“Is this an interview?” He says a little tersely.
I snatch my hands away and clasp them in my lap.
He sighs, runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry, Elle.”
“I thought sorry was a bad word?”
“When it’s not needed. But it’s needed now. There was no need for that.”
“If I dare to ask why again, are you going to snap again?”
He shakes his head. “People let you down. Trusting me, and only me, it’s easier. If I make myself a promise, I know I’ll keep it. I can’t say the same for the rest of the world.”
“That much we can agree on,” I murmur.
Lucian only got nine years for what he did, a sentence that makes no sense except in his murky criminal underworld where people can get away with anything.
Anger tries to overtake me. My eyes sting as tears threaten.
“Do you have any hobbies?” I ask to distract him… and myself.
“I practice with my bow whenever I get the chance.”
I look at Mira instantly. “Mira always wanted to shoot a bow,” I murmur. “Well, she did.”
“Not anymore?” he says.
Behind me, someone laughs loudly. I jolt, my arms wrapping around my middle. Mira turns and stares across the diner, that all-too-familiar terror in her eyes. But then she looks at Rhett, and her shoulders relax. My heart pounds with a mixture of fear and relief.
I shouldn’t let her get too attached to this stranger. But she deserves to be happy.
“We’ve been… busy,” I murmur.
“Maybe I’ll give her a lesson or two,” he says.
“That could be nice,” I agree.
“Other than that,” he goes on. “I train MMA and self-defense at the dojo in town to keep my skills sharp. I teach a few classes too.”
“You do?”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
Just like Lucian—just like that night—the smile that never reached his eyes…
I claw at the skin of my thumb with my other hand. For God’s sake. It will never just leave me the hell alone.
“Why’s that surprising?” he asks.
“I didn’t take you for a people person.”
When the waitress brings our pancakes, I call Mira. She skips over, sitting next to Rhett and taking her plate from my side of the table. She looks up at him with a big, toothy smile. “Thank you, Brrrr-Rhett!”
“You’re welcome, little lady.” He turns to me. “And you’re right, Elle. I’m not much of a people person. But people need to know how to defend themselves. One misplaced instinct is the difference between survival and…” He winces, glancing at Mira. “The alternative. You’re welcome to come to a class.”
A sharp shiver runs up my spine. A class with people everywhere. Just sitting in this diner is difficult enough.
“Can we, Sissy?” Mira asks before I can say no.
