Page 6 of Made For Ruin

“I’m good, thanks.”

“Let me know if you boys need anything else,” she says. Her eyes meet mine for a brief, charged moment before she turns and heads back behind the counter.

When I look back at Reign, he’s got one eyebrow cocked, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “You come here for the coffee, huh?”

“Fuck off.”

“So you gonna tell me who she is? Or do I have to guess?”

I sigh and cross my arms over my chest. “Her name’s Lainey. She owns the diner.”

Both of Reign’s eyebrows shoot up at that.

“Owns it?” He glances toward the counter where she’s carefully counting out change from the till. “She doesn’t look old enough to be out of high school.”

“She’s not that fucking young.” The defensiveness in my voice surprises me. I take a breath, forcing my shoulders to relax. “She’s twenty-three.”

“Still. I’ve got combat boots older than her. She inherit this place or something?”

I nod. “Her dad passed away last year. Left her the diner and a mountain of debt. She’s been busting her ass to keep the place afloat ever since.”

“Shit. No family or anything?”

“Nope. Just her deadbeat brother. But he got locked up five years ago right before I moved here.”

Reign gives a low whistle. “That’s a lot of responsibility. Running a business at her age.”

“She’s making it work.” A hint of pride creeps into my voice. “Lainey’s got a good head on her shoulders. She’s tougher than she looks.”

And I admire the hell out of her for it. I’ve watched her struggle and fight for this shabby little diner, never once complaining, never giving up.

Reign is still studying me, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Sounds like you know her pretty well.”

I shrug. “She’s friends with Axel.” Then I decide to drop the bombshell. Might as well get it over with. “They dated for a while, too.”

Reign’s coffee cup freezes halfway to his mouth. The surprise on his face would be comical if the subject wasn’t making my hands curl into fists under the table. “Axel, as in yoursonAxel?”

“Yep.”

A slow grin spreads across his face. “The plot thickens.”

“Fucking tell me about it.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re just going to pretend you don’t want her?”

“What else can I do?” I snap, struggling to keep my voice low. “She’s twenty-three. I’m forty-fucking-five. And she’s Axel’s ex.”

“Who gives a shit what Axel thinks?”

I glare at him. “Things are rocky enough between me and Axel as it is without me dating his ex.”

“I’m just saying that life’s too short for regrets. Sometimes you have to go after what you want.”

“What I want is to not fuck up my relationship with my kid any more than I already have.”

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