Page 150 of Unleashed

Chapter 23

Simone

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“FUCK YOU,” I MUMBLE. Standing on the sidewalk at Wendy’s, I dump my phone into my purse. Greg only wants to know if I’m doing him soon. Nope. No more.

“Tell me how you really feel. Holy hell.”

I roll my eyes and look up. His rust-colored hair stands on end, resembling a pin cushion. “Not you this time.”

“I was about to lose sleep over it.”

I glare at my stepbrother, but he cracks a smile. “Beau, be nice. I graduate tomorrow.”

I swing open the door, and he teases, “It’s not your coronation, you know.”

“But it may be your funeral.”

Although Jack told Beau I didn’t have enough tickets, Beau tagged along since he had the weekend off and wanted to harass me. At twenty-six, Beau was the other baby of the family, but lived with his mother. Jack still brought him to our house for holidays and family vacations.

Staying at the hotel to catch up on work, Jack suggested Beau and I eat somewhere to catch up. I let Beau pick.

I follow Beau, noticing he’s wearing black cargo pants with his green Bass Pro T-shirt like a psychopath. He doesn’t bass or pro.

Inside, Beau’s hair shines in the bright light as we stop to study the overhead menu. I notice more tattoos on his dark tan skin. Since his mother is black, and Jackie is Elmer’s glue white, Beau is somewhere in the middle. When we get in line behind three people together, I tease Beau about what to eat, and his side-eyed glances make me giggle. It feels good to laugh and to forget my problems, even if they’re all self-inflicted.

When we receive our food, we stop to get our drinks and find a table in the back. I set down my purse, and a straw wrapper batters my chest. I look up to see a straw hanging from Beau’s mouth. He muffles his words. “You were in my target range.”

“You say that every time you blow your wrapper off your straw. Like I haven’t known you forever.”

He shoves his straw into his drink and asks, “What’s going on with you now? You’re here in Richmond. You’re in North Carolina. Now, you’re planning to go back to Dover. What the fuck? Is this because you fell for some dude?”

“I didn’t fall for him,” I argue as I pick at my chicken nuggets with a shrug. “We end up in the same places.”

“Right. But you married him.”

“I told you why. Who are you dating now? Guy or chick? Do you still swing both ways, or did you pick a lane?”

“No one, and why pick a lane when I can own the whole freeway? I don’t date guys, only let them blow me. Why limit my opportunities? My dating life still wouldn’t be as scandalous as yours.”

“There’s nothing scandalous. Greg and I were friends.”

“You’re not now?”

I sigh and roll my eyes. “Okay. Here’s the thing. I annulled our marriage, but we’re pretending to be married because my dad is here. You know the story behind it.”

He nods. “Your father is evil.”

“But I can’t live a lie. When he’s gone again, I need to figure out how to handle this. I had planned to tell him the truth, but Greg showed up and told my father we’re still married. I don’t know why he did that.”

Beau laughs as he picks at his fries. “Is that a joke?”

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