Page 86 of Prickly Pair
I reached across his kitchen counter, closing my hand over his. I gave him a squeeze as he looked into my eyes.
“I . . . I don’t even know where to start with my life,” I finally said. “I mean, I grew up here. It was kind of fucked up. Part of the reason why I fought with Austin so much when we were kidsis because he had everything I wanted. Parents, siblings, and a house.”
I swallowed hard and grabbed our plates, taking them to a small cozy dining room table. He’d clearly tidied, but there was still a stack of board game boxes against the window.
“Why doesn’t he like you?” Matthew asked.
“Oh, definitely because I stole like three of his girlfriends in high school and I stole his wallet twice. I picked fights with him all the time. Broke his nose at least once.”
“Nick,” Matthew laughed. “What the fuck?”
I winced. “I was kind of a bad kid. I’ve never really explained to him why. I think if he knew he’dmaybedislike me less. But I was really on my own after fifteen. My mom didn’t want me. Never wanted to be a parent. And I don’t know what the hell happened to my dad. Honestly I don’t even think she knew who he was.”
Matthew winced. “Knew? Is she still . . . here?”
“Well, she’s still alive. We don’t speak, though,” I said. “I just remind her of hard times.”
“That’s fucked up, Nick. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I looked down at my food, trying to remember the last time someone cooked for me. I couldn’t. “Um, so I graduated somehow. Left Whynot with nothing. Managed to pick up some construction jobs. A couple families helped me out that I met through those jobs. Then I learned how to play poker.”
“Poker?” Matthew poured us each sparkling water into fancy glasses. I smiled as I grabbed one and we clinked them together, each taking a sip.
“Yeah,” I said. “Okay, so,finallyI get to tell someone how the fuck I ended up doing what I do. Not even Evie really knows. Not that it’s a secret. Anyway, I got good at poker. Like,reallygood at it. I was working jobs, barely getting by. But I started playingpoker with the little money I had, and I was tripling it. Making it back fast.”
“Remind me to never play poker with you.”
A laugh bubbled up. “Don’t worry, I’d go easy on you. So, I got into business school. Funded the whole thing from my games. That led me into the hospitality industry. I made some good investments.” It’d all been a string of good luck, one thing after the other. And hell, I’d deserved it after everything I’d gone through. “The day I found Lucky, I bought some stock in this one small company no one knew about. I just had a gut feeling. Awhy not, if you will. And it just blew up. So, I used all that money to invest more, and I’ve been lucky.”
“So what you’re saying is that you’re rich,” he teased.
“I mean, I feel like it,” I said. “Especially with how I grew up. I think sometimes I hold on to money when I shouldn’t, but . . . yeah. I’m lucky. So hopefully Whynot Relax doesn’t fail.”
“I don’t think it will,” Matthew said thoughtfully. “We know, at the very least, that Austin should be a client of yours.”
For some reason, that made my stomach flutter with nerves. I smothered them with an easy smile. “I can think of other ways for him to relax.”
I took a bite of food and groaned, my shoulder dropping. It was so fucking good.
“My sister’s recipe,” he said.
“You have a sister?”
“Yep. Two actually, and a brother.”
“Are you the oldest or youngest?”
Matthew smirked. “Guess.”
“I guess oldest.”
“You didn’t even think for a moment I’m a middle child?”
“Not at all,” I laughed. “Hmm . . . And your parents?”
“Amazing,” he sighed. “Maybe you’ll meet them sometime soon.”
I smiled. “Oooh. I’ve never met someone’s parents before.”
