“Has your skinny ass ever even played football?” she asked the mouthy one. “Why don’t you just shut up and watch the game.”
There were murmurs of agreement from some of the other patrons.
The guy cackled. “Oh, you got your girl fighting your battles for you?”
“I don’t need—” Jamar started, but Taylor talked right over him.
“He knows that I can kick your ass with one hand while I finish eating my cheese fries with the other. Why should he waste the effort?”
The guys at the table burst out laughing, but Jamar wasn’t willing to take a chance that their good-natured ribbing wouldn’t turn ugly. He stood and made another attempt to lighten the mood.
“I’d watch what I say around her if I were you,” Jamar said with a laugh. “Not only could she kick your asses, but she would have fun doing it.” He threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “Let’s get out of here, Taylor. Maybe if the Raiders had come to play, it’d be a game worth watching.”
Jamar did his best to ignore the table of heckling Texas Tech fans as he and Taylor headed out of the sports bar. He reminded the offended Longhorns faithfuls to ignore the guys. The last thing anyone needed was a brawl to break out.
Breathing a sigh of relief once they exited the Tavern, he glanced over at Taylor and grinned.
“You really were ready to kick some ass, weren’t you?”
“Hell yes,” she said. She hooked a thumb back at the sports bar. “Is this the kind of bullshit you’ve had to put up with since you got hurt?”
He shrugged as he opened the door of his SUV and helped her into it.
“Usually guys aren’t that drunk this early in the day,” he said. “But, yeah, I get some version of that at least once a month.”
“How haven’t you landed yourself in jail on an assault charge!”
“You’re cute as hell when you’re angry on my behalf,” Jamar said.
“I don’t want to be cute. I want to go back there and kick that guy in the face.” She caught his arm before he could close the door. “This shit just became personal. If it means shutting up assholes like the ones we just had to deal with, I’m ready to do whatever I have to do to get you on a football team.”
“It sounds as if I’m going to have to suffer even more in the gym because of these guys.”
“In the gymandout of it,” she said. “It starts tonight with our survivalist training.”
Jamar winced. She’d asked him to join her for some lost-in-the-woods-type experience she wanted to develop for Taylor’d Conditioning. Even as he’d agreed to tag along, he knew he’d live to regret it.
“Are we still doing that?” Jamar asked.
“You bet your ass we are,” Taylor said. “Get ready to rough it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
The last fading rays of sunlight cast dappled shadows on the leaf-covered ground of Pace Bend Park. Taylor led the way through the uneven terrain, trying her best to avoid unwelcome surprises left by the critters who called this densely forested patch of land home.
She’d considered a number of local parks for tonight’s adventure but had settled on this one in Spicewood because of its primitive campsites that would give them the “roughing it in the woods” experience she was going for.
She and Jamar had veered off the marked trail a good half mile back. They should be nearing the innermost area of the park soon.
“Let’s stop for a second,” Taylor said. “I need to get my bearings.” She reached into one of the zippered pouches on her backpack and pulled out her compass.
“Is that a compass?” Jamar asked.
She laughed at the incredulity in his tone. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
He slipped his phone from his pocket, swiped his thumb across the screen, then held it up to her. “Not sure if you know this, but these cool little computers that fit in your pocket? They come equipped with a compass.”
“Ha ha, smart-ass. What if that cool little pocket-sized computer doesn’t have cell service, or worse, what if you lose it? Knowing how to use an actual compass can be a lifesaver.” She studied the compass and confirmed that they were still headed in the right direction. “Remember, the whole point of this exercise is to be a survivalist. At least that’s what I’m hoping people will sign up for.”
