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McKenna added salt and pepper to the whipped eggs then retrieved a pan from a cabinet near the stove. After she fired up her gas pilot, she poured avocado oil in the pan, and when it warmed, she slowly poured the eggs in.
“I assume that means you’re not good at multitasking. I thought that was a requirement for the type of occupation you have.”
“Occupation?” Carter smiled and McKenna’s stomach fluttered. He was too damn handsome for his own good.
“I’m being polite. My parents taught me to always respect a man’s ability to support himself no matter how he chooses to do so.”
“You think your parents would respect how I support myself?” Carter wasn’t sure why he’d asked but the answer he received further confirmed he had no business dealing with a woman like McKenna
“Probably not. My father worked in construction and my mother was a legal secretary. Although they wouldn’t condemn you to a life in purgatory, they wouldn’t want you anywhere near their daughter.”
“I fuck with that. They have the right to want good things for you and that damn sure ain’t me.”
McKenna used the spatula to scramble the eggs, then pointed it at Carter. “Can you get the cheese for me?”
He lifted from where he leaned against the counter, removed the cheese from the refrigerator, and placed it on the counter next to the stove before occupying his spot next to her again.
“Why don’t you think you qualify as good?”
Carter’s eyes lowered to meet McKenna’s and he considered his answer but decided to keep it simple. “I’m good, but the things I’m connected to aren’t. Being with someone like me comes with sacrifice. Most aren’t willing to make that type of commitment and even if they were, I wouldn’t allow them to.”
The intensity in his stare had McKenna reading between the lines. He didn’t want his life choices to harm anyone else so he kept people at arm’s length. In turn that meant her as well.
“Is that why you don’t have girlfriends or exes?”
“I’m a responsible criminal.”
“Oh so now you’re admitting you’re a criminal?” Carter chuckled and she pointed to the cabinet near his head. “Plates, please.”
He turned, removing plates and placing them on the counter, watching as McKenna scraped the eggs onto them. After she rinsed the edges of the pan, she fried bacon, dumping a little over half of what she prepared on Carter’s plate then adding the rest to hers along with toast she’d prepared in the toaster. They sat across from each other eating silently for the first few minutes. McKenna focused on the laptop she’d brought from the living room while Carter watched, frowning because her attention wasn’t on him.
“What are you doing?”
“Research?” She shoved half a slice of bacon in her mouth but kept her eyes on the screen. After another few minutes of being ignored, Carter grabbed her laptop, turning it so he could see the screen. When he realized what she was looking at, he closed the top and shoved it to the side, out of her reach.
“I guess that means you don’t care if your shoulder gets infected and your arm falls off.”
Carter leaned back in his chair, allowing one arm to rest on the table and the other in his lap. McKenna’s eyes craned over his still bare chest.
“It’s better than the internet killing me off when I feel perfectly fine. Those damn medical sites will tell you that you have some incurable disease with ten minutes to live.”
McKenna smiled, expressively wide. “You’re not wrong, but sometimes they get it right. I’m not a medical professional and although you say you’re fine, need I remind you that the last thing I want is to explain to the cops why a man I don’t know died in my house on my watch with complications from a gunshot wound.”
“I promise not to die so you can stop looking at that random ass medical advice. And if I feel like I might die, you can call your ex and see if he’ll swing by to make sure I don’t.”
McKenna frowned and Carter smiled. “You’re just going to shamelessly continue to discuss details of my personal life that you shouldn’t be privy to?”
“If it bothers you I won’t…”
“It bothers me.”
Carter nodded, reaching across the table to swipe her last piece of bacon. She shot him a nasty glare as he chowed. “You gonna give him another chance?”
“Seriously?”
“I’m trying to return the favor. You helped me with my situation, let me help you with yours.”
“You want to help me decide whether or not I should give my ex another chance?” She eyed him skeptically and Carter nodded.
