He nods, mouthing the word without making a sound.
"He took your mom in, right? He and his wife?" Jade asks.
"Yeah, before I was born," I say.
"Abuelo is way more fun to say than grandpa," Coop says. "Maybe I'll start calling you that instead of Gramps."
I choke on my pasta, and he pats my back.
At least one of them likes me. I'll take it.
Chapter twelve
Jade
I'm smart enough to know I shouldn't go home with a guy I barely know. And yet, here I am, making out with Dean in his apartment. I, Jade Bennett, am on my first date in months, and truth be told, I'd rather be anywhere else. His couch has an odd smell to it, like dirty socks or sour laundry, and something's digging into my back. A remote? A game controller? His tongue sweeps across mine, and I roll my eyes behind my closed lids.
Oddly enough, though, he feels safe. Boring.
Which is why I can't stop thinking about all the stupid shit Mateo had me do this week. Like send his old assistant flowers for her birthday, pick up mail from his P.O. Box, and order him a new hoodie. A fucking hoodie. A one-hundred-twenty-dollar hoodie he had me charge to his card as if it was nothing. My entire outfit didn't cost that much.
Dean tries to choke me with his tongue. Right, I'm supposed to be kissing him. I open my eyes and immediately regret it, becauseapparently Dean kisses with his eyes open. I squeeze mine shut. God, I'm not into this. It's like kissing an accountant. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are some real badass accountants out there, but he feels predictable.
There's no twinkle in his eye when he looks at me. There's no shiver up my spine when his fingers graze my arm. Nothing. There's nothing.
Mateo looks at me with fire and mischief in his eyes, like he's up to something. Like he has a secret and doesn't want me to unearth it.Fuck.This date was supposed to make me stop thinking about him, and it's doing the exact opposite. We're together all the time now, and his energy does something to me. It makes me feel alive, and the fact he's fucking gorgeous, even if he's years older than me, doesn't help. I want to see his tattoos again. I want to trail my finger along them. Trace them down his body.
Dean pulls back, and I open my eyes again. "You want to take this to my room?" he asks.
I don't. I don't want to be here. Likewise, I don't want to be kissing him. There's only one person I want to be kissing, and I can't. I shouldn't. I refuse.
"What time is it?" I ask.
Dean grabs his phone off the coffee table. "A little after ten."
"I've gotta go. I need to pick up my son from the babysitter." I should feel guilty for using Cooper as an excuse, but it's the one surefire way to turn off guys my age.
"I didn't know you had a son," he says, standing up. Suddenly, he can't get rid of me fast enough, and I know my words had the intended effect.
The parking lot of his apartment building is dark. The only light comes from a single streetlamp near the entrance. Asshole. He could've at least walked me to my car. It doesn't matter if I have mace and am capable of taking care of myself. That's not the fucking point.
Good fucking riddance.
My car is cold when I climb inside. Soon I'll have a car with a remote start. One I can rely on. Every paycheck is one step closer. I turn the key in the ignition, and nothing happens.
You've got to be kidding me.
"Fuck," I yell and hit the steering wheel, dropping my forehead to it in resignation.
What the hell am I going to do? I can't afford a new car right now, even with my new cushy job. Most of my signing bonus ended up going toward books for school and new clothes for Coop. What's left isn't enough for a new car. And no dealership will give me a loan. Thanks, Mom, for ruining my credit along with everything fucking else.
Okay, being angry about the past and what-ifs isn't helping. I need to get Cooper from my mom's and get him home.
That's step one and two. I'll figure out step three later.
I unlock my phone and check Addie's location.
Work.
