billions.
“Four kids,” I say and chug my beer. “Honey might
be sweet, and she might put Band-Aids on your face, and I admit she still looks
good for pounding out a litter, but she still has four fucking kids.”
“She’s also married,” Moot murmurs, leaning back
with his eyes closed.
“You know he could be under cement within a few
hours.”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to kill some lady’s husband
so that I can rekindle old times.”
I think to mention Mayer’s violent behavior. I’ve
considered saying something before, but I know Moot. He went to prison to help
a stranger. How would he handle knowing his old flame was getting smacked
around? He’d be out the door in a flash.
“Besides, she dumped you,” I say rather than
mentioning Asshole Andrew.
“True.”
“You only think you missed out because you spent
seven years in prison. That’d make anyone nostalgic.”
Moot’s eyes remain closed, and we fall into silence
as the game starts. Whenever something happens to cause the crowd to cheer, he
opens his eyes. I stare at the screen, but my mind is on Candy.
I know she isn’t watching the game. Her brother
loved sports and taught her the basics, but she doesn’t follow any teams.
Candy’s open book routine made her easy to get to know. It also makes her
silence worse. I wish I thought she was purposely fucking with me so I might
hate her.
I love hating people. My enemies list is long and
varied. When I’m tense and need help sleeping, I close my eyes and mentally run
through all of the names. I’m asleep before I hit the hundredth moron.
Candy should be on the list for turning against me.
I don’t allow that shit from anyone, but I still hope she’ll open up to me
again. We can go back to how things were, and I won’t even ask for anything
more.
Bullshit.
Being friends will never be enough. I want
Candy. Not just for chat time in the office, but I want her in my bed. I
don’t know how to make that happen now. She comes with baggage and now an
attitude problem.
I wouldn’t mind returning to the days when I only
needed my damn dog to keep me company.
NINETEEN - CANDY
T his morning, Hayes does nothing to hide his bad
mood. He walks into the building and kicks my desk on his way to his office.
When I bring him a cup of coffee, he glares at me.
“Women,” he grunts as I walk away.
Despite his anger, I know he won’t fire me. He
might currently hate me, but he hates the temps more. I also suspect he doesn’t
want me working for anyone else. In his mind, I belong to him, and he isn’t
changing this arrangement even if I’m currently on his shit list.
When Hayes goes to breakfast and runs his errands,
he doesn’t bring me along. He doesn’t tell me he’s leaving either. This is my
punishment, and I feel the sting of his silence.
An hour after Hayes returns, two vehicles pull into
the parking lot. The trucks turn, so their beds face the building. I walk
outside to find out what they want.
“We have an order to put sod in the back area,” the
head landscaper says.
“An order from whom?”
“Hayes ordered it. Is there a problem?” he asks,
handing me the work order.
Looking over the square slips of sod, I ask like an
idiot, “It’s for the back of the building?”
“Hayes told me to bring the best sod I had and make
sure it was safe for kids. Is there a problem?”
I gesture for him to go to work. As I walk inside,
my heart clenches and I feel like I might fall over. Hayes ordered this grass
for my kids. How long has he left the backyard a muddy ditch? Now he makes a
change. For my kids. For me.
A man incapable of love wouldn’t have ordered the
sod. Hayes isn’t a monster. My fears are stupid, and I need to be smart.
Without thinking, I rush into Hayes’s office where
he stands next to his desk. He knows I’m here. I see the way his shoulders
tense, but he doesn’t look at me. I’ve hurt his ego, yet he still ordered the
sod.
“Hayes,” I say when he
“Four kids,” I say and chug my beer. “Honey might
be sweet, and she might put Band-Aids on your face, and I admit she still looks
good for pounding out a litter, but she still has four fucking kids.”
“She’s also married,” Moot murmurs, leaning back
with his eyes closed.
“You know he could be under cement within a few
hours.”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to kill some lady’s husband
so that I can rekindle old times.”
I think to mention Mayer’s violent behavior. I’ve
considered saying something before, but I know Moot. He went to prison to help
a stranger. How would he handle knowing his old flame was getting smacked
around? He’d be out the door in a flash.
“Besides, she dumped you,” I say rather than
mentioning Asshole Andrew.
“True.”
“You only think you missed out because you spent
seven years in prison. That’d make anyone nostalgic.”
Moot’s eyes remain closed, and we fall into silence
as the game starts. Whenever something happens to cause the crowd to cheer, he
opens his eyes. I stare at the screen, but my mind is on Candy.
I know she isn’t watching the game. Her brother
loved sports and taught her the basics, but she doesn’t follow any teams.
Candy’s open book routine made her easy to get to know. It also makes her
silence worse. I wish I thought she was purposely fucking with me so I might
hate her.
I love hating people. My enemies list is long and
varied. When I’m tense and need help sleeping, I close my eyes and mentally run
through all of the names. I’m asleep before I hit the hundredth moron.
Candy should be on the list for turning against me.
I don’t allow that shit from anyone, but I still hope she’ll open up to me
again. We can go back to how things were, and I won’t even ask for anything
more.
Bullshit.
Being friends will never be enough. I want
Candy. Not just for chat time in the office, but I want her in my bed. I
don’t know how to make that happen now. She comes with baggage and now an
attitude problem.
I wouldn’t mind returning to the days when I only
needed my damn dog to keep me company.
NINETEEN - CANDY
T his morning, Hayes does nothing to hide his bad
mood. He walks into the building and kicks my desk on his way to his office.
When I bring him a cup of coffee, he glares at me.
“Women,” he grunts as I walk away.
Despite his anger, I know he won’t fire me. He
might currently hate me, but he hates the temps more. I also suspect he doesn’t
want me working for anyone else. In his mind, I belong to him, and he isn’t
changing this arrangement even if I’m currently on his shit list.
When Hayes goes to breakfast and runs his errands,
he doesn’t bring me along. He doesn’t tell me he’s leaving either. This is my
punishment, and I feel the sting of his silence.
An hour after Hayes returns, two vehicles pull into
the parking lot. The trucks turn, so their beds face the building. I walk
outside to find out what they want.
“We have an order to put sod in the back area,” the
head landscaper says.
“An order from whom?”
“Hayes ordered it. Is there a problem?” he asks,
handing me the work order.
Looking over the square slips of sod, I ask like an
idiot, “It’s for the back of the building?”
“Hayes told me to bring the best sod I had and make
sure it was safe for kids. Is there a problem?”
I gesture for him to go to work. As I walk inside,
my heart clenches and I feel like I might fall over. Hayes ordered this grass
for my kids. How long has he left the backyard a muddy ditch? Now he makes a
change. For my kids. For me.
A man incapable of love wouldn’t have ordered the
sod. Hayes isn’t a monster. My fears are stupid, and I need to be smart.
Without thinking, I rush into Hayes’s office where
he stands next to his desk. He knows I’m here. I see the way his shoulders
tense, but he doesn’t look at me. I’ve hurt his ego, yet he still ordered the
sod.
“Hayes,” I say when he
Similar Books
