“Those assholes kicked the hell out of you over the money you owe for your mother.”
Her mouth twists in a frown. “I’m clear on the details. You don’t need to remind me. I know how bad things are. I’m finished with it all. In fact”—she sits forward, hesitancy in her eyes—“I’m getting a new job. Two if I can swing it. I’ll work day and night to pay off my debt. I already sent out job applications, and I have a good lead at Blue.”
My shoulders tense. The fuck?
“Blue Casino? The place that fired my sister? The place where Gen was nearly raped? Are you fucking crazy, Mira?”
Annoyance fires behind her gaze. “I can’t be picky, can I? It’s a position as an assistant to a director. Kind of a long shot, but it pays well. If I work nights as a dealer and days as an assistant at Blue, I’ll be able to save a ton of money over the next couple of months.”
I hate the idea that she applied for a job at Blue. That’s like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. “You can’t work at Blue. That place is bad news.”
“This is an executive position. It’s not on the floor. Nothing will happen up there. Besides, I doubt I’ll even get the job.”
I shake my head, not paying attention to her logic or illogic. “No. Not there.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Tyler!” She leaps to her feet, one hand supporting her ribcage for a second before planting on her hip, as if her ire won’t be deterred by the beating she’s still recovering from. “I told you because you were being a pain in the ass about everything and snooping around. Now I wish I hadn’t. I should have known I couldn’t trust you.”
She can’t trust me? I stand and march across the room to the counter, grabbing my wallet and keys. I climb a couple of rungs of the loft staircase, jerk a short-sleeved button-down off the floor, and slip it on over my T-shirt.
“You wanna be on your own? Fine. I’m outta here.”
Chapter Eleven
I order another beer from the waitress at Avalanche, while my buddy Phil curls a slice of pizza in half and shoves a good majority of it in his mouth.
“You’re living with a chick?” he mumbles over the food.
I glance around the crowded pizza joint, hopping with locals getting their drink on, and search out our waitress. It’s only been thirty seconds since I ordered, but I need that second beer.
Mira has to leave. That, or we’re going to kill each other. Which means I need to find her another living situation. All my local buddies have suddenly shacked up with their girlfriends. My options are limited, but Mira’s aren’t. She could live with Lewis’s parents, where she grew up. She’s just choosing to be stubborn.
Because she is a pain in my ass.
“I gotta get her out, man. Can’t live with that girl. You don’t know what she’s like.”
“Didn’t you say she was beautiful?”
Did I mention that? Dammit.
Phil raises his eyebrows, and I pluck at the front of my T-shirt. Is it hot in here? “That’s not the point.”
Phil takes a gulp of beer and wipes his hands on the thin napkins. “Best way to get rid of a woman is to find another.”
“I don’t need another woman,” I grumble. “I need the one who’s contaminating my hideaway to get out.”
“No, I know, man. That’s what I’m saying. Bring another chick around. This girl, Mira, she’ll get pissed and take off.”
Oh, fucking hell. Why did I bother telling my old high-school buddy the situation? Phil’s an amazing mountain biker, but he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
“It’s not like that. She won’t get jealous. She’s not into me,” I say, biting off my words. There was a time when Mira was into me and I didn’t realize it, until I was practically inside her.
I shake my head. This isn’t the same.
Phil swigs his pint, studying me. “Doesn’t matter, man. We’re all animals when it comes down to it. She’ll get territorial. Men duke it out until they land on top.” He snickers at his joke. “Women, though—dude, they’re manipulative and vocal. They yell and stomp until you cower. Don’t cower. Whatever you do, remain on top. Bring other women around. Mira will get the picture. She’ll realize she’s lost her territory and either take off, or stay away from the house as much as she can.”
Jesus, I’m being lectured about biology by my local buddy, who never left Lake Tahoe. The worst part is, some of this crap makes sense.
“You’re missing the point, Phil. I don’t want to live with Mira. If she gets pissed and stays away from the house, she’s still under the same roof. And how is replacing Mira with some other nameless girl a solution? I’m not like you and the rest of our friends. I don’t want to live with a woman—well, my sister is different. You know what I mean.”
