Page 61 of Trailer Trash

Ohhhh, I hate him, too.

I need him to stop being nice.

I swipe fast.

“Hey, girl,” Keysha answers.

“Evan,” I blurt into the phone. “He sent me roses!”

“Oh.”

“What do I do?” I squeak, my voice almost inaudible.

“Throw them away,” she replies immediately. “Then go on your date.”

“Right,” I murmur, because the answer is so obvious. “Sorry I bothered you.”

“Hey, hey. You didn’t bother me!”

I sniffle back tears. My whole body is shaking. I know I am not with Evan anymore, but that chaos feels so close. It’s on my kitchen table.

“Don’t cry,” Keysha coos. “You’re safe. He can’t hurt you. You look fly, right?”

I glance in the mirror and nod, seeing my carefully applied makeup and styled hair. I put a lot of work into tonight. Hell, I even got a wax. You never know.

“Yeah,” I say, breathy. “I look... good. Real good.”

I try to psych myself up.

“See? You bad. Now go have fun with Jaxson. You were dreaming about this man. Don’t let that asshole from the past ruin something that hasn’t even started.”

“Yeah... Yeah! You’re right! I feel better. Much better. Thanks.”

“Call me after, and let me know how it went,” she says.

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too, babes.”

I draw in a deep breath and stalk to the kitchen. I don’t even look at the flowers. I just grab the vase and drop it in the trash bin. They won’t get a second more of my attention tonight. This date is for me and Jaxson. It is the start of something new, and I won’t let anyone ruin that for me.

Jaxson’s car rolls under my carport. I snatch my purse and head out with a big smile.

The restaurant is beautiful — some kind of Latin and Asian fusion. There are so many colors on the walls and furniture. The lights are neon and add a modern, wild vibe.

Jaxson dips a chip into the salsa. He chews, his strong jaw flexing with each bite. God, he is handsome. His dark skin glows soft blue under the light. His white sleeves are rolled up his forearms. He undid the top two buttons, revealing the sexy plane of his chest. When he catches me staring, he winks from across the table.

“You? You look beautiful tonight,” he says, suave and confident.

My cheeks burn, and I primp my hair. “I clean up nice without scrubs, hm?”

“Oh, yeah.”

I giggle, smitten to have him finally show he’s as attracted to me as I am to him.

“So, what’s important to you in a woman?” I say casually.

“A nice ass,” he teases, delivering a joke almost as well as Killian does.