willing the tears that had begun to well to fuck off. I did not want to cry in front of Hamish ‘Goblin’ McBride, terror of The Underground.
“He didn’t,” I managed to get out.
“Are you sure?”
My eyes flew open. “Of course, I’m sure.”
“Okay,” he said, not looking convinced. “If he tries anythin’, you let me know, and I’ll be talkin’ with him. Got it?”
I knew enough about Hamish to know we’d be arguing about it all night if I asked him to leave it alone, so I nodded. Truthfully, I was glad for the backup. Someone caring enough about me to go and beat the living shit out of a guy that treated me bad was a comforting thought.
What I didn’t get was why me?
I wasn’t anything special. Not by a long shot.
13
Hamish
S tanding on Lori’s front porch, I stared at the front door, studying the stained glass.
All I had to do was raise my hand and knock, but I was hesitating. The plastic bag in my hand was getting heavy, the food I’d brought over becoming colder as the minutes wore on.
It was Tuesday night, which meant I’d been at the hospital all day sitting with Ma as she was pumped with radioactive poison that was supposed to help shrink her cancer. I was feeling tired and helpless, and I should’ve gone home to bed, but all I wanted to do was think about something else. Lori hadn’t let me down so far.
Did that make me selfish? Maybe she was using me for the same thing. Yeah, when I thought about it that way, it didn’t sound so bad.
I hadn’t invited her to my place yet, but I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. I had letters from the hospital and bills strewn over the kitchen counter, and all in all, my apartment was a barren wasteland. I didn’t like things cluttering up my life. Furniture, knickknacks, crap that accumulated dust… It was all shit that weighed me down when all I wanted was to be able to move at a moment’s notice. Maybe that was the fighter in me, or maybe it was a result of my current predicament. Who knew. I just didn’t like it.
And I didn’t want Lori to ask all the awkward questions I didn’t want to answer.
Sighing, I raised my hand and knocked on the door. Footsteps thumped from inside, becoming louder as they approached the door.
Instead of Lori, it was her ‘special’ housemate Bel, who I’d been assured was going to be out tonight.
“Hello,” she purred.
“I’m here for Lori,” I grumbled, shoving my hands into my jeans pockets.
“Lori!” she called out. “It’s your Irish beefcake!” I narrowed my eyes, and she laughed. “Oh, don’t be so grumpy. You’re damn fine, and you know it.”
“How do you know?” I asked, stepping inside.
She slammed the door and looked me up and down. “Honey, you all know it . Men don’t play coy and clueless.”
I tried to picture Bel at The Underground and wondered if the fighters there would eat her alive, but in the end, I began to realize she would be the one doing the eating.
“Hey!”
I glanced up as Lori appeared at the other end of the dark hallway. Stepping past Bel, I strode toward the little piece of blue heaven that stood in the warm lighting of the lounge room beyond.
I could hear Bel grumbling behind me, but I didn’t give a fuck what she was sooking about. Women like her always had their pride hurt when they couldn’t reel in the guy they were flirting with. I could have her, she’d made that clear, but I couldn’t do that to Lori. Anyway, Bel wasn’t my type. I’d snap her in half.
“Long day?” Lori asked, tilting her head to the side.
I put the food onto the coffee table where cutlery and drinks were already waiting. “Does it show that much?”
“You look a little wired.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” I said, sinking down onto the couch.
“Wanna talk about it?”
I shook my head. If I talked about it, she’d get on my case about a million things I knew I was deliberately ignoring at my own peril, and then we’d argue again, and that’s
“He didn’t,” I managed to get out.
“Are you sure?”
My eyes flew open. “Of course, I’m sure.”
“Okay,” he said, not looking convinced. “If he tries anythin’, you let me know, and I’ll be talkin’ with him. Got it?”
I knew enough about Hamish to know we’d be arguing about it all night if I asked him to leave it alone, so I nodded. Truthfully, I was glad for the backup. Someone caring enough about me to go and beat the living shit out of a guy that treated me bad was a comforting thought.
What I didn’t get was why me?
I wasn’t anything special. Not by a long shot.
13
Hamish
S tanding on Lori’s front porch, I stared at the front door, studying the stained glass.
All I had to do was raise my hand and knock, but I was hesitating. The plastic bag in my hand was getting heavy, the food I’d brought over becoming colder as the minutes wore on.
It was Tuesday night, which meant I’d been at the hospital all day sitting with Ma as she was pumped with radioactive poison that was supposed to help shrink her cancer. I was feeling tired and helpless, and I should’ve gone home to bed, but all I wanted to do was think about something else. Lori hadn’t let me down so far.
Did that make me selfish? Maybe she was using me for the same thing. Yeah, when I thought about it that way, it didn’t sound so bad.
I hadn’t invited her to my place yet, but I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. I had letters from the hospital and bills strewn over the kitchen counter, and all in all, my apartment was a barren wasteland. I didn’t like things cluttering up my life. Furniture, knickknacks, crap that accumulated dust… It was all shit that weighed me down when all I wanted was to be able to move at a moment’s notice. Maybe that was the fighter in me, or maybe it was a result of my current predicament. Who knew. I just didn’t like it.
And I didn’t want Lori to ask all the awkward questions I didn’t want to answer.
Sighing, I raised my hand and knocked on the door. Footsteps thumped from inside, becoming louder as they approached the door.
Instead of Lori, it was her ‘special’ housemate Bel, who I’d been assured was going to be out tonight.
“Hello,” she purred.
“I’m here for Lori,” I grumbled, shoving my hands into my jeans pockets.
“Lori!” she called out. “It’s your Irish beefcake!” I narrowed my eyes, and she laughed. “Oh, don’t be so grumpy. You’re damn fine, and you know it.”
“How do you know?” I asked, stepping inside.
She slammed the door and looked me up and down. “Honey, you all know it . Men don’t play coy and clueless.”
I tried to picture Bel at The Underground and wondered if the fighters there would eat her alive, but in the end, I began to realize she would be the one doing the eating.
“Hey!”
I glanced up as Lori appeared at the other end of the dark hallway. Stepping past Bel, I strode toward the little piece of blue heaven that stood in the warm lighting of the lounge room beyond.
I could hear Bel grumbling behind me, but I didn’t give a fuck what she was sooking about. Women like her always had their pride hurt when they couldn’t reel in the guy they were flirting with. I could have her, she’d made that clear, but I couldn’t do that to Lori. Anyway, Bel wasn’t my type. I’d snap her in half.
“Long day?” Lori asked, tilting her head to the side.
I put the food onto the coffee table where cutlery and drinks were already waiting. “Does it show that much?”
“You look a little wired.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” I said, sinking down onto the couch.
“Wanna talk about it?”
I shook my head. If I talked about it, she’d get on my case about a million things I knew I was deliberately ignoring at my own peril, and then we’d argue again, and that’s
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