Page 13 of The Reality of Us
“Alice doesn’t need a lawyer.”
“That’s not your decision.”
The hard edge to Owen’s words snapped Alice out of her shock. She ignored the itch at the back of her neck and inched away from him, breaking the physical contact between them. Something flickered across his face before disappearing, but she didn’t have time to analyse it.
“It’s fine,” she murmured.
Chris’s thin lips stretched into a saccharine smile. “I knew you’d come to your senses, doll. Now, let’s get you out of this shithole,” he said loudly, and the women watching shot open looks of derision at Chris … and her.
“This place is great,” she snapped, but it was too late. The damage was done.
“Listen—” Owen started, but Alice held up her hand.
“He’s right.” She nodded towards Chris. “This doesn’t involve you.”
“If this guy’s harassing you …” Owen lowered his voice and leant closer to her.
The men with Owen traded a look, and she was so done with this.
Done with everyone telling her what to do.
Done with people expecting her to behave a certain way.
She was supposed to be figuring out where she would sleep that night, for God’s sake. Not dealing with a pissing contest and alienating the locals even more than she already had.
Owen and Chris stared at her.
Everyone stared at her.
Alice almost believed she had eaten bad fish for breakfast from the way her stomach roiled.
“Right. If neither of you will leave, I’ll go. Problem solved.” She brushed past them all, her head held high as she pushed back inside.
She didn’t stop until she was in her room. Even the strange menagerie of animals decorating the walls and light fixtures watched her closely, judging her with their beady little eyes.
She couldn’t keep going like this. Caring so much.
She tore her hair out of its stupid crown braid, her shoes thudding into the wall as she kicked them off and fell face forward onto her bed.
She groaned, burying her face in the floral quilt.
Her life was a disaster. Like always.
And now she’d missed her chance to inspect the only house available in her price range in Wattle Junction until the rest of her ring money cleared. With no active campaigns secured or even promotion opportunities on the horizon, she was determined not to make the same mistakes again.
But why did everything have to be so hard all the time?
“So that’s Alice, huh?” Teddy rocked back on his chair, stretching his long legs out until his feet rested on the corner of the kitchen table. He twisted his shoulder-length dirty blond hair into a bun.
Owen shoved his brother’s legs out of the way as he sat down. Maybe letting Teddy rent the small apartment above his new law office had been a mistake. “It is.”
“Seems like she really enjoyed you butting in,” his older brother Rafferty said without looking up from his phone.
“I especially liked the way she acted like you’d electrocuted her when you touched her. It’s a unique skill to have.” Teddy smirked, crossing his arms behind his head, exuding the casual confidence most twenty-four-year-olds had. “I always assumed you never brought anyone home from the city because you didn’t want to excite Mum, but now I get it. You’re bad with women. You’ve got no game.”
That got a laugh out of Rafferty and Nate, who was rummaging through the fridge. Assholes.
“Shut up. She looked like she needed help.”
