“Dumbass. It’s totally obvious you’re into her. I’ve been here more than a year and you went baby-eyed the second she signed on.”
“So did every other guy in the bar.”
“True.”
“You and her haven’t…”
He put his hands up and backed away. “No way, man. For real. She’s a little intense for me.”
“Intense?”
Sam sat on the bench and slid on his running shoes. I wasn’t sure how he fit everything in with him running track, taking a full load of classes,andworking here four nights a week.
“Yeah, man. Her eyes give her away. They’re pretty, don’t get me wrong, and she’s hot, but her eyes lookharsh.”
“You know anything about her?”
“Nope. Not the sharing type, not that I’ve been asking.” He stood and offered me his fist. “Go home. Relax. Heal, mate. We’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I bumped his knuckles and sat on the bench. “See ya.”
As the door was about to shut, it burst open and Bill stormed through. “You doing okay?” His voice echoed off the small locker room.
“Yeah. Fine.”
“Sarah take care of you last night?”
“Yeah. She didn’t mess up. No need to hunt her down.”
“Comedian now?” Bill leaned against the wall beside the door and crossed his thick arms. “How’d you do out there tonight?”
“Fine. It was quiet.”
“You got into it with Sarah.”
“You really do see all, don’t you?” I slid my shirt over my head. “What’s her story?”
“You know I’m not gonna tell you anything. Why do you ask?”
“Because we’re tight, man. You—me—we got this thing.”
“Yeah, kid, we do, but I’m still not telling you.” He grinned. “That’s a shell you’re going to have to break through on your own.”
“Is it bad?”
“It’s bad, kid.” His face went tight. “Real bad. Not sure you want anything to do with that considering your ownbad.”
“Damon’s in it, now, Bill.”
He stood straight. “Am I going to have to kick his ass?”
“Probably. If you can find him. Yesterday was the first I’d seen him in weeks.”
“And your mom?”
“MIA. It’s like they’d vanished, then Damon pulls that shit last night. My store, man.”
“Yeah, well, that store is marked. You knew that when you signed on.”