It didn’t stop my mind from wandering to her, and how sad she seemed. It was worse every day, and she wasn’t talking about it. As much as I wanted to keep the hell away from her, someone was going to have to get her to talk before she broke herself.
A girl not talking about her issues is a definite clue that it’s worse than she’s letting on. Constance’s sisterly advice ran through my head.
“Not happening,” I answered, flipping through my 5&9’s and stretching my legs out from the plastic chair. “I’m just here to babysit.”
“Chicks dig it,” Jagger answered with a cocky grin.
“Not too concerned.” I flipped another card and looked at oil pressure limitations.
“Guys dig it, too,” Matt offered.
“Definitely not concerned,” I answered.
“You owe me $50,” Jagger whispered loudly to Matt.
I looked up at them over the cards, told Jagger with my look exactly what I thought about that idea, and went back to studying. I had to blink a few times at the jumble of words, so I closed my eyes. Time to break.
“Finished for today,” Matt told Jagger as he sprayed one of Jagger’s pieces down and wrapped him in saran wrap like leftovers.
He settled his bill, and we headed back home. “So how is sharing a bathroom with Sam?” he asked with a sideways look at me.
“Fine.” I was not going there with him.
“Her insane amount of hair stuff isn’t driving your OCD nuts?”
“I don’t have OCD.” I liked things neat. Orderly. In their place. Go figure, I was panting after the one woman who wouldn’t let me keep things that way. She left stuff everywhere.
“Right. Well, I’m glad you’re getting along.”
“I grew up sharing a bathroom with four sisters. I think I can handle some hair crap on the counter.” What I couldn’t handle? The way the bathroom smelled like her after a shower, all vanilla and caramel. I got a raging hard-on just walking in.
“She rattles you.”
I ignored him and stared out of the window, watching the outskirts of Dothan fly by as we reached the edge of the small city. If I couldn’t come to grips with the effect Sam had on me, I sure as hell wasn’t using it as bonding time with Jagger.
“I don’t mean to pry—”
“Then don’t.”
“She’s been through a lot lately.” His hands tightened on the wheel.
“Yeah, and she needs someone to get her back on her feet, not coddle her. She’s stronger than you give her credit for.”
“And you’re her person?”
“I’m not anyone’s person. But I do know what it is to mess up your life.” I couldn’t go back and fix mine. I was too far gone, my path concrete. But Sam’s? Maybe I could help with that, even earn a few karma points.
“Want to talk about—”
“No.” I looked back out the window as we stopped at the red light and—“You have to be fucking kidding me.” My hands morphed into fists, and I sucked my breath in through my teeth.
“Wow. I think I’ve heard you swear like…twice?” Jagger jerked his gaze to me, then back to the road as the light turned green.
“Pull the car over. Now.”
“At the strip club? Dude, I’m not sure now is the time—”
“Now!”