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Tanner groaned and slapped a hand over his face. "They don't understand the sport at all, Cody. Dad, the video? That was her coming in fourth place. She's a rider."
"You..." His dad stalled out. "You ride those animals?"
"Yes, sir," I assured him. "I'm the first woman on the Tough Enough series of the PBR. Supposedly, I'm making history. In truth, I'm earning a paycheck."
"By... riding bulls?" Paul sounded like he couldn't quite wrap his mind around that.
"And getting sponsors," I explained. "Sure, the rewards for placing in an event are nice, but the real money is from the sponsors. The higher we rank, the more companies want to put their logo on our clothing, and the more money we make."
"But that can't be sustainable," Lisa pointed out.
I shrugged. "It is a sport for the young, but some riders are still going in their forties. Last year, one of the Brazilian riders actually set a record for matching the top score at the age of forty-three."
"Oh." She looked confused. "And you plan to do this as a career?"
I laughed that off, pausing when the waitress came to get our drink order and offer us menus. Hoping that would be the end of it, I opened the menu and started looking for something good. Beside me, Tanner was doing the same. Paul asked for a refill on his and Lisa's wine, giving us a moment.
"What are you getting?" Tanner asked.
I pinched my lips, still reading, and then found it. "Steak," I said, pointing at the listing.
"Same." He flashed me a smile. "And now I get to find out how you like it cooked."
We were talking softly, but I swore his parents were leaning in, trying to take in every word. Thankfully, the waitress was back, made quick work of getting our orders, and then we were alone again. Immediately, Lisa tried to fill the silence.
"What happened to your face, Tanner?"
His head snapped up. "Oh, forgot about that."
"See," Paul said, "this is why we've been telling you to get a real job. One that won't end in bruises."
"I have a real job," Tanner assured them. "Dad, I worked hard for this."
"And there's no future in it," Lisa said before turning to me. "I'm sure you'll want to settle down and have children at some point, Cody?"
I snuck in a sip of my soda. "I haven't decided," I admitted. "Right now, my goals are to earn enough to buy a nice farm. I want to raise cattle, you see. That comes first. Once I'm financially stable, then I'll worry about whether or not I want children."
"Are you ok with that, Tanner?" She sounded like she was trying to pick a fight.
Tanner lifted his brow. "I like how you assume my girlfriend of a couple of weeks is going to plan her life around my wishes, Mom. But yeah, I think it's smart. Cody knows what she wants, and she has the skill to get there."
"Then why are you doing this bullfighting thing still?" Paul asked.
I saw Tanner's eyes slip closed. Clearly, this was a regular thing. The sort of question he knew, hated, and was well aware they wouldn't hear his answer anyway.
"I like my job," he told them.
"Aren't you too old to still be doing this?" Lisa asked. "Tanner, I'm sure Cody would be a lot more impressed with a stable boyfriend, not one who's in a different town every day."
"Week," I corrected, making both of them look at me.
"Excuse me?" Lisa asked.
"We're in a different town every week," I said. "The events last all weekend, not a single day. Besides, I happen to like Tanner doing bullfighting. He's saved me more than once."
"Well, I'm sure it feels that way..." Paul tried.
"No, it is that way," I assured him. "Two thousand pounds of angry animal hurts. It hurts a lot. Your son made sure it didn't hurt me - and more than once. He's an athlete, sir. Tanner has an uncanny ability to know where the bull will be, which way it will move, and when we riders are losing our balance. He and his partners are more important to us than the paramedics and our doctor in sports medicine. They're our frontline defense, and when I say he keeps us alive, that's not an exaggeration."
