Page 30 of The Prodigal

He definitely has a headache, and I’m not going to sit here and watch him suffer.

Jumping down, I hand him the fries. “Hold this for me. I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?”

Instead of answering his question, I go with, “Don’t eat my fries!” Let this be a lesson to him of how it feels when he doesn’t immediately get the answers he wants.

Before he can say something shitty, I sprint down the sidewalk to the lobby. “Hey, Bill. I’ll be along to clock in soon—just grabbing dinner.”

Bill grunts, never pulling his eyes from the small TV we keep at the desk.

In the break room, I find the pain reliever that Bill keeps for his knees. He swears when they ache, rain is coming. I’m not sure if he’s right or if it’s a coincidence, but since I’ve been working here, I’ve witnessed his prediction come true a dozen times.

Shaking two pills into my hand, I wave at Bill and hurry back to the laundry, where I find Mr. Liar Liar Pants on Fire. “I thought you weren’t hungry.”

He shoves another fry in his mouth. “Did I say I wasn’t hungry?”

Gah. If he wasn’t both rude and adorable, I’d like to strangle him for a few minutes. Just to make enduring him worth it.

I hold out my hand and offer him the pills. “You said ‘thanks but no thanks.’ I thought that meant you weren’t hungry.”

“You thought wrong.” He takes the pills and eyes me carefully.

“Are you scared they aren’t really pain relievers?”

I mean, it could happen. We don’t know each other all that well. I could be some assassin sent to kill him or something.

I know that’s ridiculous, but really, how well do you know anyone? A few decent hours with someone doesn’t mean they are a good person.

“I don’t have anything to drink.”

His words snap me out of my runaway thoughts. “Oh.” I reach behind him and grab the cup off the washing machine. “Here. I didn’t know what you preferred, so I just got water.”

“Water?” His eyebrows rise, and a ridiculously hot smirk forms on his lips. “I look like a guy who drinks water to you?”

I shrug. “They were out of sacrificial blood of children.”

He barks out a laugh, and I swear to everything holy, it’s the sweetest, sexiest thing I’ve ever heard, but then again, I don’t get out much.

“Be careful, Eve. You’re growing on me.” He tosses back the pills and takes a drink from his cup.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s definitely not a good thing,” he murmurs, more to himself than me.

“Well, it won’t be the first time I found myself with a bad man.” I go to hop back onto the washer when he grabs me by the waist.

“What bad man are you referring to?” His tone has gone from playful to threatening in seconds. It’s not a fun presence to be in.

“I just meant Gerald.” I struggle to hold his hardened gaze. “You know…last night.”

His grip loosens. “Your stepdad?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s your birth father?”

He drops his hand and settles back into his chair. I use the space to create more distance between us and jump back onto the washer. “Don’t know.”

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