Page 10 of Tequila Tuesdays

Rolling my eyes, I turned to Sebastian at the bar. “Which one of these strange, florescent Halloween drinks is the strongest? And sweetest?”

Sebastian pointed at the bright green one. “This one has lime gelatin in it, so I can’t recommend it.”

Laurel lightly socked his arm. “Hey! That’s the flying monkey martini.”

I raised my eyebrow. “That name doesn’t make it sound any more appetizing.”

Sebastian motioned to another drink. “There’s a blood orange martini with the black spiderweb.” He looked down at all the ingredients in front of him. “I also have the ingredients for a classic black Manhattan. That’s what I’d recommend.”

“I’ll try one of those.”

Zeke sat down on a barstool and leaned back. “I’ll have the blood orange one. It reminds me of when Harley beat the shit out of Damien’s nose.”

I sighed, then looked at Zeke and rubbed my forehead with my middle finger. He laughed.

Sebastian started preparing my black Manhattan. “I’m fucking sorry I missed that.”

We chatted and laughed for the rest of the evening. We discussed the George Bar and a few other great spots in town. They also talked about the issues Laurel was having with her father, who sounded like a complete asshole.

It had been a fun evening, and by the end of the night, it felt like Laurel and I had been friends forever. And I also wanted to beat Damien and Zeke’s volleyball team more than ever.

A couple of weeks later, I walked into my new gym. When I first moved to Palm Springs, I kept my old gym membership out of habit. It was a low-budget chain, and there was a branch in Palm Springs. But the gym was overcrowded and worn out.

So I upgraded and found a nice locally owned gym closer to my house. Kurt, the owner, usually brought in his golden retriever named Jack to the gym.

I walked in around six, which was earlier than usual for me. But I’d resolved to make my mornings more productive since my caseload kept getting bigger.

Kurt nodded at me as I scanned my pass, and I bent down to give Jack a rub and a scratch behind his ears.

“Hey, Kurt. How’s it going? Hi, Jack, how’re you doing this morning, my favorite handsome boy? Huh?”

Kurt shook his head. “I wish my boyfriend talked to me like that every morning.”

I smiled. “He’s probably fast asleep when you leave for work.”

Kurt nodded. “Good point. Have a good workout.” I waved and headed over to the cardio equipment section.

Usually, I started on the treadmill or bike before doing some weights. Working out was a holdover from playing organized sports in high school and college. It was also excellent therapy, and I usually felt better afterward, but I struggled sometimes with consistency. I looked up and noticed Sebastian running at a nice clip on one of the treadmills.

“Hey, Sebastian.” I walked over to the same stationary bike I usually used.

“Harley.” He nodded. “Didn’t know you used this gym.”

I adjusted the settings, then started peddling. “This place is less crowded and has better equipment. And there’s Jack. I switched a few months ago.”

“Laurel said you guys are planning a camping trip.”

I grinned. “We are. We’ve also been discussing work. She’s going to apply for a juvenile court public defender contract when she gets sworn in.”

“She mentioned it.”

I pointed my finger. “Your surly, sore-loser friend with the dimple told me you two are pretty serious. Be nice to her. I know that’ll be hard for you.”

He smirked. “I will. I’m not stupid. What’s with you and Damien?”

I jerked my shoulder and peddled a little faster. “Nothing.” I sounded defensive.

“I’d be pissed if you smashed a volleyball in my face.”

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