Page 4 of Fade (Fighting Fate)

I laughed. “It’s called discipline. You should try it some time.”

Ryan’s eyebrow snaked up and he smirked. It was obviously something he did a lot because he sure had perfected it. It made me want to smack it off his face.

“And miss out on all the fun? No

way, man. You can have your discipline. I’m quite happy with the way I’m doing things.” I watched him turn and wander into the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“Don’t touch the stuff,” I said, frowning. I didn’t like the air of superiority he had going on. It was kind of annoying. Like, a lot.

He gave me his award-winning smirk again. “Really?” he asked, like it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard.

I didn’t bother answering him. Instead, I turned to Mom, who was busy pulling things out of the fridge. “What can I do?”

She looked at me with surprise. “Oh . . . you can get the bacon going, if you’d like . . . ?”

My frown deepened. I didn’t like the way it surprised her to have someone offer to help.

I glanced at Ryan, my annoyance with him going up yet another notch. The little leech obviously didn’t ever bother.

I bit my tongue.

Now, as I pulled the rashers of bacon apart, I wondered if I would’ve turned out to be like Ryan if our positions had been reversed and it’d been me who’d come to live with Mom instead. I liked to think I wouldn’t have, but it scared me to think it might’ve been a possibility.

Throwing the bacon into the pan, I looked up at Ryan. He was watching me with the same damn smirk on his face. I was ready to wipe it off.

“So Dad tells me he offered you an internship this summer,” I said, watching the smirk slip clean off his face.

I’d heard all about what Dad had offered, as well as the fact that Ryan had blatantly refused. It was fucking stupid on Ryan’s part. Dad may have been a useless father, but his company was huge, and internships there were eagerly sought after and sparingly given. It would be a good opportunity for him.

“Yeah, I don’t take bribes,” Ryan said distastefully.

Mom straightened and gave Ryan a level stare. “Ryan . . .”

I watched him sneer. “Whatever, Mom. You know I’m right. I’m not going to be the old man’s charity case.”

I blinked at Ryan’s words. Charity case? I wasn’t quite sure what that was about. The old man certainly didn’t give handouts. To anyone. If he’d offered Ryan an internship, it was because he thought he had the brains.

“You’re not a charity case, Ryan,” Mom said, interrupting my thoughts. “Your father thinks you’ve got what it takes to work in his company.”

Picking up his coffee, Ryan smirked at Mom and made his way toward the stairs. “Later . . .”

I gawked at his retreating figure before turning back to Mom. “Does he always speak to you like that?”

She gave me a look that I knew meant she wasn’t prepared to answer me. “I wish he’d just stop being so stubborn and take the damned internship.”

Turning back to the pan, I pressed my lips together. I wanted to tell her just what I thought of Ryan’s attitude, but I knew it wasn’t my place to say. She did the best she could under the circumstances she was given. She gave Ryan everything she could, but Ryan was an adult now. It was up to him to learn how to become a man.

Chapter 3

Amy

The whole twenty-four hours since I’d left Ryan’s had been a wash. I’d gone from feeling devastated, to depressed, to pissed off, to relieved, then back to devastated all over again.

If I were to be honest with myself, I think I was in shock over the fact that Ryan had broken up with me solely because I wouldn’t sleep with him. I mean, I knew it happened, but I was pretty sure the guy usually made up some other reason and wasn’t so blatant about it.

Sitting on my bed one whole day post dumping, I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it. One part of me was telling me it was a good thing. If he couldn’t see all the good things about me that were worth sticking around for, then he wasn’t worth my time.

But another part of me was telling me that I just hadn’t tried hard enough. That I should’ve been more accommodating.

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