Page 10 of Don't Bet On It
“No, her mommy is an angel, and so is she.”
I felt a tug in the vicinity of my heart. It was nice to see how in love he was with his family. “It was good to see you, Rex,” I said when I couldn’t think of anything else to say. “I appreciate you stepping in.”
“That’s my job,” he assured me. “I’ll be around to make sure these guys don’t get out of control. Just call me over if you need me.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“It’s my job to worry about you. Don’t forget that.”
I WAS EXHAUSTED WHEN MY SHIFT ENDED.All of the trouble with Dickie had been worth it, however. Jack Klingerhad given me a three-thousand-dollar tip. Sure, my feet and back hurt, and I wanted to crawl into bed and sleep until next week. I had enough money to pay multiple bills and stock up on groceries, however.
Since I’d been eating ramen and Campbell’s Soup for two weeks, this was a welcome development.
I was so happy with my windfall that I ran into Ronan this time. We were getting off separate elevators in the parking garage, me heading left and him heading right, when we collided. This time we both fell backward.
“Ow!” I rubbed my tailbone and glared at him. Sure, it was my fault this time. That didn’t mean I had to accept blame.
“Watch where you’re going,” Ronan snapped.
“Oh, you cannot be serious.” He pushed every button I had. It started in middle school when I’d caught him and a bunch of the seventh-grade boys talking about Sharon’s breasts and how they wanted to fall asleep between the “big pillows,” and it ended in high school when he didn’t arrive to pick me up for prom. Yes, he asked me to prom and then hadn’t shown up. I well and truly hated him.
“Why wouldn’t I be serious?” Ronan fired back. He didn’t look any happier to see me than I was to see him.
“What is with that little goatee thing?” I demanded, changing the subject and pointing to his chin. “Those haven’t been a thing for like twenty years.”
“Maybe I like living in the past,” he challenged. “Have you ever considered that?”
“Not really. I think it’s far more likely that you think you look cool—maybe somebody even lied to you about looking cool—but the reality is that you look like a doofus.”
“You did not just use the word ‘doofus,’” he fired back. “Talk about living in the past.”
“Oh, put a sock in it!” The admonishment escaped before I could think better of it.
Amusement crawled over Ronan’s face, and I hated how handsome it made him look. Yes, even with that stupid beard thing. His hair was darker than I remembered. He’d filled out some too. He’d been lanky in high school. Now, he looked built, as if he honed his muscles in a gym five times a week. “Did you just tell me to put a sock in it?” he challenged.
“No, I didn’t say that.” I had no problem lying when it suited me.
He laughed as he pushed himself to a standing position. Then, grudgingly, he held out a hand for me.
I didn’t want his help. I was too tired to argue, though. Instead, I put my hand in his and tried to ignore the zing. The same zing I’d felt whenever we were in the same room in high school, which was rare. I’d tried to bury it for years, and yet it was still there.
Well, great.
Once I was on my feet, I had to jerk my hand away from him because he was lingering for some ungodly reason. “I’m going to find out what you’re doing here,” I warned him but only because I was at a loss as to what to say.
“Or you could just mind your own business.”
“Yeah, I think I’m going to mind your business.”
“Why am I not surprised?” He glared at me hard, then gave me a wide berth as he circled toward Section C in the garage. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around, Tallulah.”
I cursed his existence as I watched him walk away. “Oh, you can bet on that.”
4
FOUR
“I’ll split.”
