everything. The McKays expected I’d attend UWYO because I’d taken classes there my senior year, but I picked ASU.”
“Why?”
“I felt like a third wheel with Dad and Rielle. That didn’t mean I wasn’t flipping cartwheels because they found each other. But between me and Rielle’s daughter Rory, they’d never lived alone together without kids. Plus, I knew if I hated Laramie I could drive home for the weekend. Going to ASU felt more like an adult decision.”
“Had your mom moved back from France? Was that part of it?”
“No. Her dipshit boy toy in Paris ditched her after he decided to settle down with a younger woman and have kids. She returned to Phoenix after my first year at ASU, a total mess. Her plan to feel young, hip and cool was to hang out with her college-aged daughter.”
I groaned. “Fun for you, huh?”
“Oh, it gets better. Then she decided hooking up with a college-aged guy would prove her hotness. So, as usual, she chose the easiest option and banged my boyfriend.”
“Fuck. Seriously?”
“Her behavior didn’t shock me as much as she’d hoped. I went, ‘Eh, you can have him.’ In a way she did me a favor. The guy was a total ‘S’up, bro?’ frat-boy douchebag with a small dick and smaller ambitions.”
I had no idea what the fuck to say to that. Did I laugh? She acted unaffected now, but it had to have pissed her off when it’d happened.
“Oh, so now you don’t have anything to say?”
I did laugh at that. “Parents suck. At least you have one good one. Both of mine are worthless. Just say the word, baby, and I’ll track down that cheating, frat-boy douchebag and beat his tiny-dick ass.”
“Four years after it happened?”
“He won’t suspect you waited that long to get revenge.” And I’d love to pound the shit out of a guy who’d had Sierra in his bed and hadn’t cared enough to keep her there.
Sierra laughed. “The army would approve of that response?”
“It’s not like I’d wear my uniform. I’d be in total stealth mode.”
“I’ll take it under consideration, tough guy.”
During her thorough tour of the city, I listened to her spiel without much comment because I liked the sound of her voice and I appreciated seeing the area through her eyes. She clearly loved living here more than she ever had in Wyoming.
After two and a half hours my stomach rumbled. “Can we stop for lunch? It can even be fast food. I just have to eat something.” I pointed to a Cheesecake Factory. “How about there?”
“That’s not fast food.”
“It’s close though.”
“Fine.” She pulled into a parking garage.
Feeling antsy, I climbed out of the car first and waited for her at the bottom of the steps. She’d slipped her sunglasses back on, but I felt her eyes on me. In a total junior high move, I dropped my arms behind me and stretched. That move flexed my biceps, pecs and abdomen. I knew she’d look.
And she did. She took such a complete look that she nearly missed the bottom step.
I caught her with one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder. “Careful.”
Sierra peered at me over the tops of her sunglasses. “Next time you want to remind me you’re still rockin’ a killer body, wait until I’m on level ground, ’kay?”
She brushed past me so fast she didn’t see my big-assed grin.
We’d been seated maybe a minute when Sierra said, “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
I started flipping through the hundred-page menu. The text was swimming by the time I reached page five. I closed my eyes and blanked my mind. But when I looked again, I had the same problem. I shut the menu and set it on the edge of the table.
Sierra slid back into the booth.
When the waitress returned, I ordered a hamburger. She looked at Sierra. “And for you?”
“The Almond Joy cheesecake and a can of Red Bull.”
After the waitress left, I said, “Just cheesecake?”
“Since it’s my entire daily caloric intake…yes, just cheesecake. I’ll
“Why?”
“I felt like a third wheel with Dad and Rielle. That didn’t mean I wasn’t flipping cartwheels because they found each other. But between me and Rielle’s daughter Rory, they’d never lived alone together without kids. Plus, I knew if I hated Laramie I could drive home for the weekend. Going to ASU felt more like an adult decision.”
“Had your mom moved back from France? Was that part of it?”
“No. Her dipshit boy toy in Paris ditched her after he decided to settle down with a younger woman and have kids. She returned to Phoenix after my first year at ASU, a total mess. Her plan to feel young, hip and cool was to hang out with her college-aged daughter.”
I groaned. “Fun for you, huh?”
“Oh, it gets better. Then she decided hooking up with a college-aged guy would prove her hotness. So, as usual, she chose the easiest option and banged my boyfriend.”
“Fuck. Seriously?”
“Her behavior didn’t shock me as much as she’d hoped. I went, ‘Eh, you can have him.’ In a way she did me a favor. The guy was a total ‘S’up, bro?’ frat-boy douchebag with a small dick and smaller ambitions.”
I had no idea what the fuck to say to that. Did I laugh? She acted unaffected now, but it had to have pissed her off when it’d happened.
“Oh, so now you don’t have anything to say?”
I did laugh at that. “Parents suck. At least you have one good one. Both of mine are worthless. Just say the word, baby, and I’ll track down that cheating, frat-boy douchebag and beat his tiny-dick ass.”
“Four years after it happened?”
“He won’t suspect you waited that long to get revenge.” And I’d love to pound the shit out of a guy who’d had Sierra in his bed and hadn’t cared enough to keep her there.
Sierra laughed. “The army would approve of that response?”
“It’s not like I’d wear my uniform. I’d be in total stealth mode.”
“I’ll take it under consideration, tough guy.”
During her thorough tour of the city, I listened to her spiel without much comment because I liked the sound of her voice and I appreciated seeing the area through her eyes. She clearly loved living here more than she ever had in Wyoming.
After two and a half hours my stomach rumbled. “Can we stop for lunch? It can even be fast food. I just have to eat something.” I pointed to a Cheesecake Factory. “How about there?”
“That’s not fast food.”
“It’s close though.”
“Fine.” She pulled into a parking garage.
Feeling antsy, I climbed out of the car first and waited for her at the bottom of the steps. She’d slipped her sunglasses back on, but I felt her eyes on me. In a total junior high move, I dropped my arms behind me and stretched. That move flexed my biceps, pecs and abdomen. I knew she’d look.
And she did. She took such a complete look that she nearly missed the bottom step.
I caught her with one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder. “Careful.”
Sierra peered at me over the tops of her sunglasses. “Next time you want to remind me you’re still rockin’ a killer body, wait until I’m on level ground, ’kay?”
She brushed past me so fast she didn’t see my big-assed grin.
We’d been seated maybe a minute when Sierra said, “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
I started flipping through the hundred-page menu. The text was swimming by the time I reached page five. I closed my eyes and blanked my mind. But when I looked again, I had the same problem. I shut the menu and set it on the edge of the table.
Sierra slid back into the booth.
When the waitress returned, I ordered a hamburger. She looked at Sierra. “And for you?”
“The Almond Joy cheesecake and a can of Red Bull.”
After the waitress left, I said, “Just cheesecake?”
“Since it’s my entire daily caloric intake…yes, just cheesecake. I’ll
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