Ellen narrowed her eyes at me as she stood.
“I was trying to play with that sexy man’s cat,” she said. “What are you doing in here?”
“I’m watching his cat while he’s gone,” I answered. “Have a good night, Ellen.”
She said something under her breath, but instead of stopping to request she tell me what she said, I chose to be the bigger person and walk away.
I only had three more weeks to go.
I could make it three more weeks, right?
• • •
Turns out, I didn’t need to make it three more weeks.
Why?
Because, when I gave Etienne my address to pick Hairy up, he showed up with Ellen in tow.
I knew right then and there, after seeing her at my doorstep, with her disgusting attitude, that I couldn’t make it three more hours. Let alone three more weeks.
Time to quit.
Who needs to eat anyhow?
• • •
Six months later
I had no clue that it was possible to instantly hate someone. Yet… I did.
Etienne had accomplished what even my stepfamily hadn’t been able to accomplish. Utter loathing of another human being.
I’d met him six months ago, and every single day I had to see him was one day too many. The bad thing was, I saw him a freakin’ lot. Every single day, in fact.
And there he was, sitting on the barstool, acting like he was God’s gift to womankind.
And maybe, he was.
Maybe, to any other woman, he would be.
But not to me.
He was mean, angry, and rude.
All of those to me.
Yet, there my best friend sat next to him, talking to him like he was the sweetest man on earth.
News flash: he wasn’t.
He was a dick.
And I hated the fact that we were using him to build our building.
I hated even more that every time I stepped into it, I would think about him.
I was also completely lying to myself.
I knew exactly why I hated him.
He had a girlfriend.
Or, more accurately, a girl that he used when he needed to scratch an itch. At least, that was the way it came off as.
I didn’t exactly know what kind of relationship they had.
I didn’t need to know, either. Because the less I knew about them, the better.
Six months ago when he’d gotten back home after doing whatever he’d done at home, he’d come to pick up his cat with a girl in tow.
Not just any girl, either.
A girl that I loathed.
A girl that’d gone out of her way to make my life a living hell every day while I’d been at my old job, and now used to her advantage when she saw me out and about.
The first time I’d seen her with Etienne, I’d been hurt.
More than hurt.
I’d been devastated.
Because I’d been well on my way to liking him.
Now, I could never like him.
In fact, I went out of my way not to like him.
Because liking him meant that I’d let yet another person into my life that could hurt me. And I had plenty of those people. I didn’t need to keep adding to the list.
“Are you sure that I have to go?” I asked Diana.
“Yes,” Diana answered instantly. “You only have to stay for an hour. But this is a good thing. You getting out. Making friends.”
“These are all your friends,” I corrected. “And getting out and making friends is a joke. I don’t want new friends. I have you.”
None of the men in Gator Bait MC would I call a “friend.”
I’d call them an acquaintance, yes. But not a friend.
More importantly, all the women that hung around them I certainly wouldn’t want to call a friend. Other than the two that were in serious relationships with Wake and Bain, the girls that hung around were quite… off-putting.
“Please,” she pleaded. “It’s only ever Dutch and me. And Dutch isn’t my best friend. You’re my best friend. I need you there.”
Tonight, apparently, was a get-together at the bar in town to celebrate KD opening his business—a protection firm where he helped guard those that needed guarding.
Or whatever.
I didn’t pay very much attention when Diana was explaining what he did earlier.
But good for him finding a job after the prison life.
“Fine.” I paused. “But only if you buy me one of those new squishies.”
She snorted.
“Fine.” She paused. “Are you going to play with it all night?”
Maybe.
“I already got you one for your birthday next month,” she admitted. “I’ll just give you that one.”
“My birthday isn’t next month. My birthday is in like two months,” I said.
“Your birthday is literally next month.” She rolled her eyes. “Sure, that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s nearly two months away, and it’s the beginning of this month. But that still makes it next month. And I saw it last week when I was riding with Bain. Meet me at my place, and I’ll give it to you. Then I’ll get you dressed.”