Waving it away, she smiles. “It’s fine.” She shakes her head. “Not really, but that was a couple of months ago. I’m really fine. Now that I’m on the other side of it, I’m glad it happened. He… well, he wasn’t the man I thought he was, and I learned he wasn’t the kind of man I want to end up with. I want an honest, stand-up guy.”
I’m tempted to ask her what she means by that, but a waitress approaches to ask us what we’d like to order. We both select a beer on tap along with fried pickles, a cheeseburger each, and a basket of fries. Once the waitress leaves, it’s quiet for the first time since we ran into each other.
“So, you’re okay now?” I ask softly.
“Single and ready to mingle,” Kat says with a smile. Then she adds, “Just kidding. No, I feel good. It was difficult, sure, but for the best. I really mean that.”
“That’s good.”
She reaches out and taps the top of my hand with one of her fingers. “I know there’s more, Gage, so spill. Tell me everything that’s going on with you.”
My eyes find hers, and I know for certain she’s sincere. She cares. The question is, can I trust her?
She must be a mind reader, because she holds up three fingers and says, “I won’t tell a soul. Scout’s honor.”
“You were a scout?”
“Sure. I was a Girl Scout, a Brownie,anda Bluebird.”
“Wow. Okay. Consider yourself vetted.”
“Awesome.”
So I talk. I tell her everything—well, not anything related to the case, but everything from the moment I saw Daisy’s eye in the small opening in her door to today and the events that landed her in jail. I think I’ve shocked her with the last part.
“She’s in jail? Right now?” She points down at the table.
“I believe so, yes.”
“And you can’t help her?”
Our food arrives, and we go quiet as we open our utensils and prepare to eat.
“Not right now, no,” I finally reply. “One of the guys I was working with, Lance Finch, said he’d do what he could.” And for some fucking reason, I believe him. “She’s going to be upset.” I don’t think Daisy is going to understand that I was in no position to barter for her release. As angry as the captain was, anything I tried would have probably made things worse for her. I shrug. “Maybe it’s a sign.”
“Oh, so nowyou’reall about fate?” Kat smirks as she bites into a fried pickle dipped in ranch dressing. “You want to know what I think?”
“Sure.” Why not?
“I think she’d be crazy not to understand the situation you’re in.”
I’m listening. “You think?”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“Because, Gage, you’re what we single women call a unicorn.”
I put my hand on the top of my head.
Nope. No horn.
“A what?” Then I laugh. “What the hell does that mean?”
Taking a drink from her beer, Kat explains. “A unicorn is a guy who’s the whole package. A unicorn is kind, sexy, smart, and loyal. They love their woman with everything they’ve got. They’re protective, but not in a bad way. They’re rare. Like the unicorn.”
“Unicorns don’t exist.” And neither do guys like Kat’s describing.
