Page 25 of Paper Horses

“I have a very important job.”

“Mm hm,” I said, taking another bite of toast.

I could almost hear her teeth grinding, she looked so angry.

“Don’t you dare diminish what I do.”

Fire. That was another thing I loved about Olivia. She may have been fragile, but she had fire and pride. She had been a straight-A student, graduated top of her class, smarter than anyone I knew, and proud of it. It had always seemed she was proving that to someone, and that was why she worked so hard.

“I wouldn’t dare. But when you worry about chipping a nail, check your lip gloss, and complain about how you can’t get some fancy yogurt…” Her lips thinned further, “…it demeans how intelligent and amazing you are.”

And there I went, vomiting out words that needed to stay put.

She blinked, her brows furrowing, and I could see her mind working. The subtle shifts of emotion I recognized from when we were young. A moment I wasn’t privy to, where she was battling something I couldn’t see.

“Can I refill your coffee?” Jessie asked, causing Olivia to jump.

“No thanks,” I said. “I’ll just take the check.”

That woke Olivia up. She reached into her bag, pulling out her wallet.

“What are you doing?” I asked, the words coming out with a growl I hadn’t intended.

“I’ll just leave this here,” Jessie said, placing the bill on the table.

I snatched it as Olivia threw daggers at me.

“I never let you pay,” I said. “You should remember at least that much.”

She slammed her black credit card on the table.

“I remember a lot,” she said.

“Then you’ll remember I pay the bill.” I pushed the card back to her and grabbed my wallet as I stood. “Clear more of that plate like a good girl while I pay.”

I turned my back on her and stormed to the register where Jessie was waiting, an amused grin on her face.

“Good girl?” she asked as I handed her two twenties. “That’s a new one.”

“It’s not, and it’s hers,” I blurted before I could stop myself. Her brow quirked, that twinkle returning to her eyes. “Just take the damn cash.”

“It’s too much,” she said as I stalked back to the table.

“Keep the change.” I snatched my jacket and held Olivia’s out to her while she stood. “There’s still food on your plate.”

“You’re an asshole,” she complained, taking a piece of toast and chomping down on it in a deliberately obnoxious way to prove some point before throwing it back on the plate. She jerked the jacket from my hand and pulled her purse from the booth before sauntering away from me, her heels clicking on the floor and causing eyes to raise from the other booths.

“It was nice meeting you, Olivia,” Jessie said with a wave.

Olivia’s step faltered, and I watched her face, seeing the furrowed brow, the confused expression. Realization caused me to grab the booth to steady myself. She didn’t know kindness anymore. Didn’t know how to respond to it or accept it. My chest tightened, an uneasy sensation stretching it. What had happened to bring her to this point? To harden her this much. To erase the free spirit I’d fought to cultivate.

She turned her head and forced a smile before continuing out of the diner. That protective instinct I’d always had with her reared its head. I wanted to bash in the face of whoever had done that to her. I followed her, nodding to Jessie.

“Don’t be too hard on her, Hudson,” she said. “I’ve seen pain, and she wears it well.”

I considered her words, knowing she did indeed know it. She’d lost both parents and her brother in a tragic accident when she was a teenager.

“Carrying that kind of burden wears on you.”