Her grip on the menu tightened a fraction, but she didn’t look up. “Three.”
“Do you even sleep? How do you have a job?”
He might be throwing the degrees around like they were a joke, but one degree was more than he would ever see in his lifetime. He’d dropped out of high school at seventeen and never looked back. What would he do with a fancy piece of paper? They didn’t teach arms dealing in school, and he doubted the chemistry classes covered moonshine distilling. Those were learned with real-life experience.
Their waitress appeared with drinks in hand and wrote down their food orders before disappearing without another word.
“I like school,” Lauren said, clasping her hands on the table now that she didn’t have a menu to use as a shield.
“We are not the same.” Zach took a gulp of the hot coffee and let the burn sear his insides all the way down. After drinking prison coffee for three years, real coffee was just as much of a treat as the Snickers Lauren gave him. “What do you even do with those fancy degrees?”
“I use them. All the time. My library science degree is required for my job as a librarian, and I hope to get a part-time job using my newest degree soon.”
The way she lit up when she talked about learning and working was something he’d never understand. She was content as could be working in a burial ground of old books every day.
“And what is that for?”
“Psychology. A counselor at Blackwater Hope House is retiring, and I’ll be taking on her position soon.”
Zach kept his hand wrapped around the warm mug, letting the heat ground him. “Psychology.”
“Yeah. Blackwater Hope House is a refuge for abused women and children. They offer housing, counseling, and medical care. They also help women find jobs.”
As much as Zach liked to joke that Lauren was an angel, it wasn’t always humorous. The woman lived a shelteredLittle House on the Prairielife he couldn’t fathom. She’d gone to school to take care of books and battered women. Who did that?
“Speaking of jobs. What are you going to do?”Lauren asked, picking up a single sugar packet to mold between her fingers.
“Well, I figure I can jump back into my old work.”
“And what was that? Stealing from the rich to give to the poor?”
Zach smiled. It was cute when she got spunky. “It’s noble work, angel.”
“Ha! Far from it, Robin Hood. Seriously, I’m not telling you what to do, but I’m begging you. Please don’t get back into your old ways. You just got out. Don’t you want to enjoy it?”
“Enjoy what?”
“Freedom.” She threw her hands out to her sides. “Being a free man.”
Freedom was a myth. Even out of prison, someone would be watching his every move. He lived in a constant state of hyperawareness. Peace was for the righteous, and he wasn’t a part of that group.
“It’ll be nice while it lasts.”
Her eyes softened, and she reached for him, only to stop before her hand touched his. “I don’t understand why you’ve resigned to this lifestyle, but I’d like to help you change course if you’re willing. Having a regular job isn’t so bad.”
“I don’t do too well taking orders,” Zach admitted.
“Ah. Authority. I should have known. You’re so predictable.”
Zach lifted his coffee. “I guess that’s what got me locked up.”
“So throw everyone off. Get a real job. Prove them wrong.”
He rested his coffee on the table between them and leaned back. “Say I turn from my wicked ways and become a Ken doll, how does this work?”
Lauren grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and pulled a pen out of her purse. “What are your strengths?”
“Negotiations.”
