Page 5 of Saved By the Grump

“A gray car, with one flickering light,” She glances behind her again. “Or a sketchy looking man.”

Sketchy looking? What the fuck does that mean? Is she delusional too?

I don’t answer her.

Instead, I walk a little into the dark walkway where she just emerged from. I glance around and go deep enough searching for any signs of life. On the off chance that she's really in danger, I don't want to discredit what she says.

Nothing but wind greets me.

"No one's there," I say when I come back.

She glances back in that direction and then shakes her head. "No...I could have sworn..." She doesn't finish.

I check on the car instead of addressing her. Shit, there's a scratch in my fender. Probably from her bag.

And I bend down to inspect it even more.

“I’m...I’m sorry," she mutters quickly, drawing my eyes back to her. She’s red-faced now as she says, “I’ll pay for it.”

“Damn right, you will,” I retort, not because I need the money. I'm mostly still irritated that a drunk careless woman damaged my car. I want to teach her a lesson. Kids like her probably grew up with rich parents who never taught them that actions have consequences. Probably thinks she can just go through life making her screw-ups other people's problems.

Well, she'll learn today.

“You don’t have to be mean about the whole thing, you know?” she says in a quiet voice, although I can sense the tiny indignant look she shoots me. It's like, even amid the shame, she's still disgruntled.

“Oh, you haven’t seen me being mean yet, kid,” I say. “You fucking scratched my car. I'm well within my rights to be a real asshole to you.”

“And I already said I was sorry, didn’t I?” she shot back. “I’m sorry I scratched your car and I’ll pay for it. But I told you I thought someone was following me, that’s why. It’s not like I did it for kicks.”

Likely story. “No one is fucking there. And if someone was really 'following you,' then why were you walking alone? And in a secluded area too.

She blushes again and ducks her head. "I wanted to take the scenic route, okay? Yes, maybe it was stupid, but I really thought someone was following me."

"Right."

Temper shoots out of her eyes again. "You're saying I'm lying?"

“What I’m saying is that you’re probably drunk and delusional and prone to making bad decisions. Obviously." I glance pointedly down at her clothes. Landon is pretty safe, but it is a college town. Call me old-fashioned or whatever but in my opinion, nowhere is safe enough for a woman that looks like her to be walking around looking like this.

She narrows her eyes at me. “What’sthatsupposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. We all know the world is full of animals but no need for you to make it easier for them, kid.”

She gasps at me in disbelief, and it takes a few seconds before she speaks. “First of all, I’m not a kid, and second of all, did you just ask me to take responsibility for what predatory men might do to me?”

“No, I'm asking you to act like you’ve got some damn common sense," I say. “The fuck are you walking down here for?”

"I already told you!" She runs her hand through her hair, agitation in her gestures. "And this isn't entirely my fault either. Because if you'd been looking where you were going, it wouldn't have happened."

"Right. I'm sure this is my fault too." Of course, she would try to shirk responsibility for her mistake.

I move closer to her and I notice her eyes drop to my chest before returning back to mine. I’m schooled enough to note the blush that colors her cheeks and the darkness in her eyes. It's clear attraction and she’s too drunk to shield it well.

She’s an attractive woman and tension tightens in my gut that has nothing to do with the irritation. Something stirs in me that I haven't felt in a long time. By the time I’m standing a foot away, I don’t know if I want to throttle her or take a bite out of her.

To be honest, it’s probably a bit of both.

But I’m way too old to be controlled by my urges, so I simply say, "Insurance."

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