He grins. “You’d be surprised.”
“Would I?” I smile at him. “I doubt that, Storm. You’re always surprising me.”
“So tell me this.” He pops a fry into his mouth, chews, and swallows before continuing. “How come I never knew I liked horseback riding?”
“Because you never tried it,” I say. “Duh. We grew up in a city.”
“That’s true,” he says. “But I also used to think I was scared of horses. Scratch that. Iwasscared of horses.”
“Because you went on a hay ride with your family in rural Louisiana one time, and a horse bit you.” I take a big sip of my beer, and then another.
I peer over the rim of my mug at Jared, who’s staring at me.
“What the heck?” I ask him as I put down my mug.
“You know my backstory too well.”
“We can still surprise each other,” I say without thinking.
Shit. That sounded flirty.
Jared stills, his fry halfway to his mouth and his eyes not leaving mine.
I resist the urge to fan myself for the second time since I arrived in Montana, which is not hot this time of year. But, God, are my cheeks warm.
I left the steaming south, and yet, I feel like I’ve never been more heated in my life than I have since I landed here.
“Moving on.”Smooth transition, Ash.“We better eat up. I’m exhausted.” Unable to stop myself, I add, “And you look tired yourself, J.”
His jaw clenches, and I know I’ve caught him off guard.
“I’ve…had some trouble sleeping,” he says like it pains him to admit it.
“Really? That’s unlike you. You could always sleep through anything.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything more.
I don’t push. I know I’ll find out what’s going on eventually. It’s pretty much law between Jared and me—other than my deep dark story that I’ve worked like hell to keep from him, everything else in our lives tends to spill out.
I love having someone in my life who never judges me. And if I weren’t so filled with my own self-judgment, I’d have told him my dirtiest secret already. Because Jared is the least judgmental person I know.
I rely on that from him. He accepts people where they’re at.
“I’m nervous living away from home,” I confess.
Jared swallows his bite of chicken. “That’s natural.”
“I know. Except, nerves aren’t really my go-to.”
He chuckles. “You’re still fearless, Ash. No worries.”
“Ha, ha. I’m serious.”
He finishes off his chicken wing and raises his beer. “A toast. To you taking a risk and leaving the Big Easy.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice if I wanted to keep my job. Although it does feel brand-new.”
“Because it is brand-new. You’ll be doing different things at your job here, right? Wild West Ash,” he adds with a wink.
