Page 94 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“Bad memories?” I asked, hoping I sounded nonchalant and not prying.

“No. I just hate men who are douchebags.”

“Fair enough.”

It was quiet for a minute, and I went back to thinking about Piper. I hoped she could get a job, but not as a hot dog vendor. The idea that she would ever stand on a street corner and prepare food was comical at best. However, I could see her working at a zoo.

“What’s that smile for?”

Caught off guard, I hadn’t realized I was smiling at all. “Nothing. I was just thinking of Piper working as a hot dog vendor.”

“Why is that funny?”

“Well, it just is. But I could see her working as a zookeeper. She fought off a bear for me.”

Her eyes moved to my leg. “That’s an impressive woman.”

“I know.”

“And you’re not interested in her.”

I knew that tone in her voice. She was prying, just like my mom, which was why I hadn’t mentioned a word of Piper to her. “Interested in sex? Absolutely. But nothing more, and she knows that. She’s actually in the same boat. She just got out of a relationship, so sex is good, but nothing else.”

“Yeah, that’s what I used to say.”

“It’s really not like that.”

“Sure,” she smirked.

“What is it with women? Why do they all assume that men are just waiting around for a woman to change their lives?”

“We don’t assume that. It’s more like…like being hit upside the head. The right woman comes along and someone needs to beat you over the head with a club so you’ll realize how much you need a woman in your life.”

“Not me,” I muttered.

“Because you’re a lone ranger?

“Because I’m just not interested.”

“Yeah, you and a hundred other men. But let me tell you this. One day, your looks will fade and those muscles won’t be quite as pronounced as they are now. Then you’ll wish you had a woman who already loved you before you got all saggy.”

“I won’t ever get saggy,” I said defensively. “Can you picture any of us getting that way?”

She looked at me carefully and shrugged. “Maybe not, but life has a way of twisting people into something they’re not.”

“Not me. I know who I am and what I want. There’s no way that will happen to me.” Raven didn’t say a word. She didn’t fucking believe me. “I’m serious. I’m not going to suddenly decide one day that I need a woman.”

She still didn’t say a word. “Are you even?—”

“Look,” she snapped, pointing out the windshield.

I watched as a woman stepped outside, covered from head to toe, even though it was warm out. “That’s odd.”

“No woman wears that much clothing in heat like this,” Raven agreed.

“She doesn’t have any kids with her.”

“No.” Raven glanced around, then back to the woman. “There’s no other vehicle there.”

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