“If Grammy gets her way, you’ll be joining me on these morning walks,” he said, flipping me off as he pushed away from the car.
“Never,” I shouted after him.
?? ?? ??
“Morning, Kade. Here’s your mail,” Jasper said, propping the bundle on the counter.
“Thanks. How’s Charlene and the kids?”
“All good, thanks. Alice couldn’t wait to get into school today. Did you hear we’ve got a new teacher?”
My smile tightened. I nodded.
He laughed, waving a hand as he walked off. “Of course you did.”
Carlton rolled his chair up to the counter, a smirk already on his face.
When he opened his mouth, I tossed the bundle of letters at his head.
“Not a single word,” I snapped.
“Sheesh, boss. Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed?”
I’m not ashamed to admit I hid out at the bar that night to avoid Grammy.
My dad was a dead end.
You know the score, son.
My mother was no better.
I heard she’s great with children.
Traitors. The lot of them.
I nursed my drink and tried not to look like I was brooding, which probably made me look like I was about to arrest someone.
Rick wandered over, wiping his hands on a bar towel that didn’t look clean enough for the job. He glanced around, then leaned on the counter beside me.
“New face in town,” he said casually.
I didn’t bite.
“Schoolteacher,” he added, like that clarified things.
Still didn’t bite.
He reached for a pint glass, filled it halfway, and kept talking like I’d asked.
“Cute. Real quiet. Cardigans and skirts. Looks like she’s fresh out of grad school and scared of the deep fryer.”
That got my attention—not in the way he thought.
I sat up slightly. “What was she doing in here?”
“Picked up dinner to go. Real polite. Kind of a deer-in-headlights vibe.”
I grunted, but my mind was already elsewhere.
