Page 16 of Bad & Bossy

“Looks like they’re interested,” Bobby chuckled.

Six months ago, I might have shut off my car and gotten out in the middle of the intersection to try to convince one of them to get in and go anywhere with me. But not today. Not anymore. The thought that I used to be that way made my stomach churn.

“They’ve got fucking backpacks, Bobby.”

“Yeah, but they’re clearly students here.”

“Too young. Too naive.”

The girls passed and the light turned green. I couldn’t hit the gas fast enough for my liking.

A few minutes down the road I pulled into the parking lot of the cafe I used to frequent before I left. I hadn’t yet built up the nerve to stop in over the last couple of days, and with Bobby by my side this time, it felt much more doable.

The door chimed as we walked in. There were a handful of people waiting around for their coffee while others sat with their laptops open, ready to spend the day immersed in their work from the comfort of the cafe. I wished I could do that instead of going into the office.

“Cole!”

The owner, Eric, stood behind the counter. His graying hair and wide-eyed smile were always so welcoming, but after six months of being gone, it felt almost like an uncertain homecoming. “Hey, Eric.”

“Long black with an extra shot?”

I don’t know why I was surprised that he still remembered, I’d done my fair share of working behind the counter. I knew regular orders. But six months was a long time to remember. “Yeah,” I grinned.

“Can you tack a latte onto that?” Bobby asked.

“Sure can.” Eric got to making the drinks quickly, knocking out the old coffee puck into the trash and starting the process over again. “Where’ve you been? Missed your face.”

“Uh—”

“Working on himself,” Bobby grinned. “Me too. That’s where we met, actually. This great place out in Cali?—”

“He doesn’t need to know the details,” I snapped, the uncomfortableness of it creeping up the back of my skull. I didn’t want that following me around, and Bobby’s big fucking mouth was only going to make it worse.

Eric looked between Bobby and me, his brows knitted. He must’ve known, though. I couldn’t count how many times I’d walked in here still drunk from the night before.

“What?” Bobby whispered.

“I don’t want to tell everyone, okay? It just feels weird.”

“All right,” he sighed, eyeing me warily as if I was crazy. “My driver is about a minute away anyway.”

“Driver?”

“Yeah, I’m going to head out to the golf club just outside of town. One of my friends sent in a recommendation for me, and they’re going to let me in.” He shrugged, taking the latte from Eric with a half-hearted thanks. “Maybe I’ll check out what else Boulder has to offer to guys like us.”

Guys like us. I knew he didn’t mean drunks; Bobby was the kind of person who truly enjoyed having money to an annoying degree.

The door chimed as I paid for our coffees. We turned to leave but within a split second I wished I could just fucking teleport instead of having to step toward the door.

“No shit.” Adam, a tall, dark-haired, wiry man I used to drink with at the bar down the road grinned at me, the yellowing of his teeth and eyes making my stomach turn. “Where the hell have you been?”

I had two options: I could push him away and tell him the truth, or I could pretend like nothing had happened and get out of there faster.

I chose option two.

“Out of state for work,” I lied, painting the fakest smile across my cheeks. “Good to see you.”

“You too, man.” Adam’s hand clapped against my shoulder, shaking me just a little too hard, a little too rough. “You should’ve called. We can make plans to meet, catch up.”

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