“Do you need money?”
She huffs before she answers, “No, I still have money, Joey.” I hand her a card, and she looks at it before she reads her name on it. “What is this?”
“It’s an account with your name on it and Jerome’s. It has your money in it.”
“What money?” Her gaze meets mine again, confused.
“The money you tried giving me.”
“I was paying you back, Joey. I didn’t ask you to start a savings for me when I am capable of doing that myself.” She huffs, swallowing hard.
“I would have paid with my life to get you back. I didn’t want payment.”
“I owed you, so you can consider us even.” She heads for the door.
“No.”
She stops at my voice, her hand on the doorknob. Merci and Jerome halt at the top of the stairs.
“I get to call us even or not, and this is not even. There was never an even to begin with.”
“I really despise you, Joey,” she says, not giving me her eyes. “And I also really love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hear her intake of breath before she finally moves. I reach for her, but she shakes my hand off, walks to Merci’s car, and gets in, not looking back my way again. I smile for the small victory—hate can be fucked away, but love is permanent. Just as we are.
“So, are we planning to fix the problem we have at my bar?” Lucas asks as he waits for me by his car. “Because I don’t want a little underage blonde in my bar. It’s above board, that place.”
“We killed someone in there last week,” I remind him.
“Tomato-tomahto,” he says, rolling his eyes.
“Did you learn that from your girlfriend?” I ask, locking the door and making my way toward the car.
“Nah, from yours.” He smirks, tapping my back. “Too soon?” he teases, raising a brow. “Probably, considering she doesn’t want you. Poor, Joey boy, no pussy for him. I’m sure you could persuade that ex of yours you used to fuck to jump on your dick if you’re desperate.”
“Do youevershut the fuck up?”
“No, now give me my damn jacket back before I blow up your house.”
“So dramatic.”
THIRTY-ONE
ADORA
“Are you mad at him?” Merci asks when we get back to my apartment. I notice the blood has been cleaned up, and you can’t even tell anything happened here. The dishes are clean, and there are no wine glasses on the table.
“No, I’m just tired of it,” I reply. “He knows I want him and only him. I would have married him in a heartbeat if he had asked me a few weeks ago, but I would never be with someone and only half be with them. He doesn’t want kids, and I have a kid.”
“He likes Jerome, though.”
I offer her a smile. “I know he does. He loves his niece and nephew as well, but that doesn’t mean he wants any of his own.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” She goes to the kitchen and washes her hands. “Let me stay and help.”
“I think I just want a quiet day, what’s left of it anyway. Can you run the store tomorrow? I know it’s late notice, but we didn’t open today, so…”