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Feeling myself starting to obsess over every little detail, I ask to speak to Coco alone. She’s gotten overly quiet today, which usually means she’s struggling with something.
Walla Walla suggests we hang out in the indoor pool room. I immediately understand why. With the glowing blue lighting, the room offers a tranquil spot. The shades are down, hiding us from the late afternoon sun. Walla Walla shuts the door to allow us privacy, yet I feel him lingering close.
“He’s really into you,” Coco says once we’re alone.
“I thought you were into Goose. Now, you’re doing your flirty thing with Tomcat.”
“He’s hot.”
“True, but what about Goose? Is that over?”
Coco shrugs and stares at her hands. “How would I know? She’s so moody.”
Sighing, I sit on a little bench and have her join me. “Tell me what you’re thinking. You know my loyalty is to you, not Tomcat or even Goose. She might have helped us, but you’re my friend.”
“If a guy like Tomcat flirted with me back home, I’d be interested. But I’d also know he was a party guy. It was never going to last. I don’t know whether I’d hook up with him or just flirt. You know I’ve decided I’m too old to link up with troublemakers.”
“Staying here doesn’t mean you have to do anything more than flirt with him. You have choices. We don’t owe them anything.”
Coco’s green eyes study me. “You don’t believe that.”
“I believe we helped them, too. My mom’s connections fixed the problem with those ranch workers. We gave them somewhere safe to stay. We don’t owe them our bodies or minds.”
Coco smirks. “I like when you sound like your shrink.”
“I want you to understand you have options.”
Coco considers my words before lowering her guard and admitting, “I wanted Goose to pay attention to me, but she won’t do it.”
“How were things at the restaurant before I flipped out?”
“Do you mean before those men hassled us and scared you?”
I smile at how she reframes the situation to make me seem less nuts. “Yeah, you were kissing Goose.”
“She was kissing me.”
“What led up to the kiss? Were you connecting or is it just physical attraction?”
Coco plays with her hair, seeming on edge. “We were talking about how she chased a guy a few years back for her club and got winded. She figured she could either keep smoking or catch her prey, so she gave up cigarettes. She’s such a ballbuster. Goose isn’t like anyone I’ve ever known, and I was just grinning at her. That’s when she kissed me.”
“And you liked it?”
“Yes, and she seemed less bitchy afterward. I thought maybe she did like me. But that was yesterday. Since then, she acts like I’m either invisible or her property. She also ditched us at the gas station. Now, I don’t know what to think.”
“I suspect Goose doesn’t let people close and only trusts her club family. When she’s put in a new situation, her fear makes her shut down and lash out.”
Coco looks around before turning on the bench and staring into my eyes. “What’s the plan here?”
“Just to be here.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think Walla Walla’s life is right for you?”
“I don’t know, but I still want him. He’s interesting. And sweet. And handsome. I want to know everything about him. That’ll only happen if I spend day after day with him. Otherwise, it’s all surface-level stuff.”
