Page 5 of Shameless Expectations

“Where did you go to school?” Athena didn’t drop her gaze. She always wanted to see what everyone wasn’t saying, and that usually was written all across their bodies.

“Is that really your question?” Monti drew her eyebrows together, canting her head to the side slightly.

“Yes.”

Monti sighed and waved a hand out in front of her. Then she took a sip from her mug and rested her free hand on her knee, curling her long fingers on her knee. “I received my undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Puget Sound, and my master’s in psychology from Colorado State.”

“You move often.”

“Yes.” Monti stared at her, quite directly. It was unnerving, but Athena didn’t move. This was likely how it felt when she stared at people. “And you?”

“Harvard Law.” She hadn’t expected the pushback at her own degree. She’d gone to school to get a break from her parents, and as an attempt to find something to do with her life, something out from under their thumb.

“Impressive is what I’m supposed to say to that, but when you come from money, it’s easy to get a degree wherever you want.”

Cold rushed through Athena. “Excuse me?”

“I’m not saying you didn’t earn your degree. But economically speaking, you had an advantage that others didn’t.” Monti seemed to pale slightly.

“An advantage I used.”

“Well, why wouldn’t you?”

Athena ran a single finger over the wood in the arm of the chair, the feel of the smooth material calming her. She did it again as she worked through her upset over Monti’s implication. She knew she’d grown up in a privileged household. Coming from money was something she’d always known would be a burden, but she’d dealt with it the best way she knew how. From what she’d gathered about Fallon, that wasn’t the case for their family.

“Are you feeling more rested?”

Jerking with a start, Athena realized that she had missed something in the in between, when she was lost in her thoughts. She had been doing that more and more often lately. Perhaps with a few hours of sleep, she would be able to find her brain again. “Yes.”

“Good. Most people forget about the skull when they do massages. But I’ve found them to be quite useful in easing migraines and relaxing the rest of the body. Everything is interconnected.” Monti took another sip from her drink before setting it down, the tassel from the tea bag swinging in the movement.

What kind of tea would Monti Schroeder drink?

“Yes, well, it’s an odd feeling,” Athena mumbled, not sure what to do. Which was a rare occurrence for her.

“It can be.” Monti slid forward, elbows on her knees, fingers steepled together. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Athena’s tone was sharp, but that phrase was one that would always set her off. And she had work to do. Why was she still sitting here entertaining a conversation? Yet Athena couldn’t make herself leave.

“Why you’re not sleeping.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Stress. Why does anyone not sleep?” Her defenses kicked into her high gear. All that nervous energy piled together and swam a violent whirlpool in her chest, pulling everything toward the pit of her stomach.

“There are as many reasons as there are people in this world.”

Athena paused. Perhaps she wasn’t giving Monti enough credit. She was educated, even if she hadn’t managed to live in one place very long and she wasn’t currently working, according to Fallon. Athena clenched her jaw. “Thank you for your services, Monti.”

Monti’s lips parted, as if she was going to say something, but she stopped.

Athena pushed to her feet, her toes curling slightly as tension rippled along her calves, up into her thighs, her stomach, and her shoulders. Three hours of sleep would have to be enough. She had a case she needed to work on, and she was running out of time because the trial was coming up.

“Ms. Pruitt, I need to check in with you about the care you received today.”

“You did. It was satisfactory.” Athena snagged the book and started toward the shelf where Monti had pulled it from.

“No, we didn’t.”

When Athena spun around, she found Monti still studying, fingers steepled, but she was leaning back in the chair like she owned it. Like she belonged there. The feeling disturbed her. Athena froze on the landing, the shelves at her back. “I found it useful.”

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