Page 52 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

Was that really what he was talking about on a first date? Geez, no wonder you were thinking of something else.

Or someone, to be exact.

“So, tell me more about you. You’re the one who has moved around and worked in exciting places. You must have stories,” Mike said.

Stories? Oh yeah, she had stories, but not the first-date kind. She really didn’t think a guy like Mike wanted to hear about the first year she spent away from home, how she’d ended up stripping at some dive in Nevada just to get her car fixed. Or about the time she’d been arrested for stealing a waitress’s tip off the table because she had spent her last ten dollars on gas.

“Okay, well, I actually got started working in bars when I was nineteen. I’d been on my own for a little over a year, and I took a job working as a waitress in this little sports bar. The owner, who was a wonderful man, liked my spunk, and by the time I was twenty-one, I was head bartender. I kept advancing until he came to me one day and said, ‘Look, I want to retire, and I think you’ve got a gift for this business. I know you’ve got a little something saved up. Do you want to make a deal?’ ” Caroline took a sip from her wineglass and smiled, “And that’s how I got my first bar.”

The waitress came over to clear their plates, and Caroline heard the faint sound of “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” coming from her purse. She reached inside to grab it. When she glanced at the screen, it was a text from Val.

OMG, I have no idea why, but apparently, Dad is investigating Kyle.

Caroline’s heart started pounding as she remembered Kyle’s grip in her hair. “You fix it . . .”

“Shit,” she said aloud, immediately covering her mouth when she realized Mike and their waitress had heard her. “I’m sorry.”

“Is everything okay?” Mike asked as his handsome face knit with concern.

He really is such a sweet guy. It’s too bad there’s just no spark.

“Yeah, my sister was just giving me an update on some family drama. No big deal.”

“Are you sure? If you need me to drop you somewhere . . .”

“No, I’m good. She’ll fill me in later.”

But Caroline’s fingers itched to call or at least text Val to find out what she knew. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified that her father was looking into Kyle’s past. Kyle could still retaliate. Things could go bad fast.

When Mike paid the check and offered to take her home so she could call her sister, she felt a little guilty that she was more excited than disappointed. But as nice as he was, his touch just didn’t heat her up like Gabe’s did.

Yes, she’d been avoiding Gabe for a week, trying to puzzle through the roller coaster of emotions she was riding. On one hand, she knew what Gabe had told her, that he was no good and she couldn’t count on him. Yet when she’d needed him, he’d been there.

But every time you start to feel like there’s something more to him, he shuts down.

Besides, she didn’t want to add serious complications to their living arrangement. God forbid they hook up and things turn awkward as shit.

Why does it always have to be sex with you anyway? Why can’t you just enjoy the fact that you don’t want to bash his face in every five seconds?

Which was true. Even his little stint into obnoxiousness this evening made her laugh more than want to kick him in his jewels. It was nice to finally not walk on eggshells around him, and he’d even taken care of the kittens a few times. All in all, the roommate thing wasn’t turning out as horrendous as she’d thought.

Well, except the dishes thing . . . and a few times, she’d found some of his dirty clothes suspiciously mixed in with hers. She’d taken the clothes and left them outside his door. Taped to his door, she’d left a note that read, NOT YOUR MAID OR YOUR MOTHER. DO YOUR OWN LAUNDRY.

Of course, the next day he’d retaliated with his own note on the bathroom mirror. HEY CHEWBACCA, HOW ABOUT CLEANING THE DRAIN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE? YOU’RE SHEDDING LIKE A SAINT BERNARD.

A week ago, she probably would have gotten mad, but since the night of Kyle’s attack, something had shifted between them. He was so moody, but when she’d needed him, he’d been there, and she couldn’t ignore the little voice that kept whispering in her head, Maybe he’s different.

Mike pulled over and parked in front of her building, and she realized she hadn’t said a word to him the whole drive back. She’d been too busy thinking about Gabe.

“Thank you for tonight. It was lovely,” she said once he’d come around and opened her door.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

She wasn’t going to say no, and when they reached the top of the stairs, he leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Good night, Caroline.”

“Night,” she said, and as he climbed back down the stairs, she realized that he hadn’t offered to call her or to try again another time.

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