âI donât know if youâve heard the rumors, but my heart is made of stone. Of course Iâm not concerned.â
She remembered the look heâd given her during the soccer game and decided his heart wasnât made of stone but of fire.
Not that sheâd share her observation. But maybe she could get him to admit it.
âYou were right. About my childhood. It was absolutely tragic.â Offering an exaggerated frown, she traced a fingertip down both of her checks to mimic tears. âYou should feel sorry for me and be super nice to me from now on.â
He suddenly looked as if he was fighting a smile. âYou know, upon further reflection, Iâm certain my childhood was far worse than yours. You should feel sorry for me and do everything I tell you.â
Well, well. âColor me intrigued. Whatâs the first thing youâd tell me to do?â
He glanced at her, proving her theory: he burned .
âIâd want youââ
She shivered andâ
ââto tell me more about your childhood.â
Withered in her seat. âWhat do you want to know?â
âWhat did you want to be when you grew up?â
Polite interest? Or was he actually curious? âYouâll laugh.â
âMaybe. Probably.â
Had to respect his honesty. âMostly I wanted to be that crazy cat lady .â
He choked on a breath. âAn old woman who wears rollers and a robe, and has a hundred cats prowling through her house?â
âExactly. I wanted a cat but Dad was allergic. Once a month Mom drove me to the shelter where I got to pet a roomful of strays. The employees used to joke about that crazy cat lady who came in every few weeks to adopt a new one. I was so jealous of her.â
âThat is...â He frowned. âRidiculously adorable.â
He sounded surprised. âWhat about you? What did you want to be?â
âSorry, but weâre not done with you. When you realized crazy cat lady wouldnât pay the bills, whatâd you want to do?â
âBecome a high school teacher.â
âSubject?â
âEnglish.â
He wiggled his brows. âHow do you come on to a high school English teacher?â
Her brow furrowed. âUh...how?â
âOver? Under? To? Around? Outside?â
She snickered. âYou preposition her.â Silly man.
Sexy man.
âNow I have to know your childhood dream,â she said. âTell me!â
âI had big plans, was going to be the youngest, hottest cop on the force.â
A puzzle piece clicked into place. âHad fantasies about taking down bad guys, did you?â Made sense, considering some of the hellholes he must have lived in.
âSomething like that.â
âNow you create video games that allow you to defeat every kind of bad guy imaginable, so in a way, youâve achieved your dream.â
âThatâs true.â A sizzling pause. âYouâve played my games?â
Caught! âOnce or twice,â she admitted. For years sheâd foughtâand lostâan addiction to âDonkey Kong.â Barrels! The lady! Her dad taught her how to play, their special time together, and, well, winning became an obsession.
As soon as sheâd learned of Westâs accomplishments, sheâd maybe kinda sorta rushed out to buy his greatest hits. âAlice in Zombieland.â âLords of the Underworld.â âAngels of the Dark.â âEverlife.â Used, of course, because she couldnât afford new.
âEvil is always afoot,â she added, âbut the good guys always save the day.â
His frown returned, deepened. âLetâs listen to the radio.â He jacked up the volume.
Didnât like her observations? âGiving you the silent treatment wonât be a problem,â she called over the music.
âReally? Because youâre still talking.â
âOh, that wasnât talking.
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