I could count the number of times I’d lost my temper on one hand.
But if I had a sore spot, it was men disrespecting or hurting women. Also see: Morrison.
“He pushed her against the fridge one night, and I beat the shit out of him.”
James might worry that I had anger issues, but it happened; I couldn’t rewrite history. Wouldn’t want to, either. He deserved it.
Her eyes widened. “How old were you?”
“I was thirteen. But I was big for my age, and I was fucking pissed. He didn’t know what hit him.”
“I believe it,” she said. “I’ve seen you fight.”
“Anyway, having a difficult preteen the size of an adult wasn’t a big selling point. I scared most of her boyfriends off, intentionally or not. Rick wasn’t the worst of them by a long shot—he’s decent to my mom, at least. But he didn’t want kids, especially ones that weren’t his. So he stuck around, but he made the rules. Which were basically, don’t be a pain in the ass and stay out of the way.”
What looked like sadness mixed with a hint of anger flashed across Bailey’s face. This was why I didn’t get into things like this, though with her, it was tolerable.
“And you still don’t get along?” she asked, tilting her head.
“I have a trust from my dad’s insurance. Once I turned eighteen and gained access, I moved out, and things improved a little. We can sort of coexist now. He and Sera still butt heads a lot, though.”
“What’s your sister like?” Bailey looked at me playfully. “Is she trouble like you?”
“A bit of a party girl, which is probably why she’s at ASU, but she’s a sweetheart. You’ll like her.”
“I’m sure I will.” She grabbed a chicken wing and took a bite, recoiling and setting it back down on her plate. “Holy crap. These aren’t medium. They’re more like extra-hot.”
“I can send them back if you need, princess.”
“Princess?” She narrowed her eyes. “I can handle them just fine.”
“That’s true. You’re good at handling things.”
“Oh my god, you”—she laughed, shaking her head—“never a missed innuendo.”
“Now you know more than you ever wanted about my fucked-up family tree,” I said. “What about your family? All I know is that your brother hates me.” I bit into the barbecue pork slider, watching her reaction.
Bailey waved me off. “I wouldn’t say he hates you…”
“Yeah.” My lips quirked. “He definitely does.”
Until recently, I would have said I wasn’t a fan of his, either. But if it came down to it, I could get past it for her.
“My parents are your typical middle-class suburbanites. They’ll be married for thirty years next spring. And I have two older brothers besides Derek.”
“Oh good,” I said cheerfully. “Then they can all gang up on me when I meet them.”
“No, they aren’t like that.” Bailey picked up a blue corn tortilla chip and dipped it in the spinach-artichoke dip. “They aren’t into hockey, so Derek’s dumb grudge won’t hold water. And Derek will come around—eventually.” Her lips folded into a frown. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him, actually. We used to be close.” She bit into her chip, expression clouding over.
“Maybe he’s going through something with that whole Jillian mess. But it doesn’t excuse him for being a crappy brother. Not to overstep.”
Friend or not, Derek should have stood up to Morrison about Bailey a long time ago. More than that. Derek should have pummeled Morrison.
Ward was like a brother to me, but had they somehow dated, I would have never let him treat my sister like garbage.
“I don’t disagree,” she said. “But between classes, the paper, and you, I’ll be so busy that I won’t have time to worry about Derek anyway.”
“That’s right. You must be happy about getting the sports section all to yourself.” I grinned.
“I am…Except it means more Bulldogs games.” Bailey drew in a breath. “Maybe that’s what I need to go incognito for.”
My smile faded, my tone dropping. “Anyone gives you trouble, they answer to me.”
It pissed me off that she was uncomfortable with the idea of being around these people, even in public. Especially when she’d never done anything to warrant their dislike. The way they treated her was fucking brutal. A bunch of spineless sheep.
“I think Jillian and Amelia already answered to Shiv.”
“I heard she gave them a nice little verbal smackdown,” I said. “But I meant the guys.”
“Yeah.” Her voice flattened, posture stiffening. “Speaking of that, I’m really dreading this interview with Paul.”
My second least favorite person. Well, tied with Amelia and Jillian. They were all so terrible that it was hard to even rank them at this point.
“I can tag along if you want. Sit there and glare at his sorry ass to keep him in line.”
I was 100 percent not kidding. I would enjoy nothing more than playing bodyguard around that idiot.
She paused with her hand in midair, reaching for a slider. “Probably not necessary, but I appreciate the thought.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Bailey said, biting back a smile. “Your caveman act is cute as always, though.”
And it was cute that she thought it was an act. This was how I was wired.
OceanofPDF.com
CHAPTER 36
OceanofPDF.com
DOING NOTHING
Bailey
After dinner, I twisted Chase’s arm to get hot chocolates to go from the Uncommon Coffee Co. Not that it took much twisting.
We made our way back to his truck, drinks in hand. The fall days were still reasonably pleasant, but once the sun set, the evenings turned bitingly chilly.
“How’s packing coming?” he asked, taking my free hand in his.
I sipped my white hot chocolate. “I’ve got lots of the small stuff taken care of already. It’s probably premature, but I’m excited to get the heck out of there.”
“Me too. The new living arrangement will be way better for you.” He paused, forehead creasing. “Though I don’t love the idea of you on the train at night.”
“It’s a five-minute ride,” I said. “Three stops.”
He grunted but said nothing, which in Chase terms meant he didn’t agree but didn’t want to argue with me. Stubborn man.
I elbowed him gently. “I don’t have any evening classes, anyway. The only time I stay late is when we’re on deadline for the paper.”
“Good,” Chase said. “I’ll pick you up on those days.”
“What if you have a game?”
His eyes gleamed. “Then you’ll be there watching me.”
“Sometimes, Carter.”
“All the time, James.” He grinned. “Starting with our next game. We have to win this one. It’s a male pride thing now.”
I laughed. “I’ll come. But honestly, you don’t have to pick me up from campus every time I stay late.”