Page 76 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
Sonovabitch! What was wrong with me? I’d been doing so well at keeping my attitude in check, but today my pent-up bitchy retorts were coming out like a tidal wave. Though, in my defense, this guy had it coming.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Was he laughing at me? Asshole.
“Listen,” he said, “I think we’d better clear the air. Silas reamed my ass last week because I was a dick to you and I promised him I’d make it right.”
I stifled a smug grin at the thought of Silas setting Paxon straight. “Fine,” I muttered. “Just let me grab a coffee.” I didn’t offer to buy him a refill. He could pay for his own drinks.
With a huge mocha in hand, I returned to his table.
“Chitchat first or should I just get to the point?” he asked.
I did like people that cut right to it. “By all means, let’s get this blessed event over with.”
He grinned. “So, you gotta know. Silas and I met not long after he joined the army. He was fucked up about you back then. It took years for him to open up about what had happened when you guys were kids but that hurt was still there. I’ll always take his back so it shouldn’t surprise you that I don’t like you much.”
That hurt. It came as no surprise but it still didn’t feel good to hear. Silas had let me off easy that night at the café when I’d apologized. I hated that he’d taken my leaving so hard and that it had taken him years to get over it.
“You should know,” I said, “that I never meant to hurt him, but I was a stupid kid, not that it’s any excuse.”
“Yeah, well, he also set me straight that things had changed. Sorry about the other night. Some of those hits were below the belt.”
“Thank you,” I sat back, a bit stunned. “Apology accepted.”
He chuckled and took a sip of his coffee. “Well, fuck. That was easier than I thought it would be.”
“Really? What did you expect?”
“I was prepared for you to dump hot coffee on my lap. I guess I always pictured you with horns and a forked tail.”
“Hmm.” I took a sip of my coffee but didn’t respond. He’d see my horns and forked tail if he ever mentioned one of Silas’s old hook-ups again. And if this nice-guy apology was all a ruse, my coffee wasn’t going in his lap; he’d be getting it in the face.
“So, you just moved back?”
“Yep.” I took another sip.
“And your family is still here?”
I set down my cup and studied his face. His eyes were smiling and he looked genuinely interested in my answer. Okay, he was trying. I’d give him credit for that. And it would mean a lot to Silas if we could get along, so I sat all the way back in my chair and decided to give Paxon Montero another chance.
“Yes, my family is all still here. What about you? You’re from California?”
He nodded. “Born and bred.”
“What made you decide to go into the military?”
“Funny story.”
For the next hour, I got to know Paxon Montero. Turned out, he wasn’t much of an asshole. On the contrary, he was a big sweetheart and I was glad that we’d been able to start over.
“You’re easy to talk to, Felicity,” he said as we walked outside.
Though our conversation had started out light, with stories from his adolescence and how he’d found himself enlisted in the army, time had passed and Paxon had become more serious. He’d confided in me about some of the horrors he’d seen in Iraq, and it was clear that he was struggling with demons he’d brought home from overseas.
“I’m always looking for coffee companions. Call me anytime,” I said.
“You mean that?”
I answered by giving him my phone number.
