Page 49 of CowSex

I give him a closed-mouth smile and watch as his lips twitch while he fights his own. I’m shaking on the inside. I’m not a big fan of confrontation, but at the same time, I don’t take shit from anyone, either. I grew up with no brothers or sisters to fight my battles for me and learned to stick up for myself a long time ago.

I can’t say that I’ve ever been bullied, but I’ve been in situations where the mean girls have laid into me verbally. It’s been years since I’ve been in a physical fight, which was all Kimmie’s fault, but what I lack in height and experience, I make up for with my mouth. I’m good at giving evil looks and dishing the shit when the occasion requires, and this occasion definitely required a massive serving.

I’ve no clue who Misty is, or her connection to Koa, but I wasn’t just gonna sit there and listen to all that bollocks. My inner Essex Bird reared her head, and there was no stopping me. At least it didn’t end with us rolling around on the floor. That would’ve just been tacky, and seeing as I only have one hand to fight with right now, I most likely would’ve lost.

A waitress appears at the table, pours coffee into the mug that’s already sitting in front of Koa, and places a bottle of water in front of me.

We both offer up a thank you, and she pulls out her pad to write down our orders.

“You guys know what you’d like to eat. Breakfast is about to wrap up, so I need to get this in quick.” She pauses, then adds, “Hey, Koa, how are you?”

I watch as he looks up from his menu and his smile finally breaks free.

“Rebecca? Hey, how are you? How’s Drew?”

“He’s good. We have three boys now, and they all have football practice up at the high school this morning. So, he goes there, and I come here.”

“Three boys? What ages?”

“Eleven, fourteen, and sixteen.”

“How ’bout you? You got two, is that right?”

Two?

He never mentioned two kids.

I look up from my menu and catch him staring at me, saying, “Yeah, I’ve got two.”

There’s a long moment of silence before I ask, “Could I have the omelette, please? Can you add spinach, avocado, mushrooms, and extra cheese to that, as well? Thanks.”

“Sure thing,” Rebecca replies. I smile, and she takes the menu from me.

“I’ll have the breakfast special with the lot, please, Bec.”

“Coming right up.”

She turns and leaves the table. I fiddle with my napkin. This whole situation is weird, and I suddenly feel awkward and unsettled.

“I went to school with Rebecca and her husband Drew. Grew up with them. Sorry, I should’ve introduced you.” His voice interrupts my thought process, not that I’d got very far with it.

I don’t know this man. I mean what the actual fuck am I doing here, and why the fuck did I just get a little stab of jealousy at the way Rebecca smiled at him? And what’s the fucking deal with Misty the stripper, or prostitute, or whatever the fuck she is, warning him away from his ex?

And why the fuck do I even care?

“As what?” I ask, throwing down my napkin and attempting to unscrew the lid on my bottle of water as I do.

“Huh? What do you meanaswhat?”

Don’t go there, Gracie. Don’t go there. Don’t go there. Don’t go there.

“What would you introduce me as, your lodger, your guest, the girl you cried on and whose arms you fell asleep in last night?”

I went there.

He sits back against the red vinyl seatback and picks up his napkin.

We both watch as he twists and untwists the napkin around his finger. He has beautiful hands, the backs are smooth, his fingers long, but they have callouses on them. From what? I don’t know.