Page 25 of For the Love of Animals

It was. And when he smiled at me, I wanted the other woman, whoever she was, to be gone as well.

And then when I took his hand, it didn’t feel awkward like I’d feared. No, it felt entirely too normal, and that was what scared me.

CHAPTER 10 - CARMEN

NATE LED ME into the restaurant, and Pedro behind the counter stared unblinking as we walked all the way to the back. Nate scowled as he pulled out a chair for me.

“Hasn’t that cabrón ever seen a pretty girl before?”

I didn’t know whether to be pleased that Nate thought I was pretty or pissed because he’d insulted a friend of mine. In the end, I went with both. As a woman, I was perfectly capable of multitasking.

“I’ve known Pedro since school. He’s most likely surprised because I’m with a man who isn’t my brother.”

The creep, Antonio, had always refused to eat in my favourite little hole-in-the-wall joints, favouring expensive restaurants instead. My fault for dating a businessman who owned a fancy imported BMW, I’d soon realised. He always thought he was better than everyone else—that and being clingy were just two of his many, many faults.

“Now who’s acting jealous?” I asked.

Nate didn’t bother to answer, just shuffled over a little on the bench seat so our legs touched.

“Pedro’s been married to his high school sweetheart for two years. I went to their wedding.”

“Good. I’m happy for them.”

“What car do you drive?” I asked Nate.

“A Porsche. Why?”

Shit.

“No reason.”

“There’s always a reason.”

“I don’t like men who drive expensive cars.”

“You wouldn’t like me if I drove a fifteen-year-old Honda.”

I had to laugh. “True.”

“What did he do to you?”

“Who?”

“Expensive-car-dude.”

“How do you know it was one person in particular? Maybe I just hate capitalists.”

“What if I’m just a regular guy who won the lotto?”

“And bought a really expensive gun?”

“Says the woman shooting the AWM.”

“Expensive-car-dude gave me a diamond bracelet. I sold it to buy the AWM.” Nate was looking at me funny. Well, kind of past me, into the distance, except there wasn’t any distance because there was a wall there. “Why are you staring like that?”

“No reason.”

“There’s always a reason.”

---