for months slides from my muscles. This is what I remember most about those six weeks in high school—how easy it was being with her.
“The billboard’s a damn eyesore, and now someone’s defacing it weekly. He won’t take it down because he loves that as much as he loved humiliating me with it when it went up. He always has been a vindictive jerk-face.”
The click, click, click of her spoon stirring sugar and cream into her drink is the only sound in the space as we both drink our coffee.
“Why did you stay with him?”
She stares into her cup like it holds the secrets to the universe. “Path of least resistance, like I said. I did believe I could do some good by being the mayor’s wife. Plus, being with him kept my parents off my back, and it got me off the fucking pageant circuit.”
The word fucking falling from her beautiful lips is disorienting. On one hand, it’s incredibly wrong, but on the other, it’s hot as hell. “Sounds like Watson hasn’t changed that much. I’m glad you got away from him.”
She lifts her cup in salute. “Life’s too short to be unhappy.”
I’m shocked by the jolt of jealousy that shoots through me. She had the courage to walk away from her miserable situation.
Get over yourself, King. You’re not miserable. You love football.
I do.
I’m just tired of everything—the injuries, the constant scrutiny of the fans, and the dicks in the media with their armchair quarterbacking. But I love my teammates. They’re family. I also see how hard not playing ball has affected Duke. He’s rebounded well enough, but he had something to fall back on. I’ve got nothing. Football’s all I know. I left college my junior year, and while it was the right decision at the time, it’s left me a thirty-year-old man without a college degree.
“Cash?”
Shit, what’d I miss? I gather the conversation to me and shuffle back through what we were talking about. “Is that when you started working for Donny?”
“That’s when I went on the payroll.” She laughed. “I’d been helping Maggie and Donny run the office for a while. It was Maggie’s job, but she was a little busy fighting cancer, so I volunteered to help. Brad hated it.”
“Why?”
Fire burns in her blue orbs. “Because being the mayor’s decoration was a full-time job. He didn’t like that I wasn’t at his beck and call. When I left him, Donny hired me full time. Maggie was better, but she’d decided that she didn’t want to be away from the kids. Being sick rearranged her priorities.”
“I guess it would. So, she’s okay now?”
The happy, loving look that takes over her lovely face is brilliant. “Yes, she’s healthy, but she’s annoying as crap. Her sunny disposition makes Pollyanna look like she has severe depression.”
I laugh at her switch to a put-upon expression. “That bad, huh?”
“You can’t imagine.” It’s hard to believe that it really bothers her with the adoration in her tone. “Anyway, for a long time, I only ran the business part of Lewis Construction, but about eight months ago, Donny started using me as the project manager on some of the jobs.”
“And here you are.”
“And here I am.” She rubs her hands over her face. “I can’t believe I told you all of that stuff.”
“Does that mean we’re friends now?” I want more than anything for her to say yes.
Her lips part and turn up at the corners. “Sure.”
I raise my coffee mug in a toast. “Friends.”
“Friends.” She clinks her cup to mine. Then her eyes narrow, and I can see the wheels turning in her fascinating brain. “So … friend… wanna help me castrate my ex-husband?”
I lower my mug. “I’m your man.” I ignore the voice begging for it to be true.
“Excellent.” The curve of her full lips is a siren’s song that could make me do anything.
“Let me wash up first.” I rise and head for the door. “I like to do my maiming freshly showered.”
Sixteen
Tiger
Cash took one look at my Camry and insisted on taking his car. That’s why we’re driving through town, on our way to City Hall, in this ridiculously flashy and expensive Bugatti. I made a crack about him needing to compensate for something with this vehicle, but I have firsthand knowledge that he’s got nothing to make up for in that department.
But I still can’t stop myself from giving him a hard time. “So, this is kind of a sissy car.”