Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“Who was that?”
I looked over at Adrienna.
“Which one?”
She pointed to Parker’s retreating back.
“That’s Parker,” I said. “He works with us.”
She nodded.
“Mom, did you see him?”
I looked over at Andie, my grin widening.
“Yeah, Andie. Did you see him?”
She flipped me off.
Laughing, I shouldered my own bag and ruffled Adrienna’s hair. “Have fun with Shamu. I’ll catch y’all later.”
As I turned and started walking toward the parking lot, I heard my family’s jeering taunts behind me, egging me on to stay.
I waved them off.
“My fuckin’ knees hurt,” I told them. “See y’all tomorrow.”
With that, I stepped off the curb and started in the direction of home, my eyes looking out for a certain woman.
If I hadn’t been hurting so badly, I’d toss my bag into my yard and go see her. However, with my knee acting up with what was sure to be a pending storm, I knew walking wasn’t in the cards today.
Driving was, though.
So, after I showered, I got into my truck and drove the three streets over that led to Travis, Hannah, and Lark’s street.
Why, I couldn’t tell you.
I was just so fucking obsessed with her that I’d rather spend time with her than with my entire family.
Chapter 10
I love when I’m with you, and I don’t have to pretend I’m nice.
-Lark to Baylor
Lark
I glared at Harold.
“Listen,” I said, trying to keep calm. “I can’t afford to pay this ticket. If you give it to me, it’s not getting paid.”
Harold continued to write.
“I realize that you think you’re helping the neighborhood.” LIES! “But, everyone is getting to the point where they feel like it’s too much.”
“I can’t have you parking in the street.” He handed me the ticket.
I didn’t take it.
Instead, I looked at him like the piece of slime he was.
How could Sam, the man who had originally planned for me to come here, not know what a piece of shit he had for a contact here?
Seriously, I didn’t think he knew. There was no way if he did know, that he would allow this to happen.
“I’m sorry.” He walked to the car and slipped it underneath the windshield wiper when I wouldn’t take it. “But there are rules, and I can’t have you breaking the rules. Then everyone’s going to think that they can break the rules.”
I just shook my head. “Harold, it’s not my car.”
Harold didn’t seem to care, however. All he cared about was that there was a car in front of my house that was taking up too much of the road. Oh, and let’s not forget that I’d forgotten to register the car with him so he knows which cars belong, and which cars don’t belong.
“I don’t believe you,” he said. “You’ve had two cars in the last month. How am I supposed to believe you?”
I looked at him steadily. “If it was my car, wouldn’t you think that I’d be parking it in the driveway?”
I pointed to the empty driveway behind me, and I would’ve continued to speak had a truck not pulled in moments after I said that.
We both watched as the man in the truck—Baylor—got out and stood up to his full height. He took us both in, shook his head, and started forward.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes moving from me to Harold and back again.
I ground my teeth together.
“Harold gave me a ticket for someone else’s car being too far off the curb.” I pointed to said car.
Baylor’s eyes went to the car, then to the other cars that were lining the road. Which happened to be centered around his brother’s house.
“That’s Hail House and Hail Auto Recovery Employees,” he said. “We had a ball game up at the top of the road, and we met at Travis’ house and walked—well, they did. I didn’t. But these are all their cars. This one right here is Evander Lennox’s wife’s car.”
Harold bared his teeth. “Well, then I’ll go ticket your brother instead.”
He ripped the ticket off the window, tore it in half, and dropped it to the ground.
I looked at the two pieces of paper as they floated to the ground, and then incredulously looked back up at Harold.
“So, who writes you tickets when you are the one to break the rules?” I snapped, all of a sudden so angry that I couldn’t find the common sense to shut the hell up.
Harold turned, his eyes narrowing.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, Miss Lawrence.”
I clenched my hands into fists.
The emphasis on my last name—which he was well aware wasn’t really my last name—was enough to put me in my place.
I couldn’t fuck this up. Harold might be bad—no awful—but he wasn’t anywhere near as bad as my ex was.
At least here, though angered, I would live.
If my ex ever found me…that wouldn’t just be terrible, it’d be detrimental to my safety and well-being.