Glancing up at her, I frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she sighs. “I just wish I could find someone who was serious about keeping things casual for once. As soon as I start seeing a guy, he wants to change the arrangement.”
“It’s the rule of three,” I tell her and her brows shoot up.
“What’s that?”
“The theory that after you sleep with someone three times, you start getting attached.”
Her fork drops out of her hand and lands with a clank on the table. “So, I’ve got to only sleep with guys twice before finding a new one? That sounds exhausting.”
“Or settle down.”
“Ack,” she snaps. “Take that back. Don’t you put that bad juju on me. That’s never going to happen.”
I laugh, leaning back in my chair as I sip my sweet tea.
Izzy had a bad first marriage like me and that combined with her parents’ divorce has put her off the idea forever but since seeing Tate, I’m beginning to wonder if that’s really the path I want to go down.
“What the heck is on your mind?” Izzy asks, breaking through my thoughts and I snap my gaze to hers.
“Huh?”
“You just got this look in your eye… I don’t know. It was crazy.”
Sighing, I sit forward and set my glass down on the table before running my hand through my hair. “I met someone.”
“And?”
“She’s… special.” Saying the words out loud feels weird but it’s true and I can’t deny it anymore. Tate is different from any of the other girls that I’ve used to fill my bed these last six years. I don’t know what it means or where it’s going to lead or even if it can lead anywhere but it’s out there now.
“Whoa. Are you… are you in love with her?”
I scoff. “No. She’s just different.”
“How is she different?” she asks, tilting her head to the side as she studies me. I stare down at my plate, unable to believe that I’m about to admit this out loud.
“I don’t think once would be enough.”
When I glance up, we lock eyes and she stares at me for a moment, her gaze surprised. Finally, she blows out a breath.
“Okay, then.”
I shake my head. “No, not okay. It’s complicated.”
“How?”
Sucking in a breath, I debate telling her the truth but only for a split second before realizing that out of everyone I know, Izzy is the last person that will judge me.
“I’m kind of stalking her.”
“What?” she screeches, earning the attention of all the tables in our general vicinity and I hold my hands up to try and silence her as the waitress stops at our table.
“Can I get y’all anything else?” she asks, directing her question toward me as she bats her lashes.
“Seriously?” Izzy hisses. “Can you not see that we’re in the middle of a very serious conversation? Got lost, lady.”
The waitress huffs before stomping off and I laugh as Izzy points her finger at me.
“Oh, no, you start talking now. What the fuck do you mean you’re kind of stalking her?”
I straighten the silverware next to my plate and take a deep breath. “Well, Blaze called me to the clubhouse and asked me to watch her…”
“Why?” she interjects.
“I don’t know but I assumed that he had a good reason. Blaze is a good guy.”
She nods. “Continue.”
“So I’ve been following her.”
“And have you actually spoken to her or have you completely lost your mind? Is this another Chris situation?” she asks, referencing Ali’s stalker last year.
“No,” I growl. “It’s not like that and yes, I’ve spoken to her.”
“So, now you’re lying to her on top of stalking her?” When she says it out loud, I realize how hopeless it is.
“I have to come up with a way to fix this.”
She lets out a humorless laugh as she leans back in her seat and crosses her arms over her chest. “I don’t know that you can. When this all comes out, she’s going to run far, far away from you. Unless, of course, she’s also a lunatic in which case, you two are fucking perfect for each other.”
“Thanks, Iz,” I snap and she shrugs.
“Just telling you the truth. You are doomed, my friend.”
“No, I’ll find a way.”
“Kodiak, I say this with as much love as possible but you look like a psycho right now.”
“I know,” I admit but the thought of never seeing Tate again causes me physical pain. Glancing down at my watch, I can’t help but smile, relieved to know that I’ll be with her again soon.
Chapter Six
Tatum
After wiping the sheen of sweat from my forehead, I brace my hands on the open, half-packed box in front of me and sigh as I gaze around the living room of my apartment. I’ve been here for a few hours now and I’ve gotten everything I want to take with me packed up. My clothes and shoes are crammed into two boxes and thankfully, all my bathroom stuff fit into a smaller box. The three bookshelves in the living room are cleared out and all my books are safely packed away as well as all the photos off the walls. The only thing left is to decide what to do with the furniture and dishes.
Mom’s house doesn’t really have the storage space for them and even though I can afford to, it seems silly to pay for a storage unit when I don’t really want this stuff. I don’t want to be wasteful though. Sighing again, I sink into the dining room chair. I suppose maybe the new tenant can use it. It’s in fairly good shape and who can say no to free furniture, right?
Grabbing my soda off the table, I take a drink and lean back in the chair, thinking over the last few years. Between my job at the diner and the gas station, I’ve worked at least ten hours almost every day and it’s taken a toll on me. I can’t remember the last time I got my hair cut and if a stylist saw my ends, she might shriek in horror. I was in high school the last time I had money to get my nails done and I haven’t eaten out at a restaurant since I started working at the diner. Hell, I don’t even have a damn car.
Maybe Theo was right and it’s time for me to make a few purchases but spending any of that money feels wrong. I’ve gone so long without, that I’m plagued by indecision – half of me wanting to treat myself and the other half eager to horde it away for a rainy day. What the hell kind of rainy day requires half a million dollars though? Maybe I could afford to splurge a little and save money. I know one thing for certain, I’m enrolling in school as soon as possible.
After I graduated high school, I scoffed at the idea of going to school. I was cocky and thought I knew what I was doing when I got a job at a department store and moved out of my mother’s house. Very quickly I realized that it wasn’t that easy but I was stubborn and kept fighting. Just when I was about to lose everything, I met Beth. She was an escort and told me how I could make triple what I was making at the department store just by going out on dates with men. Believe me, I was appalled at first but when she explained that there was absolutely no sex involved, it seemed like the perfect solution. For three years, I went out with various men and got paid to let them wine and dine me until one night when Beth showed up on my doorstep with a bloody face. One of the men had gotten angry when she told him that she wouldn’t be sleeping with him and I knew the money wasn’t worth the danger I was putting myself in.