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“You know you could just ask her, right?” I say wryly, shifting the car into drive.
"I mean I could, but I don’t know that she’ll tell me the truth. You know how she is with her pride and her independence insisting she can take care of herself."
Yeah, that sounds like Mia alright. "Well, we didn’t exactly have a heart to heart but she looked fine to me.” I remember once more the way she smiled up at that man, the intimate way she touched his arm. “Would probably be better if that military man of hers came back though.”
“Who, Billy?”
“Yeah.” I recall his name because they dated throughout high school. The two were practically so attached at the hip that it was confusing to everyone when they broke up. Of course, the break-up was only brief, and they got back together sometime after he left for the military. “He is the father of her child. At least he should come back and see the boy once in a while.” In my opinion, even the military was no excuse for being a deadbeat.
“Yeah, you're right. I've tried telling her the same thing, but she won't hear it from me. Luckily, I think his enlistment should be over soon."
"Good," I remark, even though I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that news.
"But in the meantime, watch out for her. Make sure no other asshole gets his claws in her. You know how softhearted she can be."
"Aye aye captain,” I tell him even though truly, the claw he has to worry about may be mine.
After I get home, Mikey wordlessly heads to the bathroom to wash up and I head to my study to read my emails.
Most of them are from my accountants and there are a few business matters to take care of. But the one that draws my attention. It's short and to the point and from a Hotmail account of all things.
Mr. Hardy,
Thanks for the offer. But no thanks.
Regards,
Victor Thames.
I sigh at the email, annoyance crinkling my eyebrows.
Another rejection. Damn.
I've been trying to get a meeting with Victor Thames for a week now, but the old geezer doesn't so much as want to talk on the phone. He runs a charity, Bleeding Hands, that helps rehabilitate injured and homeless vets in the area. It's a charity that has been struggling to get donations for a while because they have an imperfect and outdated system that frustrates anyone who even attempts to donate.
Of course, I could solve their problem easily. If only the old bastard agreed to meet me.
"What the fuck is his problem?" I mutter. Does he not want to be helped?
I sigh. So many problems, so little time.
Hopefully, a session in my gym can help me sort out my thoughts.
And forget the feeling of Mia's lips under mine.
3
MIA
“He’s cheating, Liam,”I tell my brother over the phone while stirring agitatedly. “Blatantly. And everyone’s just letting him get away with it.”
“Settle down,” Liam’s amused tone sounds in my ears, “or you’re in for the saddest chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever seen in your life.”
I pause and then ask, “How do you know what I’m baking?”
“Um…because I lived with you for eighteen years,” he says in a 'duh' voice. “And I know that whenever you get super mad you start baking up a storm.”
“I mean, yeah,” I say glancing down at dough in the bowl. He’s not wrong. "But how did you know they were specifically chocolate chip?"
