notebook. “So what do you have going on in there?”

“Picked out two book trucks to choose from.”

His eyes light up. “Really? Which ones?”

Once again, I turn my screen toward him and say, “I’m either going with the 210 Express or the 1180 Deluxe.”

“Oooo, solid choices, solid choices.” He clicks away on my computer, taking time to examine them. “You know, I can’t see where you could go wrong with either of them. Although, the deluxe has those old-timey wheels with the white interiors. That’s sick. But they might cost more to replace.”

“You think so?” I ask.

“Oh, for sure. Any sort of specialty tire will cost you more. Which means, your deciding factor is going to be if you want the fancy, expensive tires for the look, or if you want to go with the express and save money on tires in the long run.”