“Honestly, she don’t look like the bacon-cheeseburger type. “I dunno.” Irene finished her beer and signaled for another. Rick came over and set a plate with a cheeseburger and fries on the counter in front of Irene. Wanted eat out and meet the folks around here.” “Did you offer to make her one of your killer steak burritos?” She made them for anybody who stayed at the Blue House as a “welcome to town” dinner. Woulda given her a run for her money.”īlaine smiled. “I remember how I looked when I was that age. If I was just little bit younger…” A wistful sigh escaped her thin lips. Not even losing a chain-smoking husband to lung cancer had made her quit. She still puffed cigarettes, just not as much as she used to. “I’m done,” she said in that gravelly voice of hers. “Hey, Irene, what’re you doing here? Didn’t you have to get the Blue House ready for somebody?” He chuckled, then frowned at the sight of Irene at the counter, nursing a beer. “Janey thinks they’re hot.”īlaine made a whip-snapping sound, and Rick flipped him the bird. Rick cocked an eye at one of the waitresses. A black turtleneck and a pair of old jeans completed his work ensemble. Gel spiked Rick’s sandy hair, and gold studs in his ears sparkled as he moved around behind the bar. His best friend and bar manager Rick Shelton lifted his chin at the sight of him, and Blaine nodded in return. A playoff game was on tonight, and the bar had four giant flat-screen TVs-one for each wall. It was still early, so only a few seats were occupied.

He hoped she charged at least a hundred bucks a call. If he hadn’t had a business to run, Blaine might have shot the shit with the lawyer just to run up her billable hours. A man who couldn’t bother to stand up for the mother of his child didn’t deserve to be a father. And Salazar hadn’t done a thing about it. Like any amount of money could make up for the way Ceinlys Pryce had humiliated his mother. He would’ve been down sooner, but Salazar’s damn lawyer had called again.įifty million, Mr. Blaine was frowning as he came down the stairs from his third-floor apartment to the first floor where his bar and restaurant was located.

Renegade Reject by Emily Minton