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Deck became serious. “How’s everything besides the job going, Curtis?”

There were things I could have told him. But the last thing I wanted to do was cry on Deck Gentry’s shoulder. He and Cord had done a lot for me when it would have been easy to say no. Not everyone would take a chance on a high school dropout with gang ties.

“I’m figuring things out,” I said carefully. “The boys are doing well.”

Deck seemed like he was waiting for me to say more but I just started rinsing out my coffee cup.

“You be sure to let me know if I can help with anything,” he said.

“Will do. Thanks.” I wiped the mug dry with a paper towel and put it back where I found it. “Guess I better go see where I’m needed today.”

“I think Zach left a mess in one of the back rooms yesterday.”

“I’m on it.”

Deck frowned. “He should learn to clean his tools properly.”

I shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“All right then,” Deck said. He waved. “I’ll see you later.”

I stared after him for a few seconds as he departed for his office way at the end of the corridor. When I was a kid I’d been in awe of Deck Gentry. I still was. Despite a few gray hairs around the temples he was exactly as I remembered, a force to be reckoned with.

The back room in question was on the other side of the building, only reachable by passing through the lobby. By that time I’d already forgotten about the latest new employee of Scratch so I was a little startled to pass by and see her sitting there.

She was startled to see me too.

I remembered her. And judging from the expression on her face, she also remembered me.

We stared at each other for a few awkward seconds before I recovered my wits and made a stab at politeness.

“Hi,” I said. “I’m Curtis Mulligan.”

I didn’t know why I had added my last name, other than the hope that this introduction would purge my former identity as Asshole From the Parking Lot.

The girl waited a moment before answering. “Hello. I’m Cassie Gentry.” She looked me over with big blue eyes and then smiled. “You’re new here.”

“Yep. Just started last week.”

“Are you an artist?”

I shook my head. “No.”

Cassie waited for me to elaborate but I was having trouble concentrating. She was pretty, way too fucking pretty.

She was also the daughter of a man who’d given me a job.

Plus my original impression of her hadn’t changed. She seemed like a soft, sheltered sort of girl who probably still worshipped her high school prom corsage and cried if the latte store ran out of pumpkin spice. Not my type.

“I better get moving,” I said. It might have been one of the top ten dumbest sentences I’d ever uttered.

Cassie seemed to think so too. She pursed her lips. “Of course. Didn’t mean to keep you from something important.”

“Good meeting you,” I said and turned away, lowering my head and heading for the hall.

Cassie’s airy voice floated after me. “Good meeting you too,” she said. “Again.”

That wasn’t true. We hadn’t actually met last time. But it was her way of letting me know in no uncertain terms that she remembered where she’d seen me before. I decided it was fine if she wanted to keep me in the ‘Asshole’ club. We wouldn’t have anything to say to each other anyway and even if she complained to her dad he wasn’t likely to fire me just because I got annoyed when coffee cups were left on the hood of my car.

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