Page 40 of Hell or High Water

“My, uh, having to do the virtual-school thing—I mean, I won’t have a car to go anywhere, and there isn’t anyone I’m going to tell about Jericho. There is no need for you to be here all the time. You can have a life.”

He cut his eyes at me. “You trying to get rid of me?” The teasing lilt to his tone wasn’t expected.

“Not exactly, but you have a life and friends.”

He shrugged. “I talked to Linc. Since you can’t go to school, he said taking you to the house and bringing you around my friends would be okay. Neither of us wants to stay in this cabin all the time.”

My eyes widened in surprise. He was going to bring me around his friends? Who was he going to tell him I was?

“What about my identity being a secret? I mean…you have a girlfriend, don’t you?” Who I didn’t want to meet. She was probably stunning.

He laughed. “I don’t do girlfriends. Too much commitment and drama.”

My curiosity was piqued about the girl he’d talked to on the phone. But admitting I’d heard him having phone sex was ano way in hell. I took a bite of my lasagna and momentarily got distracted by how delicious it was. I bit back a moan. I glanced at the pan he’d brought it in and saw there was more than half left. I was going to want more of this.

“It’s good, huh?” he said.

I nodded as I chewed. I wished I could cook like Jayda, but Mom hadn’t been much of an eater, so we never cooked unless it was a holiday in our house. We ate a lot of salads with low-fat salad dressing. Carbs like this was not something Momma had ever bought.

“That’s divine,” I replied after I swallowed, wanting to shove more into my mouth like a starved little kid. I refrained since I had an audience.

“Jayda can cook,” he agreed. “She’s better than Wilma, the cook at our house, but if you ever repeat that, I’ll deny it.”

Before taking another bite, I pointed out the obvious. “And who would I tell that to?”

He smirked. “You’ll be around the guys I live with regularly, starting tomorrow. I have to work, and instead of leaving you here alone all day, I’m going to take you with me to work. We always need some help at the front desk, too, so if you get done with your work in time, I can show you things to keep you busy.”

While I savored my next mouthful, I let that information sink in. He was taking me to his work. I didn’t even know where he worked.

Once I swallowed, I asked him, “Where is it you work?” since he was so sure his boss wouldn’t mind me being there. I’d thought he must work for Linc, but considering I didn’t know what Linc did, I was lost.

“Carver’s Bootleg Whiskey.” He drawled out the words with a grin.

“Like the bottle of whiskey you had last night,” I said.

He nodded. “Only whiskey a Carver will drink. Our own.”

“Your family owns it then.”

“Yep. Great-grandfather was a bootlegger. He made the best moonshine this side of the Mississippi. My grandfather started the distillery, using his father’s recipe, but made it the way whiskey was supposed to be made since it was no longer illegal. TheBootlegin the name is a nod to his father for teaching him the science of it.”

That was cool. I had more questions, but he’d been sitting there with his forkful for a while now, so I shut up.

“How do you feel about action movies?” he asked.

The change in topic took me by surprise. Picking up my water, I took a drink to wash down the food before responding, “I prefer them.”

Momma had hated them, so we normally watched romance comedies.

A slow smile spread across his face, and my insides warmed.

“Perfect,” he drawled, then glanced over at the television. “When we’re done, let’s watch a movie. I was thinking something classic. LikeBourne Identity.”

This day was getting weirder with every passing minute.

I narrowed my eyes as I studied him. “Why would you want to watch a movie with me? First, you take me horseback riding, and now this. What is it you’re not telling me?” There, I’d asked it. Point-blank. Gotten it out there.

First, his lips quirked, and then he threw his head back and laughed. Crossing my arms over my chest, I waited. It was a legit question, and his laughter could be a cover-up. I wanted him to answer me.

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