Page 24 of Hell or High Water

Oh. I hadn’t considered that. My parents had rarely let me miss school. If I’d stayed home, it had better be a sickness worthy of an ER visit.

“Sickly kid?”

She shook her head and dropped her gaze back to the menu. “No. Mom…” She paused. “Mom struggled with getting up early. She worked late nights. When she did wake up, she wanted to spend time with me.”

I’d fucked a lot of strippers. And I couldn’t imagine one of them being a mom. What kind of life had that been?

“You stayed home at night, alone, when you were young?”

She shook her head, but didn’t look at me. “No.” The word sounded as if I’d asked a stupid question. “Ms. Bartheson, a retired lunchroom lady who lived across the street, stayed the nights when Mom worked.”

“Why didn’t she get you up in the mornings and get you to school?”

Montana sighed and closed the menu before giving me those green eyes again. “Because when Mom got home around four or five, she was already up, having her coffee, and would go home. Why are you asking me all these questions?”

I shrugged. “Making conversation.”

Kevin was back with our sweet teas and placed them on the table. “Ready to order?” he asked, and Montana might as well have been the only person at the table as far as he was concerned.

Did she flash that smile on purpose? Because the dude was already salivating.

“I’ll have the bar burger, please. Medium,” she told him. “With fries.”

I picked up her menu and held out both to Kevin, causing him to have to look my way. “Sweet bourbon, medium rare, fries.”

He nodded and put the order into his iPad, then lifted his head to ogle Montana again. “Can I get you anything else?”

She shook her head since she was the one he seemed to be asking.

“That will be all,” I told him.

He barely glanced my way, then hurried off.

“Do you do that shit on purpose?”

She frowned. “What?”

I chuckled. She had the innocent look down. That was for damn sure.

“Kevin is sporting a fucking boner.”

Her eyes widened, but only briefly. She leaned back and raised her eyebrows as she gave me a pointed look. “It can’t be because of me. I’m a…what, six, or is it lower?”

That was bothering her. I smirked. She knew she wasn’t a fucking six. But if she was fishing for a compliment, she wasn’t getting it from me.

“Eh, maybe if you fixed yourself up.”

The briefest glint of disappointment in her eyes was masked immediately by a bright smile. “See, not my fault. It must have been you who gave him the boner.”

Ten

Montana

After a Sunday reading in my room while Than watched football and barely acknowledged me, being around other people had been a little jolting. But I’d survived it and even enjoyed myself at times.

I’d found all my classes, been invited to sit with a girl I’d met in Economics—Kate Metree. She had just transferred here at the beginning of the year. Her dad had gotten a job in Jackson, and they’d moved from Florida.

Through her, I met Ariel, Tabby, Nia, and in a roundabout way, Crew Owen. Quarterback of the football team. He came to the table we were eating at and spoke to Kate first, then asked who her new friend was. After that, he told Nia to move down one and took the seat beside me. Crew had made it clear with his attention that he didn’t rank me as a six.

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