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Tiffany smiled encouragingly. “I’d love to hear it sometime.”
Alyssa quipped, “I know it by heart. It’s one of my favorites because it’s filled with love, romance, and Ven fighting against all odds to save his beautiful wife.”
Lily’s hands flew to her cheeks, which were turning bright red. “It’s not like that!”
Alyssa nodded at Tiffany with a knowing smile.
“Now I’m all kinds of curious.”
Flying to her feet, Lily glanced at Rose and the baby. “It’s a story for another time. I should go put Sammy down to sleep. It’s getting late.”
“It’s nice when the whole place is filled with people. Thanks for talking to us this evening, Lily,” Tiffany said.
Looking embarrassed, the older woman ducked her head. “You’re welcome, Tiffany. Don’t you worry about Ryder. Ven won’t let anything happen to his only son.” Trotting off in Rose’s direction, Lily called out that it was bedtime for the little ones. All the kids stopped in their tracks, clearly trying to decide if they were included in that group. Their confused little faces were all kinds of cute.
Tiffany turned to Alyssa. “Why do I think we’d need to get a few more drinks in her to get that story out of her?”
Laughing, Alyssa shot the older woman across the room a warm smile. “Don’t bother. All she ever drinks is lemon lime soda with cherry flavoring in it. The one you want to ply with alcohol is Ven. He loves telling the story of how they met.”
Warming up to the idea, Tiffany murmured, “I never would have guessed that.”
“Much like his son, he’s nursing a hero complex a mile wide. What’s better than being the hero of your very own story and saving a damsel in distress?”
Raising one brow, Tiffany replied. “Being the princess who can shoot her way out of trouble on her own?”
Laughing, Alyssa asked, “You’re joking, right?”
“Hell no, I’m not. As a matter of fact, I’m starting to think that maybe women in general, and me in particular, have been wasting our lives waiting for a hero we wouldn’t even need if we’d just put on our big girl panties and take care of our own business.”
“Wow! Where did all that come from? Have you been drinking those shooters again?”
Shaking her head, Tiffany tossed the clueless woman a stern look. “No, I haven’t had but one drink. I’m just getting tired of being pushed around and told what to do all the damn time. For most of my adult life, I’ve felt like my back was against the wall and I only had one viable option. I’m beginning to think it’s all bullshit.”
“Let’s back up to the beginning of the conversation. Were you serious about shooting your way out of a bad situation?”
Not totally sure of anything except that she was sick and tired of Stuart calling all the shots, she nodded. “Sure, why not?”
“You can shoot a gun?”
“Well, one hopes they never have to shoot at an actual person, but I’ve logged in about a hundred hours on the firing range.”
“You own a handgun?”
Frowning, Tiffany wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. “I had an ex-boyfriend who was a cop. Since I have an abusive ex-husband, he insisted on teaching me some basic self-defense and shooting. He bought me a weapon and back-up weapon. At the time, I thought he was being overzealous, but now I’m starting to see things differently.”
Making a sound of amazement, Alyssa seemed slightly awed by that tidbit of information. “I can’t believe you ever let him go.”
“He was a real nice guy, but he wasn’t my one.”
“I wish I knew how to shoot,” she said dejectedly.
“Any guy here can probably teach you,” Tiffany told her, sure all she’d have to do is ask.
Leaning on the bar, Alyssa chewed her bottom lip as she thought over the offer. “I don’t know if I can make myself do something like that. I’ve always been against guns in general. Now that learning is a real option, I’m second-guessing why I thought it was such a great idea.”
“Maybe you could come with me once and just watch,”
Tiffany suggested. “If it’s not something that really interests you, you don’t have to go back.”
