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“He can’t stay away from the beer. He’s lost a lot because of it.”
“How about you?” I ask. “Do you drink beer?”
“I like a cold one every now and then, but I can go without.” She gestures to theNo Smokingsign on the wall. “That’s my vice. Smokes. I’ve tried to quit, but I just can’t.”
“Have you tried those patches? Or that gum?”
She rolls her eyes at me as if I’m an idiot. “Honey, that’s just nicotine in another form. None of that helps.”
“How about hypnosis?”
“You mean like seeing a therapist or something? How the hell would I pay for that?”
She’s got me there. “You said you’re between jobs. What do you do?”
“Whatever I can get. I was working up at the paper mill out on the edge of town, but I got laid off a couple months ago. I look around every now and then, but there isn’t a lot of stuff out there for a high-class career girl like myself.” She lets out a garbled chuckle.
I’m not sure what to say, so I silently thank the universe when our server returns.
“What can I get you ladies today? You want to start something to drink besides water?”
“Iced tea,” I say. “Unsweetened.”
“Got it. And for you, ma’am?” The server—Amy, her tag says—nods to Rainey.
“Iced tea sounds good to me too. And I’m ready to order. I’ll have the steak sandwich, hold the sautéed onions, with a large side of fries.”
I scan the menu quickly. “I’ll have your roast turkey and avocado on a croissant.”
Amy makes a few notes. “I’ll get these right up for you ladies and I’ll be back in a minute with your drinks.”
I set my menu back in the holder.
Rainey pulls out her phone, swipes at the screen a few times. Smokers’ wrinkles line her lips, and her red lipstick is bleeding into them. I’m seeing her in a new light. She’s not a bad person. She’s just had some bad luck. She’s a nicotine addict and she’s hanging out with my father. Not a good combo.
“My dad still owns the construction business, doesn’t he?”
Rainey looks up from her phone. “Yeah. But like I said, he doesn’t get the bids he used to. Or that he claims he used to get. I’ve never seen him do great. He’s off work more than he’s on these days. He says he used to have the best reputation in Billings, but now he’s kind of known as a drunk. He has to underbid to get any work at all, and you see how we live.”
That does suck. “I’m sorry. I mean, he and I aren’t close, as you saw. But he’s still my father.”
“I love the big lug,” she says. “Sometimes I don’t know why, but I do.”
“Love doesn’t always make sense.”
My words ring true. I’ve known Miles Bridger for mere days, and I’m so in love with him my heart hurts. I miss him right now. Actuallymisshim. What makes sense about any of that?
“I had a great guy once,” Rainey says, a smile easing onto her lips. “We were young and in love, but I made a lot of mistakes.”
“We all do that.”
“I suppose. I just didn’t know what I had back then. He wanted to get married and go off to college together, but I was young with a tight body and a pretty face, and the thought of four more years of school sounded like a prison sentence. I didn’t want to give up my nightlife. So he went off to college and married someone else, and I partied hard and had what I thought was the time of my life. And now look at me. The best I can do is a minimum-wage job, and as soon as there’s a downturn in the economy, I get laid off. I should’ve been out there learning a skill instead of drinking and experimenting with drugs. I should have married Jeremy and gone to school.” She lets out a sad laugh. “That’s sure a downer. I’m done talking about me. What do you do?”
“I’m a detective.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Private detective? Or cop?”
“I’m a cop.”
