Page 119 of Rebel Romeo

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

“Is that so?” I taunted him. “How’s the whole faithful husband act going?” My dad visibly tenses as I add, “Because I recall quite a few promises you’ve not kept. Who is it this time, Dad? Are you back with Anne Marie?” Even just saying my godmother’s name made bile rise in my throat.

I hated that woman.

I hated her with every ounce of my being.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Send me the name of whoever’s blackmailing you and I’ll take care of it. For you and Katherine.” Clearing his throat, Dad turned and walked out the door.

That night, I’d barely slept. Sometime around two in the morning, I’d heard Duncan and Addison come home, drunkenly stumbling in the front door. At six a.m., I rolled out of bed, went for a run to clear my head. Then after a shower, I still had an hour and a half before rehearsal.

I texted Katherine to see if she was awake yet, then before I headed out the door, I checked the lock on my new safe, tucking my journal inside, resting it on top of Katherine’s panties.

I had a stack of hundred dollar bills tossed carelessly on my desk, but used underwear and a composition notebook were my prime concerns. I chuckled, even though it wasn’t fucking funny in the least bit.

If Duncan was dumb enough to sleep with Addison, it didn’t mean I had to be dumb enough to trust her in my home. Once I made sure the safe was secured, I headed to The Grindhouse, our campus coffee shop.

I lit a cigarette, taking a long drag but my lungs seized into a coughing fit. Dammit. My run this morning wasn’t nearly as good either. Katherine was right… I needed to quit this stupid habit.

Pulling into a spot in their tiny parking lot, I put my truck in park, then stubbed my cigarette out before tossing it into the trashcan on my way into the coffee shop.

I headed to the counter and paused right before ordering my usual black coffee. I needed something stronger and sweeter to get through today’s rehearsal.

Especially since I’d only had three hours of sleep last night.

Despite my exhaustion, I did my best to smile at the barista, a guy I recognized from one of my classes junior year. “I’ll do a triple espresso over ice with caramel foam on top…” My voice trailed off and I searched my brain, trying to remember his name. Jared? No. Jake? No, that wasn’t right either.

The scent of roses hit me before I saw or heard Katherine. But I knew she was here before she said, “That sounds good. I’ll take one of those too, Jeff.”

The sound of her voice stopped my heart for a single beat before I turned to see her standing behind me wearing low-slung jeans, a cropped sweatshirt, and a stunning smile.

“You got it, Kate,” Jeff, said.

I moved to hand my credit card to him, but Katherine waved it away. “Don’t worry about it. I get two free coffees a day here.”

We stepped to the side. “Two free coffees a day? Wait, is this the coffee shop you mentioned working at?”

She nodded. “I work here Mondays through Thursdays and the occasional Sunday. But this job is really flexible. Jeff’s a great boss. Plus most of the people who work here are students.”

There was so much more to this girl than everyone thought. She was like Wonder Woman. Between rehearsals, the catering job, classes, and being a barista, it was a wonder that she found any time to meet up with me at all.

I shook my head and raised my voice to be heard over the grinding espresso beans. “I’m the worst boyfriend ever.”

Seriously. How did I not know she worked here?

She smiled at me and shrugged. “Well, I didn’t come to your game last night, so I’m a pretty bad girlfriend, too.”

“Speaking of, how was your catering gig last night?”

Grabbing a sugar packet, she flicked the edge of it. “It was… okay.”

“Okay?”

She looked up at me, her big blue eyes like giant pools of water. “McCay was there.”

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