Mack looked at his cup as if noticing the numbers for the first time. He shrugged. “Happens all the time.”
“You’re shameless.”
“I can’t help it if I was born with natural charisma.”
“You were born full of shit.”
Mack shook his head. “Drink your coffee. You’re cranky.”
Liv took a sip and groaned. The first hit of caffeine was always the best. She opened her eyes to find Mack smirking at her.
“You need some time alone with that thing?”
“If I say yes, will you go away?”
His quiet chuckle had the same effect as the coffee—it made her heart pound a little faster.
“How’d you find out where we’d find Jessica?” she asked after a moment.
“I have a friend who’s good with computers.”
Liv’s spine went rigid. “Wait a minute. Did you tell someone about Royce?”
“No. Just that I needed to find someone.”
She hunched in her chair. “Are you lying?”
“Jesus,” he breathed.
“Because I hate liars.”
His eyebrow twitched. “Noted.”
Liv sat back again and stared at the door. When the door opened and a stream of students filed in, Liv held her breath as she searched the small crowd. But still no Jessica.
“Did you go to college?” she asked after several awkwardly quiet moments.
Mack sipped his coffee. “Nope. You?”
“Just culinary school.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Just? From what I understand, it’s not exactly an easy program to finish.”
His words pleased her more than she wanted to admit. “How’d you learn about running a business if you didn’t go to college?”
“You don’t need a degree to be a successful businessman.”
“Did you not want to go to college?”
He draped an ankle across the other knee. “Is this a normal conversation we’re about to have?”
“Not if you’re going to be like that.”
He took another sip before answering. “I couldn’t afford college. I probably could’ve gotten a loan, but that never made a lot of sense to me.”
Liv nodded. Nearly all of her friends from high school who’d gone to college were now faced with massive debt. Which was fine if they ended up with great jobs that paid the bills, but that wasn’t yet the case for a lot of her friends.
“You probably could’ve gotten a scholarship, though. You’re smart.”
Mack covered his heart with his hand. “That’s the first honest-to-God compliment I’ve ever gotten from you. I’m touched.”
“Telling someone they’re smart is not a compliment. It’s just a statement of fact.”
He looked at the ceiling as if praying for patience. “Why do you argue every single thing I say?”
“Does it drive you crazy?”
“Yes.”
“There’s your answer.”
“What about you,” he asked. “Why a pastry chef?”
A pang of something she didn’t like struck her in the feels. “I liked baking with my grandma.”
“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
She rolled her eyes again.
“This was the grandma you and Thea lived with for a while?”
Her head snapped up so fast, she was surprised she didn’t pull a muscle. “How do you know about that?”
“Gavin mentioned it once. He said you and Thea lived with her for a while after your parents’ divorce.”
“Gavin talks too much.”
“Why’d you live with her?”
She shook her head. “Your turn.”
He spread his arms wide. “Ask me anything.”
“Why’d you start reading romance novels?”
“My mom used to read them. When I discovered they had sex in them, I started sneaking them to my bed at night.”
She waved a hand. “Gross. I don’t want to know anymore.”
“I had to throw a couple of way because, you know . . .”
Liv faked a gag. “Teenage boys are so gross.”
“It ain’t easy. One day you’ve got this interesting thing hanging between your legs that lets you piss outside and write your name in the snow, and the next it’s controlling your every thought.”
“Yes, poor men, can’t use their brains because all the blood goes straight to their dicks.”
He peered at her through narrowed eyes. “Do you really hate men?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“No. But I should. I’ve never met one worth trusting.”
He tilted his head. “Not even Gavin?”
“Gavin might be the only one. And maybe Hop. But that’s it.”
“What about your father?”
Liv smiled. “Your turn.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Subtle.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “How’d you get the money to open a club so young?”
“Dang, that’s personal.”
“You just told me that you used to jerk off to romance novels as a teenager.”
“True.” He leaned back in his chair. “I got lucky, basically.”
“Win the lottery or something?”
“Sort of. I was working as a bouncer for an older man. He was looking to retire, didn’t have any kids of his own, decided to help me