Page 12 of Beneficial Misfortune

“My pleasure, Ms.”

“Kat, please call me Kat,” I say, and he nods.

“My pleasure, Kat,” he says, and I smile back. I hate the formalities of Ms and Mr, worrying about last names and titles. It reminds me of Carter and his friends and how much all of that mattered to them. They were all about status, and I don’t want to live like that. It’s one of the reasons I let the kids call me Ms. Kat. It’s less formal.

He’s pretty big for a guy who drives people around all day. He also wears a suit, and while it’s not as showy as Nathaniel’s, it’s still probably more than one of my paychecks. His hair is shaved short, and I think I can see hints of tattoos that decorate his skin at his collar, but it’s his hands that really draw my attention.

Every finger is covered in scars. Some look older than others, but there are so many overlapping that it’s a wonder he can still properly grip the steering wheel.

What the hell does that to someone?

“Vincent,” he says, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts, and I realize I’ve been staring rudely.

It takes me a moment to realize he’s given me his name, and I mull it over for a moment, trying to place it with his familiarity, but still come up empty.

“It’s nice to meet you, Vincent.”

With that, I quickly scoot back down the bench seat to sit beside Addison and try to fight my embarrassment. He didn’t seem to mind my curiosity about his hands, didn’t even mention it, but I still feel as if I was caught doing something wrong.

A learned behavior after years of dealing with Carter and his constant judgment. I’ve been trying to unlearn them, but it’s taking longer than I’d hoped.

Chapter 6

Of course, she wasn’t exaggerating.

Vincent pulls to a stop right in front of what has to be the tallest building in the whole damn city, and suddenly, I’m regretting my decision.

Shit, I should have just told him we were okay to wait at the school.

Vincent is at the door, and Addison all but flies out of it as I scramble to keep up with her. She flings her arms around him, and he bends to scoop her up.

“Thanks for the ride, Uncle Vinny!” she says, nuzzling into him.

“Anything for the little princess.” I hear him say as he sets her back on the ground, while I attempt to smooth out any wrinkles in my clothes to ensure I’m presentable.

“You look lovely, Kat,” he says, and I pause, unsure what to say.

I’m not used to compliments like that.

“Um, thank you. I didn’t know I’d be coming here when I dressed for the day,” I say, gesturing to the building in all its intimidating glory. “Or I would have worn something nicer.”

Addison comes over and grabs my hand, pulling me toward the building. She’s clearly unaware of my inner turmoil, and I’m left with no choice but to follow her; after all, she knows this place far better than I do. The entire building is glass, and even from out here on the sidewalk, I can see the main floor is full of people. If she went in alone, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“I assure you, Nate will have no issues with how you look,” Vincent says, swinging the door closed behind us before making his way back around the car and disappearing into the driver’s seat.

It’s not until Addison has dragged me through the door that I realize what he just said.

Nate.

I’ve never heard anyone call him that. It’s always Mr. Lawson when anyone mentions him at the school. Hell, Barbara had looked at me like I was crazy when I called him Nathaniel in the office on that first day.

Oh god, Addison had called him Uncle Vin. Are they brothers?

I really hope not, or I might have just made a bigger ass of myself than I already thought I was.

“Hello, Addison, and who is this you have with you today?” The woman at the front desk asks as we stop before it.

If I had to guess, this must be the woman who gives her suckers. It would make sense, considering the way she beelines for her.

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