intimidated by me knowing more about cars than them.”
“Was your ex like that?”
“Not at first. He was cool with it, used my knowledge to impress all his buddies. Then he got…kind of jealous. He was always trying to correct me and would belittle me in front of people. Started poking fun at my blue-collar man job.” She sighs. “It’d be nice to find a guy who doesn’t give a shit about it.”
“I don’t give a shit about it.”
She grins at me. “You tryin’ to date me, Sullivan?”
“I mean, technically, I am dating you.”
“No. Contractually, you’re dating me. Technically, you’re not.”
I laugh. “Fair.”
“What about you? How are you still single?”
“Are you implying I’m a catch?”
“Please. You know you’re not bad to look at. Mrs. Harkle was telling me you have all the ladies on the dock swooning.”
“Mrs. Harkle is a horny old bat.”
“You ain’t wrong there.” She laughs. “She’s my favorite though. She’s so…her, you know? So unapologetic.” She smiles wistfully. “I can relate to that.”
“You’re your own kind of special, that’s for sure.”
“You know, my mom used to say that to me. I thought it meant something great until I got hit with the fact that it definitely doesn’t. Turns out being special is too much for some people.”
I frown. “Is that why your ex dumped you?”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “That was why he crawled into the bed of another woman too.”
Her shoulders slump, her whole demeanor changing. She even loses some of her confidence, taking off from the stoplight and almost slipping a gear.
Her reaction has me grinding my teeth together, the urge to punch the dick in the face growing strong.
I knew I didn’t like her ex just from our brief meeting at Slice. It was easy to read him: prick, cold, thinks he’s better than everyone—especially her.
Which is a bunch of goddamn bullshit if you ask me.
She’s smart, witty, and a total fucking knockout.
I don’t have to know her well to know he’s not better than her even on her worst days.
“He’s a fucking dumbass,” I seethe. “Complete goddamn douchebag.”
She giggles. “That’s the second time you’ve done that, called him a douchebag when you don’t even know him. I mean, you’re not wrong, but I still love it.”
“I told you, I can read people.”
“How?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I just get these vibes. These…feelings. I can usually read someone within a minute of meeting them. You know Foster and Wren, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well, I kind of knew they’d end up together.” She shoots me a look, begging me to elaborate. “Don’t ask me how I knew, I just did. They felt…right.”
She looks at me like she still doesn’t believe me.
I sigh. “You asked why I’m still single, yeah? It’s because of my intuition thing. It keeps me from getting too close to people. I get these vibes, just these gut instincts that haven’t been proven wrong so far. No relationship has ever felt quite right before. There’s always been this nagging feeling of This isn’t it. I didn’t have that with Foster and Wren.”
“Hmm. That’s…okay. A little odd, but okay. I believe intuition is a real thing, and some people can feel it more strongly than others, so I’ll roll with this.” She runs her tongue over her lips. “What about me? What kinds of feelings do I give you?”
“You don’t.”
She chews on her bottom lip, trying to figure out how my answer makes her feel. Her eyes keep flitting between me and the road.
My opinion matters to her, and I like that more than I probably should.
“You have nothing to be nervous about,” I tell her.
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t just hear that you’re so complicated you can’t be read by some dude with freaky juju.”
I laugh because she sounds exactly like Winston.
“I don’t think me not being able to read you is a bad thing.”
I’m starting to think it might be a good thing.
A very good thing.
I like Thea, and the more time I spend with her, the more that rings true.
She nibbles on her bottom lip again. “I hope you’re right, Sully.”
Slice Nine
Thea
We fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the ride after Sully told me he couldn’t read me, mostly because I didn’t know how to react to that.
Is it good or bad that he can’t get a read on me?
Is it unease or excitement I feel?
I used to be proud of the fact that I’m a little complicated. I don’t try to be difficult; I just know what I like