Page 11 of Anti-Hero

That might be the first thing Kit Kensington and I have ever agreed on.

“I knew you had terrible taste in guys,” he tells me.

I scowl. “I do not.”

“Yeah, you do. Exhibit A: your cheating ex. Exhibit B: you always turn me down. Exhibit C: that Remi idiot you brought to Lili’s graduation party.”

Remiwasunderwhelming, but I’m not going to inflate Kit’s ego by agreeing with him again. I’m surprised he remembered Remi’s name; Lili’s graduation party was a couple of summers ago.

“This isn’t a court of law. And one of those examples is not like the others.”

Kit nods. “Exactly.I’mnot an asshole or an idiot.”

“You can be,” I counter.

“Maybe I grew up, Monty.”

At first, I thought Kit referred to me by my freshman dorm, Montgomery, because he’d forgotten my real name. But he persists on using it, even though he sometimes calls me Collins, simply shortening the moniker to Monty over the years. My younger sister, Jane, calls me Linny, but Kit’s the only other person who’s ever given me a nickname.

“Didn’t seem like it earlier,” I reply.

Rather than continue to boast about his personal growth, Kit asks, “What were you doing with Perry Parks?”

“A drug deal,” I deadpan.

Kit raises one eyebrow.

I raise one right back. “You don’t believe me?”

“Nope.” He pops theP. “You’re way too uptight to do drugs.”

“Surprise, surprise. Look who’s still an asshole.”

“Telling the truth makes me an asshole?”

“Calling meuptightmakes you an asshole.”

“It’s not an insult,” he insists.

“Please, find me one person who considers uptight acompliment.”

“I didn’t say it was a compliment. Just that it wasn’t an insult.”

I down more tequila. “You should have been a lawyer.”

“Like Perry?”

“What’s your issue with Perry? I thought he was cousins with yourbuddy Flynn.”

“I don’t have an issue with him. I didn’t know you knew him, is all.”

“Well, isn’t that what parties are for? Meeting people?”

I found out Perry was a lawyer during our conversation earlier. I worked as a paralegal in Chicago, so the legal field seemed like my best bet at a job in New York. But Perry’s firm—like every other one I’ve attempted applying to—isn’t hiring.

“Not when all the same people are at every party you go to.”

I knew I wasn’t imagining that everyone else seemed to know each other. Well, except for Perry. That’s the other reason why I lingered at his table after our initial introduction.

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