Page 10 of Cold Foot Revenge
“You can’t stand silence, can you?”
“Are you…are you wanting me to be silent now?”
“Yep.”
He pursed his lips. Fine. He didn’t need to talk to this rude woman anyway. This rude woman who was a day-ruiner by day, and dancer by night. Eatin’ her turkey sandwiches, and…and…two percent milk. And hamburger with the red sale stickers on it, and boxes of Hamburger Helper. “The stroganoff Hamburger Helper is the best,” he told her.
“You lasted about fifteen seconds,” she said as she unloaded her groceries onto the conveyor belt.
“That’s what she said,” he joked.
She didn’t look amused.
He sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling, praying for patience. “How do you know me?”
“I don’t.”
“But you know my name and you recognized me.”
“I’m pretty sure I know you,” the guy in front of her said.
“Keep talking and I’ll tell your wife where you were on Tuesday, and I’ll tell her you don’t wear your ring when you go to strip clubs.” She whispered the last part, and the guy’s eyes lit up with recognition before they dimmed as he realized what she was saying.
Ooooooh. He must’ve been at the Rabbit Hole on Tuesday. Naughty boy. That’s where the guy recognized her from. Dylan laughed, thoroughly entertained, and relieved that she was spewing her vitriol at him, and not Dylan at the moment. It was way more fun when he wasn’t the one under fire.
“Fuckin’ skank,” the guy said loud enough for the line to hear. “Probably crawling with STD’s.”
“Hey,” Dylan barked at the guy. “Not another word. Leave now before I rearrange your fuckin’ face.” He hadn’t meant forhis voice to boom like that, but the entire place definitely went silent. He watched the guy until he was out the door, and without thinking about it, told Wolf Mask, “You’re good.”
“I’m always good,” she snapped, but there was emotion in her voice, where there hadn’t been before.
He tried to see her face, but she kept it downcast and wouldn’t meet his eyes.
The silence grew thick, and awkward. When the cashier told her the price, Wolf Mask jerked her attention up to the computer screen. “It said the lunch meat was on sale, two for six dollars.”
The cashier looked down at a list of coupons and shook her head. “Sorry, they must’ve left the sign up. That sale ended yesterday.”
A flash of bright, bright blue glowing eyes froze him in place. She had mortification in her eyes. Oh shit.
“Can you take one off?” she asked low.
“Of course,” the cashier said, seeming to want this transaction done as fast as possible too.
She scanned one of the packages of lunch meat again and the number came off the total.
“I can help,” he said in a rush.
“Don’t,” she gritted out, and there was something in the rawness of her eyes that made him swallow down his insistence. She didn’t want his help.
“Give it to him,” she said to the cashier as she handed her all of the cash from her purse. “Gym Rat could use more protein in his diet.”
Gym Rat? Well, that was a cool nickname. Half-flattered, Dylan looked down at his physique but figured out real quick she’d done that as a distraction because she motored away, nearly jogging with her cart in front of her.
Shhhit. “Uh, can you scan fast? I’m going to check on her.”
“I don’t think that freaking bobcat wants to be checked on,” the cashier pointed out, but she scanned his few items in a rush anyway.
He booped his debit card as fast as he could and then scooped the groceries into his cart without even bothering to bag them up, and then he bolted for the exit.
