Page 101 of Going Home

"Okay, now that you're done flirting, what are we doing here?" Hailey asks.

"We're having dinner," Colt says, his tone matching hers.Snot.

She rolls her eyes, and her patience becomes thinner and thinner. If it wasn't just towards Colt and Lex and directed at the kids instead, he would have said something. Lex told him to let it be last night when he mentioned it to her, and he knows Lex sees herself in Hailey. He's agreed to let her run with the hard conversations with the bratty teenager because he's bound to lose his temper.

"What are we here to discuss with overpriced food and drinks?"

"Hailey, be nice," Lucas hisses and hits her arm. "You're going to college next year, but I'm still living with them. I'd like tonotgo back to that house."

"Maybe. I didn't get any funding for it," she says and sighs. "I might be stuck with you because I'll be attending community college."

That's the issue. She's had her heart set on college to get away, and she thinks she's not going.

"You're going to college, Hailey," Colt says.

"I don't know if I'm willing to take out a hundred thousand dollars in student loans just to do it," she says and looks at the table as Emme drops off their drinks. "I thought I'd be a shoo-in for financial aid considering the parentals, or whatever they are, have next to nothing."

"It's our fault," Lex says. "Because you're in our care, we're the reason you got turned down for financial aid. But you're going to college. I saw the acceptance envelopes come in last week. The big envelopes are the good ones. Congrats, Hailey."

Her eyes narrow. "How are you the reason I didn't get it?"

"We don't qualify," Colt says when two servers drop off the appetizers. "Too much income."

Lex immediately grabs for the shrimp, and he takes a piece of cheese from the plate, popping it into his mouth. His eyes stay on Lex's mouth as she chews, his mind wandering to the activities later that night. He plans to make good use of her mouth before making her squirm with his.

"From the auto shop?" Hailey asks, suspicion in her tone.

She knows a little bit about the club, but they've kept most things secret. The less she knows, the better. "And the strip club. You'd be surprised how much money that brings in," Lex says. "That's just the start of Drifters portfolio. We're very diversified across the board."

Lucas's eyes widen as he seems to understand what she's saying. "You're paying Hailey's tuition?"

"I set the money aside when you first told us about your plans. When I saw the envelopes, I looked up tuition and made the necessary adjustments. You don't have to take out loans, and you're going."

"I can't... That's too much," Hailey says, her head shaking. "That's generous, but—"

"You just got to decide which college you're going to," Colt interrupts. "I've already gotten the check written out. I just need to know who to address it to."

Beaming, Lucas taps his sister's shoulder. "Hails, thank them!"

"What do I have to do for it?" she asks, eyes narrowing.

"Nothing?" Lex says with a shrug and grabs a fried pickle. "Eat, guys."

"No, things like this don't come for free."

Colt looks at Lex with an eyebrow lifted. This girl seems to be their trial run before Calla turns into a temperamental teenager. "Were you like this as a teenager?"

"Probably," she says with a shrug and pops another fried pickle into her mouth. "But I had a chip on my shoulder the size of Texas because I was taken from the club. My mom was the enemy whenever I got upset. I might've been worse, actually."

"Nah, I don't think you were this suspicious."

"Are you kidding? I'm still suspicious. Of everyone."

Holding a hand up, Hailey waves at them. "What do I have to do for this?"

"Nothing," they both say.

"Really?Nothing?"

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