She tossed the donuts in the trash and poured the coffee down the drain, never mind that the others hadn’t been the one to piss her off. But they’d suffer her wrath just like Gray.
When she was through with her huff, she flopped into her swivel chair and turned her gaze up to the ceiling.
She needed a vacation. A break. Something. Between her mother driving her to drink, her foray into a risqué sex club, and Gray driving her crazy, she was ready for the white suits to come bearing an I-love-me jacket and take her to a padded cell.
Running away wasn’t something she’d ever been tempted to do. All her life, she’d stuck with it, even when sticking with it meant supporting an incompetent mother and her many vices. No, Faith wasn’t a quitter. She had too much work ethic ingrained in her. Closest she’d ever come to running away from anything was when her mother had overdosed and Pop and Connor had come and all but dragged her home with them.
But now? Getting away from the insanity that had become her life in the past few weeks was vastly appealing. Maybe she should hit Pop up for some vacation time. She knew he’d grant it in a heartbeat, because she’d never taken any.
“Quit overreacting,” she muttered.
A vacation did sound awfully good though. She’d definitely have to consider it.
A cautious tap sounded at her door, and she glared in that direction, wondering who the brave fool was who risked her wrath.
Nathan stuck his head in the door and glanced questioningly at her. “Mornin’, Faith. I ah, just wanted to see if you were okay.”
“PMS,” she said, knowing it was the one thing guaranteed to make him haul ass in the opposite direction. And she was right. He couldn’t get out fast enough.
She giggled when he shut the door in a nanosecond. Men were such pussies.
“So what the fuck did you do to piss Faith off? Apart from barge in on her night of hedonistic delight,” Micah said as he and Gray got into Micah’s truck to head to a job.
Micah fumbled around in the glove compartment and dragged out a pack of cigarettes. He flicked his lighter as he backed out of the parking lot then inhaled deeply, briefly closing his eyes.
“Guess you haven’t quit yet,” Gray observed.
Micah cracked his window and flicked his ashes. “Going to answer my question?” he asked, ignoring Gray’s statement.
Gray sighed. “I’m avoiding her, and apparently, it’s pissing her off.”
“Can’t imagine why,” Micah said dryly.
“It’s for the best.”
Micah took a long drag from his cigarette and looked mournfully at the glowing tip. “Damn things are going to kill me, but I spent too many years smoking on the job. Hard as hell to kick the habit.”
“Why’d you quit?” Gray asked curiously.
“The job or the cigarettes?” Micah joked.
Gray laughed.
Micah’s expression turned serious. “Just had enough.”
For a moment, Gray could swear he read deep sadness in Micah’s expression. Micah tossed the cigarette out the window and immediately reached for another. His fingers shook as he fumbled with the lighter. Gray sensed there was a lot more to it than he’d “had enough,” but he didn’t feel comfortable prying, and Micah didn’t seem inclined to offer further explanation.
They rode in silence for several minutes before Micah flicked the butt out the window and looked back over at Gray.
“You can’t avoid her forever, you know. She deserves better than that anyway.”
Gray didn’t respond, but then what could he say?
Faith sighed when she heard a tapping at her office door. When she didn’t respond, the door opened, and Nathan tentatively stuck his head around. “Is it safe to come in?” he asked.
“Will you go away if I say no?”
“Uh, no, I need a favor,” he said, giving her a charming grin.
“You’re either really brave or really stupid,” she muttered.
His grin got bigger as he pushed farther into the room. “My mama always said I was her brightest child.”
“Were your siblings particularly stupid?” she asked dryly.
He adopted a wounded look and clutched his chest. He ambled over and slouched in a chair in front of her desk, still holding his chest like she’d inflicted a mortal blow.
“What’s the favor?” she asked in resignation.
To her surprise, his cheeks darkened. She raised a brow, intrigued by his reaction.
“I, uh, wondered if you’d go with me to get my ear pierced,” he mumbled.
Her mouth fell open, and laughter bubbled in her throat. “You’re going to get it done? Really?”
He fidgeted and rubbed his left ear. “Yeah, I think so. But I don’t really know where to go. Well, not a place where I wouldn’t feel like a dumb-ass anyway.”