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“Okay, that makes a lot more sense. I couldn’t figure out why the hell you’d given me an ashtray when I don’t smoke.”
I had to bite back my laughter at the sour look on her face. “That’s it,” she declared loudly, throwing her hands up in defeat before taking another bite of pizza and speaking around the food she just stuffed in her mouth. “I give up. I’m officially done trying to be an artist.”
Thank Christ.
Now I just had to figure out a way to burn that painting without her ever finding out.
ChapterThree
GAGE
The sun was alreadyhigh in the blue sky as I parked my truck outside Elite Security and shut off the engine. The clock had barely clicked over to eight in the morning, yet downtown Redemption was already fully awake. People moved down the sidewalks, each person I passed giving me a smile or a tip of their chin in acknowledgement. I returned moregood morningsin the thirty seconds it took for me to climb out of my truck and make it to the door of our building than I would in a two-week period back in South Dakota.
That was small town living for you.
I might not have been born in Redemption, but I’d been here long enough that I was a part of the fabric now.
That hadn’t always been the case. When I’d moved here with Jensen and Laeth a few years back, the greeting we’d received had been less than warm and fuzzy, to say the least. But that was mostly Jensen’s fault.
The town had taken sides between him and his ex, Shane Hendrix, and after he’d bailed, leaving her alone and pregnant—no matter how noble his reason might have been at the time—it hadn’t taken a genius to figure out most people had sided with her. It had taken some doing, but once he’d won Shane back and the two were living their fairy-tale ending, it was as if nothing had ever happened. The people of the town had forgiven, and at least pretended to forget. It had all been swept right under the rug. One day Laeth and I were public enemy numbers two and three by association, then the next, we were officially brought into the fold.
That had worked just fine for me.
Until it didn’t.
The biggest downside to small town living—in my opinion—was waiting for me the moment I stepped through the glass door into the building that housed Elite Security.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust from the bright, sunny morning to the darker interior. Exposed brick, concrete floors, and an open ceiling that displayed the pipes and ductwork as though they were art gave the space a badass industrial warehouse vibe, and that had been exactly what we’d been going for when we decided on this space. Back in the day, this place had been a steel mill... at least for all intents and purposes. But in reality it had been a front for the region’s biggest bootlegging operation during prohibition. We’d even found a few old mason jars of moonshine while the place was being renovated.
The stuff tasted like pure gasoline, and I was pretty sure that more than one sip would render a person blind for life, but it was still cool as hell, and we hadn’t wanted to change too much. We liked the idea of paying homage to the past.
Our receptionist, Willow, sat at the front desk that was placed smack dab in the middle of the spacious reception area. By herself, she was as soft as kitten fur. Sweet, unassuming, and quiet. Totally innocent. A woman who used to be so shy it was almost painful to witness, but she was damn good at her job, and there was no way in hell we’d have been able to stay in business without her. But when coupled with our office administrator, Lark Morrison, that meek and mild disappeared and the two of them morphed into one giant pain in the ass. And at that very moment, Lark just so happened to be standing at Willow’s desk, the two of them chatting as I walked in.
“Good morning,” Willow greeted sweetly, but I wasn’t buying it. I stopped short at the smile on Lark’s face. It wasn’t a normal, cheery, everyday smile. It screamed that she was up to something. Not a stretch, seeing as the woman wasalwaysup to something.
“What’s happening right now? Why aren’t you in your office doing the work we pay you to do?”
Lark’s eyes went big, sparkling with an innocence I knew all too well was total bullshit. “What do you mean? Nothing’s happening. I just wanted to see how the job went, that’s all.”
There was a part of me that felt like an asshole for my immediate suspicion. Asmallpart. Because I knew better. “It was fine. I’ll get you the receipts and paperwork once I settle in.”
I started in the direction of my office when she spoke again. “Oh, and I wanted to talk to you about this friend of mine. She’s really funny and sweet—”
Annnndthere it was. For fuck’s sake. What was it about a single man that had all his buddies’ wives and girlfriends desperate to play matchmaker?
I held up my hand to cut her off. “How many times do I have to say it? No, Lark, you cannotset me up on a date. I don’t care if your dental hygienist has a great smile or if the girl working the register at the grocery story seemed really nice or if the woman who did your nails has a sparkling personality. I’m not interested, so leave it alone.”
She threw her hands up in frustration, letting them fall back down with a slap against her outer thighs. “Oh come on!” she cried dramatically. “Has anyone ever told you you’re no fun?”
“Yeah. You. On a regular basis.” She crossed her arms over her chest, the look on her face part scowl and part pout. “Maybe one of these days you’ll get tired of reminding me and finally let it go.”
By the stubborn set of her jaw, I could tell that wasn’t something that would be happening any time soon.
“I just think you’d be happier if you had someone in your life, that’s all. Don’t you ever get lonely?”
God save me from stubborn-ass women.
I lifted the travel mug of coffee I’d been holding to my mouth and drank deeply. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m more than capable of finding myself some company if I ever get lonely.”
