all credibility if you come in there."
"Well," I say, understanding her point, "how about I bring you coffee and hand you some random flashdrive. Let's make him sweat what could be on it. I won't say a word and I won't stare anyone down. Believe it or not, I can do subtle."
She considers this for a moment. "Just coffee and a flash drive for me, no looking at Miller. Or Simms if he's still there."
"Right."
"Fine."
We've figured out at least our next step and we're staring at each other again. Fuck. I don't want this to get complicated, especially when this is nothing. Shelby is my girlfriend, plain and simple.
"Yeah, well I'm hittin' it," Dig says as she reaches for her purse by the front door. "I'm on shift at eight, so come soon after. I think Miller and I will be in the field by eight thirty."
I stay on my side of the room. "Yep."
The minute she's out the door I let out a very heavy breath. I lean against my wall and bang my head back a few times while I look at the ceiling. Staring will do me no good, so I clean up the kitchen, start a load of laundry, clean up anything else I can think of…and I still find myself dwelling on what a mess I may have created tonight. Getting on Dig like that, fighting or not, is something I should not have done. Fuck. I shake my head at myself and walk into my room, even though I'm wide awake.
CHAPTER FIVE
"Hey," I nod to Ledger as I walk into Second Chance through the front door. I want there to be no confusion. After all night and all day of dwelling on the building conflict in my brain, I am a patron tonight. I want to get back to basics. I just want a fucking beer.
"Hey," he smiles in mild confusion, putting a napkin in front of my favorite stool.
"Black and tan," I say.
"Things going that well, huh?" he asks about my mood.
"So it's sarcasm tonight?"
He stops and looks at me with mild surprise. "Doesn't have to be," he says simply.
Just then Jackson comes out and says hi. Then he fucking asks me what's wrong, too.
"Ah, hell," I say, reaching for my wallet and dropping a few bills on the bar. I'm not here for group therapy.
"Sorry, Mase," Jacks says in his laid-back tenor. "I'm off it."
Ledger puts his hands up and backs off, too, so I sit back down and take a deep sip. I stare at the bubbles until I finish this one off, then gesture to Ledger for another. I'm lost in my own head again but come out of my thoughts just in time to see Ledger set my next beer in front of me on the bar. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now do you want to tell me what's going on? Because I've never seen you like this."
"And you'll never see me like this again," I shut him down. I go back to studying the lingering foam on my beer.
Ledger has a knack for reading every person and every situation. I hold my cards tighter to the vest than most, but he's too damn good to fool all the time. We get along well because no matter how much he sees, he usually keeps his thoughts to himself.
"Right," he says flatly. I shake my head at his sarcasm again. I can only imagine how much he's figured out at this point. Jacks heads to the back again and Ledger comes directly to me and damn-near gets in my face.
My eyes snap up to his. "What."
"You're a goddamn mess, my friend."
"Just having a beer."
"That's two, actually, which I've never seen you do."
My eyes narrow. I don't want to be pissed at my best friend, but he's in the mood to push buttons tonight, apparently. "Extra thirsty."
"Right," he says again. "You know, I could give you ten more beers and not a single one of them is going to help."
"Fuck off."
He turns his back and busies himself at the cash register with what looks like random things to keep himself occupied until someone else orders a drink.
I watch my beer bubbles get lower and lower down the glass until this one is finished, too. Ledger was right. This isn't helping at all. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for a long meeting between my ass and this stool. I don't
"Well," I say, understanding her point, "how about I bring you coffee and hand you some random flashdrive. Let's make him sweat what could be on it. I won't say a word and I won't stare anyone down. Believe it or not, I can do subtle."
She considers this for a moment. "Just coffee and a flash drive for me, no looking at Miller. Or Simms if he's still there."
"Right."
"Fine."
We've figured out at least our next step and we're staring at each other again. Fuck. I don't want this to get complicated, especially when this is nothing. Shelby is my girlfriend, plain and simple.
"Yeah, well I'm hittin' it," Dig says as she reaches for her purse by the front door. "I'm on shift at eight, so come soon after. I think Miller and I will be in the field by eight thirty."
I stay on my side of the room. "Yep."
The minute she's out the door I let out a very heavy breath. I lean against my wall and bang my head back a few times while I look at the ceiling. Staring will do me no good, so I clean up the kitchen, start a load of laundry, clean up anything else I can think of…and I still find myself dwelling on what a mess I may have created tonight. Getting on Dig like that, fighting or not, is something I should not have done. Fuck. I shake my head at myself and walk into my room, even though I'm wide awake.
CHAPTER FIVE
"Hey," I nod to Ledger as I walk into Second Chance through the front door. I want there to be no confusion. After all night and all day of dwelling on the building conflict in my brain, I am a patron tonight. I want to get back to basics. I just want a fucking beer.
"Hey," he smiles in mild confusion, putting a napkin in front of my favorite stool.
"Black and tan," I say.
"Things going that well, huh?" he asks about my mood.
"So it's sarcasm tonight?"
He stops and looks at me with mild surprise. "Doesn't have to be," he says simply.
Just then Jackson comes out and says hi. Then he fucking asks me what's wrong, too.
"Ah, hell," I say, reaching for my wallet and dropping a few bills on the bar. I'm not here for group therapy.
"Sorry, Mase," Jacks says in his laid-back tenor. "I'm off it."
Ledger puts his hands up and backs off, too, so I sit back down and take a deep sip. I stare at the bubbles until I finish this one off, then gesture to Ledger for another. I'm lost in my own head again but come out of my thoughts just in time to see Ledger set my next beer in front of me on the bar. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now do you want to tell me what's going on? Because I've never seen you like this."
"And you'll never see me like this again," I shut him down. I go back to studying the lingering foam on my beer.
Ledger has a knack for reading every person and every situation. I hold my cards tighter to the vest than most, but he's too damn good to fool all the time. We get along well because no matter how much he sees, he usually keeps his thoughts to himself.
"Right," he says flatly. I shake my head at his sarcasm again. I can only imagine how much he's figured out at this point. Jacks heads to the back again and Ledger comes directly to me and damn-near gets in my face.
My eyes snap up to his. "What."
"You're a goddamn mess, my friend."
"Just having a beer."
"That's two, actually, which I've never seen you do."
My eyes narrow. I don't want to be pissed at my best friend, but he's in the mood to push buttons tonight, apparently. "Extra thirsty."
"Right," he says again. "You know, I could give you ten more beers and not a single one of them is going to help."
"Fuck off."
He turns his back and busies himself at the cash register with what looks like random things to keep himself occupied until someone else orders a drink.
I watch my beer bubbles get lower and lower down the glass until this one is finished, too. Ledger was right. This isn't helping at all. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for a long meeting between my ass and this stool. I don't
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