Page 24 of Fierce-Hyde

“I was thinking the same thing,” he said.

“I didn’t know what to expect tonight,” she said. “I’ll be honest and say that I worried I’d lose my patience or say something snarky to you. I don’t do that and it bothered me that I thought it’d happen.”

“Trust me,” he said. “There is part of me that is just waiting for me to put my foot in my mouth again too and that will most likely bring the sarcasm out of you.”

“I’m not sarcastic,” she said. “I don’t see the need for it. What I say, you know where I’m coming from.”

Which told him she was livid and not holding it back in some of their encounters. He’d have to keep that in mind if they went on another date.

He wanted to go on another date too.

It’d been too long since he looked at a woman and thought it’d be nice to get to know her rather than hop in bed.

The last person was Shana and that turned out so well. She didn’t even believe he was trying to change.

“That’s not a terrible trait to have,” he said. “Tell me about yourself. I mean, I know what you do in terms of work. You know what I do. What made you want to go into that field?”

“I'm not sure this date is long enough for me to go into that.”

That was interesting. “You’ve got drama in your life too?” he asked, running his hand across his forehead. “Thank God I’m not alone.”

She laughed. “Everyone has drama in their life at some point,” she said. “Mine comes from my mother. Let’s just say as an adult, she struggles to help herself. I spent most of my life looking after her. Setting up budgets and routines and schedules so she did what she should.”

“Does she have any disabilities that you have to do that?”

“No,” she said. “Why?”

“Just curious. I don’t know too many people that have had to do that for most of their parents’ life unless there was a reason they couldn’t care for themselves.”

“She chooses to live like an immature irresponsible person most of the time.”

“Is she a nuisance to society?” he asked.

She frowned. “No.”

“I’m not trying to make you angry, but I’m probably doing that. It’s that I’m curious. If she’s not hurting herself or anyone else, why not let her go and learn from it?”’

“Because she doesn’t learn from it,” she said, sighing. “Trust me, I tried. I end up picking up the pieces and listening to the problems in the end regardless so if I can avoid some of those calls it’s for the best.”

Which could be why she usually talked to her mother rather than texted because she didn’t want any misunderstanding with her.

“Are your parents not together?” he asked.

“My father left when I was ten and my mother couldn’t handle it. That is about when I stepped up.”

“That stinks,” he said. “It’s like you weren’t able to be a kid? Right?”

She shut one eye at him. “I was still a kid, just had a lot more responsibility. At least in most people’s eyes. I’m not saying my life is horrible or was horrible, just there was drama. You asked how I ended up in the counseling field. It’s simple. I’ve been helping people most of my life and it comes naturally to me. I like what I do.”

He knew not to say much more now. He didn’t want this date to take a turn for the worse.

“Everyone should enjoy what they do, but it doesn’t happen often.”

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t. Why did you go for engineering? I know you and Ryder grew up and went to college together, but he’s an architect.”

“I always loved drawing and putting things together. Maybe growing up in and out of their house I saw things and learned that way. Not sure. As you know, I just came back to the area. I never thought I’d return.”

“Everyone should be able to go home if they need to,” she said softly.

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