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Of how bad a guy like me would be for a girl like her.
A train wreck.
Disgusted with myself for barreling over a line I had vowed never to cross, I forced myself to blank her out of my head, something that was a lot harder to do now that I’d had her mouth on me.
With Tom Petty’sFree Fallin’drifting from the radio at work, I shook my head to clear my depressing thoughts. Wiping the oil from my already-stained hands with a rag I reached for the socket wrench that I’d been using to replace the spark plugs on a 97 Golf. Setting it back on the rack with all of the other tools, I locked the car and tossed the keys in the office before grabbing a sweeping brush.
Alone to clean the place up – my penance for once again getting into trouble with the law – I quickly tidied up before switching off the lights and letting myself out the back door of the garage.
I was bolting the door when a familiar voice came from behind me. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding.”
Stiffening, I paused with the key in the lock before forcing my body to relax. “I don’t hide, Molloy.”
“Well, apparently, you don’t call, either,” she drawled in that sarcastic tone of voice that I was so used to sparring with.
“Your dad’s not here.”
“I know.” Turning around, I found her leaning against the side of the building, with her arms folded across her chest. “I didn’t come here to see my dad.”
“Then what did you come for?”
“You.”
“What’s wrong, Molloy?” I asked, lingering when I knew better. The sensible thing to do would be to walk away from her, but I never seemed to have much of that when she was near.
Clad in dark jeans, a white puffy jacket, a grey scarf, and matching wooly hat, she looked every inch the good girl I knew she wasn’t.
“You missing me at school or something?”
“Or something,” she replied, not giving me an inch. “So, why didn’t you call, Joe? It’s been three weeks.”
My gaze flicked to the small bruise under her left eyes that she was still sporting, and a pang of guilt churned in my gut. I quickly masked it with indifference. “Why would I call?”
“Again with this bullshit?” She rolled her eyes, not buying the crap I was attempting to sell her. “Answer me.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t have time.”
“Oh, yeah,” she drawled. “Because you’resobusy these days, what with being suspended from schoolandfrom the hurling team.”
“Clearly, I have less time on my hands than you have. Skulking around town in the dark?” I gestured around us. “How’d you get here, Molloy?”
“I used these remarkable new inventions called feet.”
“Funny,” I deadpanned. “How are you getting home?”
“Believe it or not, the same remarkable inventions can be used to go in two directions.”
Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
“Come on.” I shook my head and stepped around her. “I’m walking you home.”
“Don’t do me any favors,” was her smart-ass response, while she fell into step beside me.
“I’m not,” I shot back. “I’m doing your father a favor.”
I heard her grumble the worddickheadunder her breath and I had to bite back a smile.
“Move your ass, Molloy. I have places to be when I get done babysitting your ass.”
