Page 24 of Shameless
“Look.” I sat up and faced the three lounge chairs beside me. “As I’ve said before, after being quizzed about what he and I did without you guys, if he makes a move, I’m not going to turn him away. But he’s the one who was engaged five days ago.”
Nothing else was said as the man in question walked into the pool area.
* * *
“Have you ridden a horse before?”Blake asked as we rode in the shuttle bus to the horseback tour. They had picked us up at the resort and made stops at other hotels for people who were joining us.
I looked over at him and challenged, “Have you?”
He grinned. “I have not, but I grew up in the city.”
“I know my aunt owns a farm, but I didn’t grow up waking up with roosters as my alarm clock.”
He grunted a laugh. “I know. I was just wondering since Deb didn’t have horses on her farm when I was there.”
I thought for a moment. “She doesn’t have horses, but I think I rode one once when I was like four.”
“Then this should be interesting.”
“Great.” I hadn’t been nervous about our outing until Blake pointed out that neither of us had really ridden before. Surely the tour company had people all the time who weren’t expert riders, right?
“You know, this trip has been full of a lot of firsts for me.”
“Really?”
Blake nodded. “First vacation alone. First time in Mexico. First time winning a cocktail contest. First time having a couple’s massage, and now, first time riding a horse.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “That’s awesome. I think everyone should strive to do something new because life would be boring if you did the same stuff over and over.”
“That’s true. I’m really glad I came on this trip.”
“I’m happy too.” I beamed.
The small bus pulled up to a dirt parking lot with the beach in the distance. Once we got out, we made our way over to several horses lined up waiting for us. The tour guide gave us instructions and then helped us onto the horses. Even though I hadn’t ridden one in over two decades, I was still able to get onto mine without trouble. Blake even looked like a pro as he swung his leg over the back of his brown horse and got settled onto the saddle.
Once everyone was on their horses, the tour started and we were led up a dirt path away from the water. The sun was just going down, but it was nowhere near sunset, so I figured the tour wasn’t only going up and down the sandy beach. We rode up a hill, and once on top, we were treated to a breathtaking view of the water.
“This makes me want to live near the ocean.” I took pictures with my phone to capture the moment.
“This is much warmer than San Francisco,” Blake said.
“How was it living in California?”
“It was great when I wasn’t getting yelled at by my brother.”
I blinked. “Why did he yell at you?”
He waved me off. “I was young and dumb not that long ago.”
“You’re still young,” I snorted. “I’m the one who will be thirty in a few months.”
“That’s right. You’re a year older than me,” he reminded me.
“So, we’re both old then if you were ‘young and dumb not that long ago’.”
“All right. We’re still young, but I’d like to think I’ve gotten my shit together now.”
“I’d say so considering you co-own nightclubs.”
