“You were homeschooled?” Chase asked incredulously.
“Oh, c’mon,” I said. “Like that’s a shock?”
He laughed self-consciously, but I could tell he was unsure what to say. I glanced at Lance and saw him grinning at us.
“I’ll have you know,” I said to Chase, “you and I aren’t that different. We both want peace and to protect those that need protecting.”
He grunted. “But I’m on the law-abiding side. You’re more on the dark side if those arrests are to be believed.”
I rolled my eyes. “Dark side? Really? That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”
He grinned. “Maybe. But only one of us sitting here has an extensive arrest record and can’t enjoy an alcoholic beverage because of that extensive record…and it’s not me or Lance.”
Lance threw back his blond head and laughed. “He’s got ya there, Alex.”
I scowled at him but he continued to laugh.
Chase flipped the steaks then closed the lid. “Did you go to college after—well, I’m assuming you graduated from high school?”
“Of course I graduated,” I snapped. “It was a legitimate school.”
Chase threw up his hands. “Okay. Just checking. Not that it matters.”
“As far as college goes,” I said snippily, “I’ve taken a ton of classes here and there. But I don’t want to really get a degree in anything.”
Chase closed his eyes and shook his head. “Of course not. Because that would be too…what? Conforming?”
“Watch it,” I warned.
“Hand me that plate on the counter, would you?” Chase asked.
I leaned up and grabbed the empty plate then handed it to Lance to give to Chase. “My arm crossed outside, that won’t count against me, will it?”
“You’re fine,” Lance assured me. “It’s your ankle that’s tethered to the house.”
“Tell me what you like on your burger,” Chase said, “and I’ll fix it for you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I protested.
He winked. “Maybe I want to.”
I put a hand to my stomach, willing the butterflies to go flap their wings somewhere else. I didn’t want to think about why Chase insisted on being so nice to me. Because if I went there, I could easily end up with a broken heart. Our kind of relationship was doomed from the start.
They brought the food inside, I told Chase what I wanted, and Lance helped me hobble to the dining room table. Once the food had been dished out, all conversation stopped for a few minutes while we ate.
“How’s that veggie burger?” Chase asked, breaking the silence.
I grinned and wiped my mouth. “Good, thanks.”
“I want to know about the turkey release,” he said.
Lance grinned and set his fork down. “That’s one of my favorite Alex stories.”
I steepled my hands over my plate and smiled. “Now that I can look back on it without pain, yeah, it’s a good one.”
“Pain?” Chase asked.
I sighed. “I was nineteen, and I’d been seeing Gerald for about three weeks.”
