Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37508 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37508 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
“Thatch?” She smiled. “I like it. So, Thatcher, Thatch, and Skid. A man of many names and talents.”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“I know the guys taught you how to work on engines.” She leaned forward as she asked, “What else did they teach you?”
“Things like loyalty and trust, and how to work hard and play harder, and everything in between.”
“So, they taught you how to be a man.”
“Yeah, I guess they did.” I leaned back in my chair as I said, “Don’t get me wrong. My pops taught me a lot, too. He was a hard ass. Hell, he never let me get away with anything, but he was always there when I needed him.”
“There was a time when I could say that about my father, but no such luck anymore.”
“I hate to hear that.”
“It’s just the way things go sometimes. It’s okay, though. There are a lot of people out there who have it a lot worse.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any easier for you.”
She shrugged. “I’ve got Baylor. She’s all I really need.”
“You’re a good mom. She’s lucky to have you.”
“We’re lucky to have each other.” Laken smiled as she asked, “Have you ever thought about having kids?”
“I haven’t put a lot of thought into it, but yeah. I figure I’ll have a couple.” I gave her a slight smirk. “I just gotta find the right girl first.”
“Yeah, that might help.”
We continued to talk until the waitress came over with our drinks. She placed them on the table as she said, “Your dinner will be out in a minute.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Once she was gone, I turned my attention back to Laken. I sat there a moment, just watching her, and it was hard not to be a bit spellbound. She was so damn beautiful. And she was smart and determined and a hell of a mother who was giving it her all to give her kid a decent life. I couldn’t believe someone hadn’t already snatched her up and claimed her.
I was wondering if that someone could be me when she noticed me staring. “Is something wrong?”
“I was just trying to figure out how I got lucky enough to be sitting at this table with you.”
“I think you’ve got it wrong, Skid. I’m a walking mess with more baggage than you can imagine.”
“You seem to be holding your own.”
“It might look that way, but I’m not.” She shook her head and let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve got a daughter whose father wants nothing to do with her. A family that kicked me out the door and stopped talking to me the minute I decided to keep her. I’m barely hanging onto a job that’s about as bad as it can get, and I live in an apartment that’s barely an apartment. And I can’t even keep the lights on…”
She stopped mid-sentence, and the color drained from her face when she realized she’d said too much. I leaned forward as I asked, “What do you mean you can’t keep the lights on?”
“Nothing,” she clipped. “It’s fine. I’m working on it.”
“Laken.” My gut twisted. “How long have you been without power?”
She held my gaze, but she didn’t answer. After a moment, she grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth. “I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know. But I’m not looking for a handout or your pity.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
I started to rise, but she was already shaking her head. “I mean it, Skid. You’ve been kind, and I will never forget that. But this…” She motioned her hand between us. “This was never supposed to turn into charity.”
Before I could say another word, she turned and started for the door. I was about to go after her when the waitress showed up at the table with our food. I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. I offered it to the waitress as I said, “Sorry, but we’ve gotta cut this short. You mind boxing this up?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Appreciate it.” I eased past her as I said, “I’ll be right back.”
I made my way to the door, but when I stepped outside, there was no sign of Laken. I called out, but she didn’t answer. Only a few heads turned to see what the commotion was about, but nothing led me to find her. She’d either gotten in a taxi or caught the bus. Either way, she was gone.
I went back inside and waited for the waitress to finish boxing up the food. I gave her a tip, thanked her, and with my hands full of our boxed-up dinner, I headed out to the truck. I tossed the food into the passenger seat, then slid behind the wheel and slammed the door.
I sat there, staring out the window as I tried to figure out how I’d made such a mess of things, and what I was going to do about it. I don’t know how long I sat there, but the answer didn’t come. For the first time in a long time, there was something I didn’t have a clue how to fix. But I knew one thing for sure.