Page 38 of Hard To Leave

Chapter 12

Jack

“Caden,how many fucking times do I need to tell you I’m not interested?” As much as I loved my cousin, sometimes he could be a complete jackass. I’ve been dogging chicks all night long, and coming up with creative reasons why I wasn’t interested. What was supposed to be a fun night out was turning into anything but.

Up until a few weeks ago, this was my life. Now I felt slightly out of place, like I didn’t belong here. The hot, leggy blonde who spent the last hour grabbing my inner thigh and asking me to walk her out didn’t even tempt me.

“Yeah, I heard you loud and clear, seeing that you’ve been checking your damn phone all night and ignoring the parade of pussy I’ve brought to our table.” He smirked and threw the rest of his drink back in one gulp. “Since when did you grow a vagina?”

The two chicks he had sitting on each leg chuckled. The blonde was running her long red painted fingernails along his chest, while the other had her hand resting between his legs.

I looked away, trying to smother my frustration. I had to remind myself he was younger than me and a professional hockey player in his prime. Women ate that shit up, even when the star athletes were dog-butt ugly, which Caden was not.

He deserved his time in the spotlight because it wouldn’t last forever. The knees would start to ache, the headlines would begin to fade and nights like this would become a distant memory. I kind of felt sorry for his stupid ass, but at the same time, I was glad he was enjoying the thrill of it all.

Rolling my neck from side to side, I sat back in my chair and crossed my legs. “Watch it, Caden,” I warned playfully. “I know how much money went into fixing that mouth of yours. You’re about two seconds away from losing a couple more teeth if you don’t keep your trap shut. I would hate for you not to be able to use it tonight.” I looked at puck bunnies one and two stacked on his lap and smiled.

Caden let out a loud laugh. “Good thing I don’t need to use my mouth to get the job done.” He winked and slightly adjusted his knees to better support his two new fans.

“You know,” the blonde spoke up, “if you don’t mind sharing, there is enough love for both of you.” She glanced between Caden and me, with her partner’s head nodding in approval.

I shook my head with a laugh. “I appreciate the offer. But I’m good.”

“You sure, hon?” She looked me over with a gleam in her eye. “I know we can make it worth your while.”

“Sweetheart, whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying. No offense, but I’m really not interested.”

She looked at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. “Well, that’s a first. You must be gay. My bad.”

Caden almost fell off the chair from laughing so hard. The girls had no choice but to jump off or risk landing on their asses. I sat up in my seat and squared my shoulders. This girl was pissing me off. I took a sip of my drink and connected my gaze to hers.

“I can assure you that I’m not gay. I guess I just prefer to ‘buy’ my merchandise new and not used.” I gave her a once-over and noticed the scowl form on her face. It looked tight like she’d just had a Botox injection. I was surprised her facial muscles even moved.

“Fuck you, asshole.” She spat out, tossing her drink in my direction and stormed off. Her friend quickly ran after her.

Caden was still laughing as they both sulked away. They only made it a couple booths down before they found another couple of well-dressed guys at least ten years older than us. Clearly these two chicks had gotten over their heartbreak and were off looking for their next round of free drinks. “Sorry, brother; I didn’t mean to fuck up your night and chase off your bunnies.”

He reached behind me to grab a drink off the tray that the waitress just set down. Holding his glass in the air, he toasted, “The night is still young.” I raised my glass and took a slow slip.

“So,” he leaned back, crossing his leg over his ankle. “Is the MILF from the Carolinas the reason for your sour mood tonight?’

“She’s fucking younger than me, you dumbass. Just because she has a kid doesn’t mean she’s a MILF.”

“I see you’re not denying it.” He took a sip of his Grey Goose and leaned back into his seat. “I don’t blame you dude; she’s hot.”

My hand smacked the table so loud you could hear the slap above the music blaring across the dance floor. “You watch your mouth, little cousin.”

He set his drink down on the napkin and held his hands up in surrender. “Calm down, caveman.” He shook his head, sensing my building anger. “I just find it ironic that the woman to finally catch your eye doesn’t even live in the same zip code as you. All I’m saying is that she must be something special.”

She was special, and he had a point. Of all the eligible females on the island of Manhattan, I had to go and attach myself to a single mom who lived in a different state. Whoever would have thought?

“Sometimes, you don’t get to choose. It just happens. But when you meet the right girl, it makes it all worthwhile.”

He scrunched up his eyebrows. I could feel his brain trying to absorb my words and make sense of them. “You mean, like picking out a pet? People say they choose you and not the other way around.”

My eyes blinked. I remembered when he was six months old and fell off the kitchen counter and had to go to the emergency room because he cut his head open. That’s the only explanation I could come up with. The kid got dropped on his head way too many times as a child.

“Not sure if I want to compare her to a dog, but let me just say this. She’s the only one to catch my attention, and that says a lot.”

---