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I don’t know what to tell him as I glare at the television screen before finally replying, “Tracy doesn’t seem to be the type of woman who’ll let a man buy her son a pair of sneakers.”
Caleb is silent for a long time and then he finally says, lowering his eyes to the document he’s studying, “I always find it convenient to find a way to navigate around the problem rather than bulldoze my way through it.” He pauses and then adds, “But then that’s just me.”
“Does it cause you physical pain to give an answer that isn’t ambiguous?” I scowl at him.
Caleb turns over the sheet, without looking up. “Yes.”
Asshole.
I stew over his words and then go for a walk to the floor below, where Kendall and Tracy will be moving into in another two weeks. Since the two women will be moving in soon, Caleb has been overseeing the furnishing. I know he’d chosen Kendall’s furniture by himself.
I wander into what will be Tracy’s bedroom and I look at the empty room. The woman works her butt off. She deserves a nice large bed with a mattress that hugs her when she sleeps in and an oversized armchair she can curl up in when she wants to read a book or a magazine.
My phone is in my hand before I know it, and I’m already browsing furniture from an online store. Then, l pause… Max should get one of thos
e racecar beds. The kid would love it. Maybe some superhero themed furniture too. He’s five. He’d probably dig that shit.
I shove my hands into my pockets.
There’s nothing weird about paying a visit to the place Caleb used to furnish our apartments, right? The better the quality, the more durable the furniture.
I’m just looking out for Kendall’s friend.
As I walk away, I ignore the budding excitement within me.
Paul Orbison is a greasy looking man with a smug glint in his eyes. He has the beginnings of a beer belly and he eyes his female staff with greed in his eyes.
Today, he’s at the diner, watching me.
I don’t know why I’m surprised. I’ve been coming here for the past four days and I’ve managed to strike up a friendship with Tracy. Now she smiles every time she sees me which is a nice feeling.
Since she hadn’t called me out for lying to her about Kendall asking me to continuously check in on her, I have to guess she just hasn’t had the opportunity to say anything to her friend.
However, word was bound to reach the manager about who’s been lusting after Tracy.
I stare back at him, coolly and push up my sleeve to reveal my prison tattoos.
This makes his smug smile slip a little.
Now, I’m a large guy thanks to years of bulking up in the prison yard and then continuing my exercise regime, once I was out. It doesn’t help that I am tall as well with a face that only few women would love. I’m not ugly, but a little brutish looking. I can find someone to sleep with easily, as women look at me and think rough wild sex. But aside from Mara, the woman who’d destroyed my world so thoroughly, I have never been in a relationship. A part of me knows some of it is attributed to my general mistrust of women and another part of me acknowledges that my face and huge form doesn’t exactly scream husband material.
I see a glimpse of Tracy in the kitchen window and sigh, a gloomy thought occurring to me. Does Tracy look at me and think I belong in some gang?
I’ve been told this on occasion.
However, my attention returns to Paul and I stare at him.
I did my research on the little rat and now, I know enough about him. I just need to scare him enough, so he stays away from Tracy and yet, doesn’t fire her. I can probably get her a job at one of the restaurants Caleb owns but I want to figure this out for her myself, rather than using my friend’s connections.
Tracy’s shift ends and she exits the kitchen, taking off her apron.
I stand up.
Paul’s face shifts into an ugly scowl and he walks towards her.
She has yet to approach me, but there’s something nervous about her today, almost jittery.
My jaw tightens as she reaches me at the same time as Paul reaches her.
