Page 101 of Smokey's Distraction
“That’s cool. So who was the mean-looking one?”
He chuckled. “They all look mean.”
“Good point. And, by the way, so do you …sometimes. Anyway, I was asking about the guy with the black ponytail and deep blue eyes.”
“Our VP—Hawk. I warned you about him.”
“Is he married?”
“Yeah.”
“I won’t ask any more questions, because I already know your answers.” She decided to move on. “Well, Willy’s real nice. He doesn’t have that hard edge your club does. How did you meet him?”
Leaning back in his chair, he kicked his legs out in front of him, crossing one foot over the other. Silence fell between them, and Ashley pushed down her impatience, waiting until he was ready to talk.
“When I was growing up, my number one goal was to endure and escape, which I did when I hit thirteen. I wanted to get as far away as I could from the old bastard, so I headed to Denver, hitching most of the way there.”
“Did you know anyone in Denver?”
“Nope. It was the first time I’d been to a city, and all I wanted to do was survive without drawing too much attention to myself.”
“You must’ve been so scared. I can’t imagine being alone at that age without my family.”
“I wasn’t scared. Living with my dad, I learned to hold my own. I just didn’t want to be sent back home, so I tried to live under the radar.”
“What did you do?”
“For a long time, I slept in all types of places—trains, stairwells, doorways, benches. During the warmer weather, I’d sleep under bridges or in the parks, always getting up before sunset so a badge wouldn’t find me.”
“Did you eat at the shelters?”
“No fuckin’ way—I couldn’t risk it. A minor couldn’t come and go in a shelter, and as hard as living on the streets was, it was a piece of cake compared to living with the old man.”
Ashley’s heart ached for the thirteen-year-old boy. She couldn’t even imagine how horrible it must’ve been. Living in homeless shelters when she was young was hard, but at least she had her family, and they all loved and supported each other.But Smokey—he was all alone.
“I don’t know how you did it.”
He shrugged. “Weed and booze helped. I met a nice lady who took me in, and I stayed with her for a year or so until her old man got out of prison.”
“That was so kind of her. You were lucky she came into your life. Have you kept in contact with her?”
Looking away, he said, “No,” and then cleared his throat. “Do you want another drink?”
“Just one more. I have to work at the shelter tonight, remember? I don’t think it’d be cool if I showed up bombed.” She smiled, but her mind was racing.He’s not telling me everything about this lady who took him in. If I press him, I know he’ll shut down.But maybe she didn’t have to know the whole story. He had the right to keep things from his past to himself, and that was okay.
“Did you want another round?” Jared asked as he approached the table.
“Yeah. What kind of music are the bands playing tonight?” Smokey asked.
“I think tonight is Reggae and Ska. Are you staying?” He shifted his gaze to Ashley, then back to Smokey.
Ashley scooted closer to Smokey. “Do you like Ska?”
Smokey smiled. “Sometimes. What about you?”
“Yeah, I like it.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his before looking up at a surprised Jared.
“After our drink, let’s get the fuck outta here. We have some time before your shift,” Smokey whispered in her ear.
