think that’s cute, when in actuality it’s dangerous as fuck and annoying as hell.”
I flinched at his anger, and he glanced down at my hands, still clutching the box. “You were living for that ring on your finger long before Ben got down on one knee,” he said, more quietly this time. “You still wonder why on earth he chose you, and I’ll bet you held back when you guys fought, because you were afraid he’d walk out and take your whole future with him. And that was terrifying to you, because you couldn’t imagine anything outside of the safe little cardboard life you were raised to want. So basically, you’re a small-town girl with small-town tastes and dreams, and a small-town life ahead of you.” He tilted his head. “How’d I do?”
“‘Asshole’ was definitely the right word,” I managed to say, my voice breaking.
“No argument there. Go home and take a bubble bath, Mattie. Paint your nails. Drink a glass of merlot. Call one of your girlfriends and tell her all about the asshole you met today. Then crawl into your little bed and make yourself come to take the edge off.” He jerked his chin at the box in my hand. “That’ll last at least a week, depending on how hard you go at it.”
I glared up at him, my cheeks on fire, knowing my eyes were probably shining with tears, and hating him for it. “Well, thanks,” I said. “I guess I’m all taken care of.”
He pushed himself away from the truck and took a few lazy steps backward. “Excellent. I live to serve.” He turned on his heel and picked up his cases, the muscles of his arms standing out in sharp relief as he hefted them. “Drive safe, now. You’re a long way from Sheboygan.”
He marched up the steps and kicked the side door a few times, and it quickly opened. He didn’t look back before he headed inside, and the door slammed shut a second later.
Stiffly, I walked slowly toward my car, ignoring the low growl that came from the pit bull inside the minivan. But then I paused and turned toward the vehicle. The minivan was bigger than a normal car. Like SUV big. Could this be what had left the skid marks outside my house? Could the jerk have been involved in Ben’s kidnapping?
Why else would he be so eager to steer me away from this place?
I patted the side of the minivan and was rewarded by a round of vicious barking. “I might be a Taylor fan, Gracie, but there are a lot of things your owner doesn’t know about me.” I stalked back to my car, a plan already forming in my head.
CHAPTER FOUR
Still seething, I slid into the driver’s seat and flipped down the visor to peer at myself in the mirror. A fresh face, pink lips, hair bouncing around my face. Really, no wonder the jerk didn’t think I belonged here. I looked like I was barely old enough to drink, let alone meet up with a drug dealer.
I gritted my teeth. Now I wanted to get into the Phan Club for two reasons. I was more certain than ever that the clue to finding Ben was inside. But also, if I was honest with myself, I was desperate to show that jerk how wrong he was and to uncover whatever he was hiding. Digging deep into my purse, I found a lipstick in a dark shade I’d worn only once before deciding it looked too dramatic. I wiped my mouth with my arm and put it on, going heavy. Then I fished out some eyeliner and gothed myself up. Knowing there was little I could do for my hair—it is basically impossible to make curls look badass—I twisted it into a messy updo.
And then I sat and thought about what I was about to do. The jerk had said that the bouncer last night could feel my desperation. Bart had seemed to know how I was feeling. If the jerk had been right, though, the bouncers at the Phan Club doors would be more like the jerk himself, and like Sandro, all doubting that I was looking for a high, assuming that I couldn’t handle it, or maybe thinking that I was a snitch, and any of those suspicions might cause them to turn me away.
If I was going to get
I flinched at his anger, and he glanced down at my hands, still clutching the box. “You were living for that ring on your finger long before Ben got down on one knee,” he said, more quietly this time. “You still wonder why on earth he chose you, and I’ll bet you held back when you guys fought, because you were afraid he’d walk out and take your whole future with him. And that was terrifying to you, because you couldn’t imagine anything outside of the safe little cardboard life you were raised to want. So basically, you’re a small-town girl with small-town tastes and dreams, and a small-town life ahead of you.” He tilted his head. “How’d I do?”
“‘Asshole’ was definitely the right word,” I managed to say, my voice breaking.
“No argument there. Go home and take a bubble bath, Mattie. Paint your nails. Drink a glass of merlot. Call one of your girlfriends and tell her all about the asshole you met today. Then crawl into your little bed and make yourself come to take the edge off.” He jerked his chin at the box in my hand. “That’ll last at least a week, depending on how hard you go at it.”
I glared up at him, my cheeks on fire, knowing my eyes were probably shining with tears, and hating him for it. “Well, thanks,” I said. “I guess I’m all taken care of.”
He pushed himself away from the truck and took a few lazy steps backward. “Excellent. I live to serve.” He turned on his heel and picked up his cases, the muscles of his arms standing out in sharp relief as he hefted them. “Drive safe, now. You’re a long way from Sheboygan.”
He marched up the steps and kicked the side door a few times, and it quickly opened. He didn’t look back before he headed inside, and the door slammed shut a second later.
Stiffly, I walked slowly toward my car, ignoring the low growl that came from the pit bull inside the minivan. But then I paused and turned toward the vehicle. The minivan was bigger than a normal car. Like SUV big. Could this be what had left the skid marks outside my house? Could the jerk have been involved in Ben’s kidnapping?
Why else would he be so eager to steer me away from this place?
I patted the side of the minivan and was rewarded by a round of vicious barking. “I might be a Taylor fan, Gracie, but there are a lot of things your owner doesn’t know about me.” I stalked back to my car, a plan already forming in my head.
CHAPTER FOUR
Still seething, I slid into the driver’s seat and flipped down the visor to peer at myself in the mirror. A fresh face, pink lips, hair bouncing around my face. Really, no wonder the jerk didn’t think I belonged here. I looked like I was barely old enough to drink, let alone meet up with a drug dealer.
I gritted my teeth. Now I wanted to get into the Phan Club for two reasons. I was more certain than ever that the clue to finding Ben was inside. But also, if I was honest with myself, I was desperate to show that jerk how wrong he was and to uncover whatever he was hiding. Digging deep into my purse, I found a lipstick in a dark shade I’d worn only once before deciding it looked too dramatic. I wiped my mouth with my arm and put it on, going heavy. Then I fished out some eyeliner and gothed myself up. Knowing there was little I could do for my hair—it is basically impossible to make curls look badass—I twisted it into a messy updo.
And then I sat and thought about what I was about to do. The jerk had said that the bouncer last night could feel my desperation. Bart had seemed to know how I was feeling. If the jerk had been right, though, the bouncers at the Phan Club doors would be more like the jerk himself, and like Sandro, all doubting that I was looking for a high, assuming that I couldn’t handle it, or maybe thinking that I was a snitch, and any of those suspicions might cause them to turn me away.
If I was going to get
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