Page 44 of The Proposal Pact
Surprised she actually answered my question, I lift one eyebrow, watching her small frame on the bench. Greek, huh? That explains her golden skin and fiery attitude, I guess.
“I thought I had to buy you a drink to get any information out of you?”
Sophie waves me off. “We’ve moved onto the next level already. Come on, Shrek, keep up.” My lips twitch in amusement that I mask with chin rub. The feeling slightly foreign on my face.
“Shrek?”
“Yeah, with all the layers like an onion, you know?” She waves her hand around.
“Uh-huh. And what level are we on now?”
“Oh my gosh,” Sophie shrieks out of nowhere, jolting from her spot in the cell.
“What? What it is?” My whole body is on alarm instantly. Is she hurt? Did I miss an injury when taking her out of that fountain?
“I remember why I was in the fountain,” she whisper-shouts dramatically, clutching the bars with her small fingers, those brown eyes wide saucers.
I slump back in my seat, running my tongue over my teeth and pondering at exactly which point in my life did I piss God off this much? Because not only did he send this little menace into my life to wreak havoc, but somehow, he made me care about her…what the fuck?…I nearly jumped out of my own skin when she shrieked.
“And?”
“I was hungry.”
“Sooo, you went looking for food in the fountain?”
“No, I went looking for the best grilled cheese Loverly Cave has to offer and then rub it in Vassar’s stupid face.” There she goes with that name again.
The burn returns.
“But then I remembered that I wanted to go swimming after the bar, but Luke wouldn’t let us. The ocean was too far. The fountain, right there.”
“Who’s Vassar?” The words come out more like a whip rather than a question.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Marsha’s raised eyebrow at my sharp tone.Don’t look at me like that, Marsha. I have fucking indigestion.
“Relax, Sheriff Hot Asshole. He’s just my older brother, so I won’t actually kill him and you won’t have to arrest me again, but you know what? You should totally arrest Vas! He’s the reason I’m in here.”
“In Loverly Cave?”
“No, in this prison.”
“You’re not in prison yet.”
“I don’t like that ‘yet’ in there.”
“You were saying something about Vassar being at fault before.”
“Oh, yeah, so like I was saying, it’s all his fault because he made me drink. Well, not literally, but he was being an ass and I needed to unwind. Hence, the drinks.”
“I’m afraid to ask what he dared say to you?”
“He accused me of being an unstable child! Can you believe that?” she shrieks.
I look over the epitome of unstable tiny menace, damp from taking a swim at the fountain, but since I already have enough problems on my plate and she’s not one of them, I say, “Nope, can’t believe it.”
“See, you get it! So what I left my job and moved across the country? He can suck it! I’m an adult! I’m a stable adult. I’m not the child he thinks I am. He wants me to prove it? Oh, I’ll show him! I’ll show him real good!”
“May I ask how? Just so I can be prepared ahead of time.”
