Page 23 of From the Start

“Sorry. I’m surprised, is all. Why do you live with your dad?”

“None of your business. I didn’t phone you to discuss my living arrangements.”

“Why did you phone me?”

“Because I don’t appreciate you shoving your wealth in my face.”

“Whoa. When did I shove my wealth in your face?”

“Are you serious right now? Do you have such an abundance of money you forgot what you did?”

Must be nice. Dad was a construction worker. He never made a ton of money, but we were comfortable before his stroke. Now? Now’s another story entirely.

“I’m not some rich prick who sauntered onto the island and is throwing my wealth into everyone’s face.”

“You’re not? You didn’t pay several thousand dollars of bar tabs last night?”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh. Those bar tabs weren’t supposed to be paid. I donate the top prize for theBootlegger Escape Room. My donation is to pay the bar tabs of the winning team.”

“I thought…”

“You thought what?” I ask when he trails off and doesn’t finish his thought.

“Two teams tied this year. It was more money than normal.”

Don’t I know it. “What does this have to do with you?”

“Rhett may have mentioned you asked for a payment plan for your latest whiskey delivery.”

Fuck. How could I forget those Raider brothers tell each other everything? Even when they’re at each other’s throats, they have each other’s backs. Must be nice.

“My payment plan doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“I thought it would be romantic if I paid for the bill. Some grand gesture.”

Romantic? A grand gesture? I don’t need some man to come riding in to save me. I’m doing fine all on my own. Who the smuggler does Kai Raider think he is?

I inhale a deep breath and let it out slowly but it doesn’t help. My anger doesn’t abate one bit.

“Buy a clue. Showing off your wealth isn’t romantic. This is exactly my point about you. You’ve gotten everything handed to you. You don’t know how it feels to have to work when you’re throwing up all over the place, or to have to skip out on the senior trip in high school because you can’t afford it. Everything has been handed to you on a silver platter.”

“You’re not being fair. My dad abandoned my family when I was ten.”

“Welcome to the club. My mom died when I was sixteen.”

“Shit. I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Harper.”

I ignore his sympathy. I didn’t need it sixteen years ago. I don’t need it now.

“I didn’t phone you to share our sad stories. I phoned because what you did is not okay. Throwing money in my face is not okay. It’s not romantic.”

“Lesson learned.”

“I doubt it,” I murmur before hanging up.

And here I thought Kai helping out behind the bar last night was a step in the right direction. Silly me. Kai Raider will never grow up. He’ll be fifty years old and still be immature. I want nothing to do with him.