“It was decent.”
She chuckled. “Did you spend most of it in bed?”
“Not a chance. You?”
“Nope.” She hadn’t told him about her second job. She worked two different jobs. One at the diner, the other in a garage on the outskirts of town.
“Doesn’t your club miss you?”
“Are you not happy with my company?”
“I don’t mind the company. It’s just odd that you wouldn’t want to be with your club.”
“They can miss me. I don’t want to read in the paper about your death and think there was something I could have done to stop it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Tank, I’m not going to die. Just because I’m a woman, that doesn’t make me helpless. I can take care of myself. I promise.” She did find it really sweet that he seemed to want to take care of her.
Her own mother didn’t have that inclination.
Pushing that negative thought to the back of her mind, she simply enjoyed the moment.
“Don’t you own a car?” he asked.
“Nope. I also don’t drive.”
“How can you not drive?”
She chuckled. “I took the classes in school, but I think the teacher told me that it would be in my and the world’s best interests if I never got behind the wheel of a vehicle. I think I scared him.” She didn’t drive well. The cones had certainly not made it to tell a tale. The other students in the car had also vacated the vehicle as fast as possible. It was kind of hurtful, but at the end of the day, she didn’t mind walking.
“And you rely on your friend?”
“I wouldn’t say I rely on her. I just … I ask for rides because she goes the same way. She says yes, and then she forgets. Sometimes it doesn’t happen. You don’t have to keep on waiting around for me though.”
“I told you, this road isn’t a place for a single woman.”
“I’ve got the pepper spray and a mean kick on me.” She lifted her foot but wasn’t exactly flexible. She expected to look much more impressive than she did. “See. I know how to take care of myself.”
“You’d know what to do if I attacked you right now?” Tank asked.
“Sure.”
Bell knew he was going to do it. He had a point to prove, and well, she had one to prove too.
Rather than use her pepper spray, she bit the hand that came around her and slammed her boot onto his inner heel, in the process, scraping down his leg. She liked to wear boots as opposed to heels. She was a very prepared woman.
Next, she spun away with pepper spray in hand, ready to show him that she was ready to take it to the next level.
Tank looked shocked. He had a hand on his knee, another on his kidney where she’d landed a blow.
“See, I can take care of myself, and I wasn’t using my full strength. I like to think that we’re friends, Tank.” She held the pepper spray. “Otherwise, you’d also be enjoying some sore eyes.”
“Point taken. Do you have a gun? A knife?”
“Why would I tell you?” she asked. “Are you in attack mode or nice mode?”
He chuckled. “Well, damn, Attitude. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Trust me. When you get bullied at school, you learn to protect yourself.” She had gotten tired of being thrown to the ground, stomped on, and even shoved into her locker. She soon learned to protect herself. Once those bullies realized how good she was at doing that, they stayed well away from her. “Are you okay? Do I need to get you an ambulance?”