Page 37 of The Way I Hate Him
Yup, sweat just rolled down my ass crack.
This godforsaken town and their inane nosiness.
“Either way, I’m not interested,” Ryland says. “He can fuck off.”
“Ooo, Uncle Ry Ry, that’s a bad word,” Mac says from the table where she’s sitting cross-legged on top, bunching napkins together.
“Sorry,” Ryland says just as my phone buzzes in my hand. I glance down at the screen and see a strange number. Speak of the devil—literally.
I hop off the counter. “Be right back. My new boss.”
Happy to pull myself away from that conversation—I don’t need them seeing my sweat mark—I move out of the kitchen and to the back den where Mac has her playroom. Full of stuffed animals, beds for her stuffed animals, and clothing for her stuffed animals, I unlock my phone and stare at the text.
Hayes:The code to get into my house is 6935. Don’t be late.
I text him back quickly.
Hattie:About that. People are already starting to notice a car driving up to your place, and since my car is bright red and all, it’s not looking good on my end.
Hayes:If you’re trying to get out of this, you’re not going to.
Hattie:I’m not. I’m just . . . trying to figure out a way I can serve my time without getting caught.
Hayes:Serving your time, that’s how you see it?
Hattie:Uh yeah, when you say things like you’re not getting out of it, I’m serving time, so a little help on how I can be inconspicuous would be appreciated.
Hayes:What do you have to hide?
Hattie:Uh, the fact that I’m working for the Antichrist.
Hayes:According to your brother.
Hattie:And a lot of people in town.
Hayes:Because they have their head so far up your brother’s ass that they’ll take his side.
Hattie:None of that matters. What matters is if I’m seen with you, it will be the talk of the town, and my brother very well might disown me. I’ve already lost a sister. I don’t need to lose a brother too. So what the hell should I do?
I stare down at my phone, waiting for a solution from Hayes, so when I find Mac standing right in front of me, I nearly scream.
“Christ,” I say, bringing my hand to my chest. “MacKenzie.”
“Who are you talking to?” she asks, swinging Chewy Charles around in a circle.
“My . . . my boss,” I answer.
“Uncle Ryland told me to tell you the dogs are ready, and it’s rude to make everyone wait for you.”
“Sorry,” I say. She holds her hand out to me. I take it, and she pulls me back toward the kitchen just as my phone buzzes in my hand. I glance at the screen as I’m dragged by a four-year-old.
Hayes:You know where the old barn is outside of town? I’ll leave my car behind it so you can swap and drive that to my house. There are enough bushes and trees to hide yours. Be here at seven.
* * *
“What the hellkind of car is this?” I ask, staring at the SUV I’ve never seen before in my entire life. “And how the hell am I supposed to drive this?”
Of course he’d have some fancy vehicle no one has heard of. What is a Rivian anyway?
