Part 3 (1/2)
”I know what you're doing, Mr. Hammond,” she says with a huff.
”Oh yeah?”
She swallows, putting on a mean face, but her cheeks are still blus.h.i.+ng bright red. ”I know what you see in me.”
I grin. ”I know what I'd like to see in you.”
Her face gets even redder, if that was even possible, before she swallows it back. She takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders.
”I can promise you, Mr. Hammond-”
”Mr. Hammond is my dad.”
”Your dad is Reverend Hammond.”
”Rowan is fine.”
Her mouth goes tight. ”Fine, Rowan. I know what you're doing.”
”Well don't leave me hanging.”
Her mouth tightens. ”Well, I just want to let you know you're wasting your time.”
”Doing?”
”Doing your darnedest to try and tease me.”
I grin, the beer halfway to my lips. ”Did you honestly just use the word 'darnedest'?”
”It is not going to work, Mr- Rowan.”
”Oh it's not?”
”No, it's not.”
”Sure about that?”
”I'm not the sheltered little church girl you think I am,” she says tightly, eyeing me.
”Oh, of course not.”
I step out from under the bar and move to lean against the side of it in front of her, dangling the key.
”I'm not some sheltered little-”
”No, of course not you're not, which is why you look so comfortable in a place like this.”
”This place is a dump.”
I laugh. ”Aww, careful now, you'll hurt my feelings.”
She gives me a look.
”It's also why you looked like I puked on your bible when I said the word c.o.c.k.”
She visibly stiffens, her mouth going sour.
”See?”
”I do not, I just don't need to see that or hear that sort of vulgarity.”
I roll my eyes.
”The key? Please?”
”Not at all thrown off or fl.u.s.tered, huh?”
”I told you, I am not the sheltered little-”
”f.u.c.k am I hung over as s.h.i.+t!”
We both whirl at the sound of Jade's voice from the back hallway.
I snort.
Jade, wearing just a pair of boxer-briefs and a sports-bra as she shrugs a t-s.h.i.+rt over her disheveled hair.
”f.u.c.k me f.u.c.king sideways,” she croaks out.
Evangeline peeps - an actual peep sound, like a baby bird.
Jade's head jerks up. ”Oh, hey,” Jade says groggily at her, turning and giving me a half grin and a raised brow before glancing back at church-girl. ”You spend the night too?”
The front door slams open as Evangeline goes bolting out of it.
I sigh and take a sip of my beer.
Like I said. Master of first impressions.
Chapter Three.
Evangeline
I'm ten steps away from that horrible bar, that girl, and from that horrible man when I stop.