“They’ll be paid when I turn thirty and get my trust fund opened up to me.”
I nod sagely. “Ahhhh, I see.” I narrow my eyes at them. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they’re not so willing to help a starving student unless she has future bucks to pay their bill. “Then I guess we just need to see what we can find out, right?” I pat her hand.
“Yes.” She nods at her lawyers. “Go ahead with that. How long will it take?”
“A few weeks. Maybe longer. Depends on what he finds.”
Teagan stands. “Are we done here?”
“Yes. We’ll call you when we have any information.” The main lawyer comes over and holds out his hand. “Just hang in there. We’ll get to the bottom of this and then we can move forward with the suit or settlement.”
Teagan shakes their hands and I wave on the way out. “Come on,” I say. “Let’s go get some cotton candy ice cream.”
“You going to bring some to Jersey?”
I nod, sobering up to the reality that is my life now. “Yes. And then I’m going to go house-hunting with my dad. Not yay!”
Mick stops outside the office door next to me. “You want me to go with you?”
“Nah. I know you have to get back to work.” I pause long enough to give him a hot and heavy kiss. Only Teagan clearing her throat behind me reminds me we’re not in a hotel room with no one watching. I pull away with a slight flush to my cheeks.
“See you later?” he says, brushing his fingers along my jaw before letting them drop.
“Yeah. Later.”
He pinches my butt as I walk away in the opposite direction as him, and I pretend to be mad about it.
“You are so goofy,” Teagan says, getting into her Beetle.
“I know,” I say, sighing with happiness.
She doesn’t start the car right away. She looks over at me, a sad smile in place. “I’m happy for you guys. I really am. I just hope he doesn’t screw it up.”
My heart sinks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She starts the car. “They don’t call him Hellion for nothing.”
I grit my teeth to keep from responding. She’s not in a good place right now, so I can’t hold her kind of sharp words against her.
Best friend asshole pass … delivered.
All the way over to the ice cream store and then back to my parents’ temporary rental house, I stew in her words of warning. Mick would never screw this up. He likes me. I think he might even love me. I have nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
I just wish I could believe that with all my heart, but the fact is, I just don’t. I haven’t known him long enough to know all his secrets and I know nicknames like Hellion aren’t given to guys who always do the right thing.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE knocked on some wood earlier today when I was thinking Mick was all perfect and awesome and totally in love with me. Yeah, right. I am such a fucking idiot sometimes.
It’s eleven o’clock at night and he’s AWOL. He hasn’t returned any of my calls, and a quick trip over to Rebel Wheels reveals that he’s not at work either. Jersey asked for him all night and no amount of reassurances on my part that he’d show up would satisfy him. After he had about two hours’ worth of fits, he finally fell asleep exhausted and in pain. I’m ready to kick some major boyfriend ass.
I tried for hours to keep Teagan out of my mess, but I can’t stand it any longer. I call her number and tap my foot while I wait for her to pick up.
“Yo, ho. What up?”
“Nothing. Do you know where Mick is?”
“Wow, abrupt. Um, no, I don’t know where he is. He’s not with you?”
“No. I expected him all night, but apparently he was too busy.”
“Oh.”
I wait for the rest, but there is no rest.
“Well?” I say, annoyed.
“Well, what?” She’s acting way too innocent.
“You just said ‘Oh’ like there was more to say, but you said nothing after.”
“No, it was just an ‘Oh’. That’s it.”
“Please stop fucking with me Tea. I can’t take it. You know I’m under a lot of stress. Just tell me what’s going on.”
She sighs. “He got called in to work at the club.”
“And you’re just telling me that now?”