"Hi Jared, from the bank." I stick out my hand and give her a pointed look. She narrows her eyes.
Jared grips my hand harder than is necessary. "Hayden, right? Wes, is it? Or Warner?"
Well played, fucker.
I match his grip. "Wyatt, actually."
We let go. He wraps his now free arm around Jo's waist, leaning down and kissing her. At first she's surprised, then a flash of irritation jets across her face.
I want to laugh, but decide not to. I'm on Jo's bad side enough as it is, and it's cold over here.
"Are you ready, baby?"
Jared's sentence earns him another look of irritation from Jo, and I'm guessing it has something to do with that nickname he just used on her.
"Sure, let me just grab one thing I left behind." Jo turns and goes back into the trailer. I don't feel the need to stand here and make painful small talk, so I head back to my empty water bottle. I can hear Jared walking behind me. He stops when I do.
"She's in a relationship, you know."
I drag my hand over my forehead and turn around. "Did something about the way I shook your hand and introduced myself give you the impression I'm after your girlfriend?"
Jared's hands slip into the pockets of his pressed slacks. "No."
"Then what is it about me that's making you stake your claim unnecessarily?"
"I've heard about you. You obviously don't know how to keep your hands off what's not yours."
When I was younger, a comment like that would have ended one way: my fists flying. As I've grown older, I've learned better how to harness my temper. Also, he wouldn't be talking like this if he wasn't threatened by me. That's another lesson I've learned as I've grown older. People often operate out of fear.
I raise my eyebrows. "Guess you know who I am after all."
One corner of his lip turns up. "Stay away from Jo, and I'll make sure she stays away from you."
I laugh. "You're planning on telling her what to do? Here's your chance. She's right there." Jo stands a few feet away, and she's heard every word. I know because I watched her approach.
"Let's go," she announces, whirling around. Jared follows after her, his bravado curiously missing.
I wait for them to leave, toss my empty coffee cup on the huge pile of trash, and head for home.
On my way, I call my mom and ask her if I can have dinner at the homestead with them. She does her best to cover up her surprise, and I do my best not to notice it's there.
9
Jo
"I wishyou would've recorded it," Shelby says, taking a bite of the pasta she picked up on her way home from work.
"Me too. It was quite a sight." I sit down beside her on the couch, a plate balanced on my hand. "I've never seen Jared act like that."
"He was posturing. Marking his territory."
"But why?"
Shelby stares at me. "Have youseenWyatt?"
I roll my eyes. "Once or twice, yes."
"Then I don't need to explain why."
