I turn the old girl’s engine over, loving the familiar sound of her starting up. It’s always a good sign. My fingers tap against the steering wheel, listening to my favourite punk band.
I drive into a secluded car park at the side of the lake with a small wooden cafe next to a pier with boat hire facilities. I park the mini next to Lucy’s Suzuki, and we get out of our cars at the same time.
“This is nice,” I say, following her into the glass fronted wooden building. “Does Marie’s family own this place?” Kane said they owned a few estates around here.
Lucy grins, taking a seat in the cafe and waving at Marie behind the counter. “Not exactly.”
“Hey girl. What can I get you?” She whips her notepad and pen from her apron. “Hey Letty.” She gives me a nod out of courtesy, but doesn’t greet me with the same enthusiasm as she did Lucy.
“What time do you finish?” Lucy asks.
“In about an hour, but if nobody else shows, Jack’s closing the hire shop early.”
Lucy nods and peruses the menu. “What are you ordering, Letty?”
“Choca Mocha, please.” I give Marie a fake smile as she takes down Lucy’s order, then my grin fades when Jesse corners the front counter.
He’s fashioning the same front apron with pockets, a white shirt and a killer smile as he strolls over to our table. “Letty, Letty, Letty.”
I gulp down the thin air as if he stole all the oxygen. The last time I saw him was when—My fingers curl round my neck, my skin itching. The last time he saw me, my ass was being hauled from his Land Rover. I’d hoped we’d never run into each other again.
“I didn’t know you worked here.” My voice is a little high, the oxygen replaced with helium.
He chuckles. “Yeah, well, kinda don’t have a choice about working here, seeing as we own the place.”
I glare at Lucy. She thinks this is amusing, sitting in her seat with a huge smirk on her face. She brought me here on purpose.
Jesse sits in the booth next to me, forcing me to scooch over. He’s blocked me in between him and the wall, sitting snugly at my side in a two-seater booth. “You ghosting me, Letty?”
Marie gives Lucy a knowing look before walking behind the counter, then she follows, helping her with the drinks.
I roll my eyes, knowing it’s on purpose to give us some alone time, but the last thing I want is to be alone with Jesse. He was fun, but we barely made it to third base. I’d no sooner ditched my knickers then Kane was hauling me home. At the time, I was fuming, but I’m grateful now. The thought of taking things further with Jesse makes my skin crawl. I’m too far in with Kane now, with no interest in anyone else, even if he is a stubborn arsehole.
“I’m not ghosting.” In truth, I blocked him. I didn’t want Kane to see texts from them on my phone and punish me again. Although I enjoyed the spanking, I want to be a good girl for him. Being in the angelic shadow of my mother is hard to live up to.
“You never returned my texts.” His fingers slither along my thigh over the fabric of my uniform.
“I didn’t get your texts.”
He pauses, as if deciding if he should believe me or not. “Was your old man pissed? Did he take your phone away? I worried for you that night.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
He whispers in my ear, “Next time we’ll go somewhere he can’t find us.”
I bristle, knowing there won’t be a next time. I shouldn’t even be here. If Kane checks the tracking app and sees I’m here, he’s gonna be even more pissed than he already is. Maybe then he’ll talk to me, show some emotion or feeling instead of shutting down and giving me the silent treatment.
Marie and Lucy bring a tray of drinks to the table. The cafe is empty now.
Jack opens the door and stalks over to our table. “Letty, we thought you’d disappeared on us.”
My phone buzzes in my bag, making me jump. I know who it is before I look and with Jack hovering at my back; I don’t want anyone to see a message from Kane scolding me for being at their premises.
“Why does he dislike you so much?” I ask Jesse, gripping the handle of my bag, desperate to text back to let him know it was a mistake coming here and I’m leaving, but before I do, maybe I can get some answers.
Jesse glances at Jack, then shrugs. “Why do dads always dislike the guys their daughters date?”
“He’s not my dad, though.”
