Page 108 of Shards of You and Me

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‘Because he’s fifty?’

‘Actually, he’s forty-four.’

My eyebrows rise. ‘So, more than twice your age.’

‘And one of the kindest people I know.’

I snort. ‘Listen, a guy that age can sniff out a virgin with daddy issues a mile away. And he’ll be so patient.’ I’m sure there was a more tactful way of saying that, but it needed to be said. I watch the shock register on her face.

‘I don’t think that’s how he sees me at all. But good to know that’s how you see me.’

‘I think I know you pretty well.’

‘No you don’t.’ Her glare holds heat. ‘You don’t know me. The girl across the creek from you was not me. She was a suppressed version of the person I’m becoming.’

We stare at each other.

‘And you’re making a lot of assumptions about my sex life,’ she adds. ‘The lines are no longer there. I left. Yet you assume I’m a virgin.’

It’s the kick in the gut I deserve, and I know I should bow out gracefully and go home. Naturally, I don’t. ‘Guess we know how you got that job.’

Her entire face collapses, then hardens. ‘I think it’s time for you to leave.’

I turn away. ‘I don’t know why I bothered.’ I head for the ute.

‘And you’re the cliché,’ she says to my back. ‘You’re just an angry little boy. Well, go find another punching bag.’

Because I absolutely deserve everything she’s saying, I bite my tongue and keep walking.


Tags: Tanya Bird Romance