“Now that is surprising.”
“Yeah, well, it shouldn’t be. She’s hot as hell, but damn if she doesn’t have more balls than half the dudes I know. I like my girls a little bit softer around the edges.” Jay shoved a full piece of pizza in his mouth and pointed at me. “Bef ma.”
I blinked slowly. “Excuse me?”
He chewed twice and swallowed. “Beer me, fucker.”
I looked at the table where he had left his beer. “Seriously? It’s right there, dude.”
“Dude, beer me.”
Jesus Christ. I pushed down the footrest and walked the ten feet to the kitchen table. “You do know I’m not one of your chicks to do your bidding, right?” I handed him his beer and sat back down.
He smirked and held up the beer. “And yet I have a beer in my hand, and my ass didn’t leave the couch.”
“You’re such a dick, dude. One day, you’re gonna have to actually work and do shit for yourself, and you’re going to be completely lost.”
He shrugged and shoved another piece of pizza into his mouth. “Hopefully by that point, I’ll have tricked a chick into marrying me.”
I shook my head and dug into my pizza. Jay was sooner or later going to have a rude awakening. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see Harlyn had texted me.
Earlier in the day, I had texted asking how her day was going, but she hadn’t replied.
I was buried under a million boxes today. Sorry I didn’t text you back earlier.
It had irked me she hadn’t texted back, but I couldn’t really be upset. No problem. I just had a break working and thought I would see how you were doing.
Well, as of right now I’m exhausted and never want to move again in my life. I’m going to die in this duplex.
“What the fuck are you laughing at?” Jay questioned.
I hadn’t even realized I had laughed out loud. “Just texting my mom.”
“Your mom is crazy, dude. I can understand why you would be laughing.”
Start the new job tomorrow?
No. Boss man said I didn’t start until Monday. I’ve got time off to relax and explore Leeds Square.
Exploring Leeds Square will take you five minutes. LOL
“Dude, what in the hell is with the goofy smile on your face? Your mom must be off her rocker tonight. What’d she do this time?”
Stories about my mother were rather legendary. There was the time she kneed my dad in the balls, broke a bed in a furniture store with her best friend Cyn, and there was a story about a coffee pot and a bathroom, but I never got the full story on that one because she always ended up laughing herself silly to the point where I couldn’t understand her. “Nothing.”
My phone buzzed again. Well, then I’ll have lots of time to relax.
Too bad I won’t be in town. You think you’ll have lots of time to relax when I come back? Nice and smooth. Hopefully, she would get the hint I was wanting to see her again.
I’m sure I’ll have a little bit of time.
And I was in. Hell yes.
*
Harlyn
“I’m gonna head out, doll. I need to be up early to double-check everything got packed up, and then we have to be on the road by six.”
I shoved my phone in my pocket and prayed I wasn’t blushing. I had been bold saying I might have time for Remy. But if I wanted to see him again, I was going to have to step out of my little box every now and then. “Are you gonna even get any sleep tonight?”
Even though I didn’t see my dad a lot, I knew he would be up all night worrying and crossing all the last minute T’s and dotting all the I’s.
He shrugged and grabbed his coat off the kitchen chair. “I’ve got a pretty good crew I can trust this year. Three of them are young, but they have the hunger.”
“The hunger, huh?”
“They’re putting in the time, doing what they’re supposed to.”
“So, serious and don’t know how to have fun, just like you?”
The corners of his mouth turned up in a rare smile. “You know me so well, doll.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “You’ll be good on Monday, right?”
I waved my hand. “Of course. By the time you make it back into town, I’ll be able to run that office with my eyes closed.”
“I guess you should be able to after all that college I paid for, right?”
That was the one thing he had never flaked on. It was easy to sign a check and send it off. It was putting in actual time to see me my dad struggled with. I was twenty-seven years old, and I still had daddy issues. Lord, help me. “Yup, that degree comes in handy every now and then.”
“Try not to give Marion too much hell. I swear, that baby is sucking the brains right out of her.”
“How charming of you, Dad.”
“Just speaking the truth, doll.” He reached out and patted me on the shoulder. “I’ll try to give you a call while I’m gone. I’m not sure how these first two races are going to go, so I’m not sure how much free time I’ll have.”
Humph. The man didn’t think he was going to have two minutes to call me, but you better believe he was going to have time to call me or Marion if it had something to do with work.
Then he was gone.
I looked around my empty kitchen and wondered when I wouldn’t get my hopes up every time I saw my dad. I didn’t want much. Just show some interest in me, act like you actually wanted to be around.
The only reason I was here now was because he was in a pinch with Marion going on maternity leave, and he figured since I had my degree in business that I could easily step in for her. He was right; her job wasn’t going to be a challenge for me, but it sucked the only reason he wanted me here was because he was in a bind at work.
Before moving here, I was lucky to hear from him once a month. He typically called every other month, but when it was race season, I never knew when I would hear from him.
After my mom had died, I thought maybe things would be different between us, but nothing changed. A year after her death, and I was just now moving to be by him. I knew I was twenty-seven and should be over all the crap from growing up, but a girl needed her dad. It really sucked when you figure out your dad doesn’t need you, though.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and swiped the screen to see Remy had texted me back. Two Mondays from now. Wanna grab a bite to eat?
Whoa. He took that little hint I would like to see him again and ran with it. I knew absolutely nothing about Remy, but there was something about him that drew me to him. After figuring he wasn’t a serial killer. Maybe.
Maybe?
You have two weeks to convince me. I didn’t want him to think he had this in the bag right away. A girl had to play a little hard to get, right?
Really? Well, I guess I’ll have to see what I can do. I gotta pack up. Talk to you later, pretty girl.
Safe travels, Remy.
So, that was that. I had shown interest, but not too much. But now I wondered if I could have shown a little more interest.
I hung my head and sighed. This dating stuff was hard. You’re not even dating him yet, Harlyn.
Yet. A girl had to be optimistic even when she was a little doubtful.