“Some parents are that way,” she said, pulling at a loose thread in the blanket.
More silence.
Smokey tossed the empty beer bottle to the side and reached for another one.
“Were yours?”
“My dad was. My mom was great, but my dad didn’t give a rat’s ass about us. He pretended to give a damn for show, but he didn’t.”
“Are your folks still together?” Popping the top, he tipped the bottle to his lips.
“No. My dad took off when I seven, and never paid one penny of child support. Every time the Department of Social Services dragged his ass to court, he’d always say he wasn’t working, or only had a part-time job, but it was all lies.” Pulling her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them. “The few times he’d come by to take us out for ice cream, he was always dressed real nice. And the cars he drove weren’t second-hand clunkers, that’s for sure. I guess he thought we wouldn’t notice, or was rubbing it in our faces, I’m not sure which. What an ass.”
“Yeah, my old man was a selfish bastard too.”
“Did he cheat on your mom? My dad thinks there’s always someone better, so he’s cheated on every woman he’s been married to.”
“How many wives has he had?”
Biting her lower lip, casting her eyes upward, she tried to recall. “I’m not sure if Kat is his sixth or seventh wife.” She shifted her gaze to his. “Let’s just say, there have been many.”
Smokey laughed. “I agree with you. But my old man’s only love was the bottle. He was around twenty-two years old when he started, and the sonofabitch never stopped until he died at the age of forty. I’m pretty sure he cheated on my mother, but it never came up in our household if he did. The asshole would disappear for weeks at a time, and never left us any money. We lived on cereal, but none of my brothers or I cared, because the only time we had any peace was when the bastard was gone. He drank hard and ruled the house with an iron fist. He was …” Smokey’s voice trailed off, his jaw clenching as if some dark, buried memory had suddenly illuminated in his mind.
Leaning forward, Ashley touched his knee. “I’m sorry you had to go through what you did.”
It was as if her words had snapped him back to the present because he jerked his head and pushed her hand away.
“It is what it is.”
Sensing he was angry about revealing a part of his past, she didn’t say anything else.
For several minutes, silence filled the space between them. Feeling an urge to fill the void, she said, “I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”
The corner of his mouth hitched up. “You’d like it.”
“I think it’d be scary.”
“You could handle it. I’ll have to take you for a ride sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
“Yeah.” Slipping a hand inside his vest, he took out two joints. “Do you smoke?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Do you want one? This stuff comes from the club’s dispensary. It’s top-notch shit.”
“No thanks. Maybe another time.” She watched him cup a hand around the joint to light it. “I bet the club’s business does well.”
“Yeah. We’re the only one in the county.”
“Really? I’m surprised there aren’t any other dispensaries. In Denver, it seems like there’s one on practically every corner. Do you grow too?”
Smoke curled above his head. “Yeah, we do it all. We got some lounges since the law passed for recreational use.”
“Any others in town besides yours?”
“No.”
“I guess you guys have a monopoly.” She laughed, but he didn’t join in, giving her the impression he didn’t want to talk about the club’s marijuana business any longer. “Do you hang out where Diamond dances?” she blurted out. Why the hell did I ask about her?
He shifted, placing himself only a few inches away from her, looking her dead in the eyes. “Are you trying to find out if I go to strip bars?”
A warm flush crept across her cheeks. “No.”
“You’re cute.” Reaching out, he gently ran his finger down the side of her face. “And Diamond works for Dream House, our gentlemen’s club. Different members work the club when needed.” His lips twitched, as if he was fighting back a smile. “I’m also not fucking her.”
Ashley turned away. “I didn’t ask that.”
“But you wanted to.”
“Whatev—” She gasped when he grabbed her by the hips, placing her in his lap with her legs on either