“You didn’t have to, sweetheart. It was written all over your pretty face,” he pointed out.
I sighed and studied my feet. “You’re right, and I’m sorry.” I cleared my throat and nervously twisted the toe of my boot against the ground. “I, uh, I’m not very happy with my assignment, but I shouldn’t have held that against you.”
He stepped back and opened the door wider. “Want to come in and put some ice on your face?”
I hesitated for a few seconds before I decided that it might not be a bad idea to have a friend close by. “Okay,” I said and followed him into his living room.
“Have a seat, and I’ll grab some ice for you. Want something to drink?”
“No thanks. I’m good.”
He returned with a vacuum-sealed frozen steak and handed it to me. “I was planning to cook that tomorrow night. Two birds, one stone.”
“Glad I could be of service,” I said with a smile.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m not.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“What happened with that guy?” he asked.
I really didn’t want to tell him and thought I had gotten off lucky when no one asked at the bar. “The same thing that happens at bars all across the country. Guy approaches girl. Girl isn’t interested. Guy doesn’t want to take no for an answer. Girl tells him to suck his own dick. Guy gets pissed. Girl underestimates his anger.” For the most part, that was what happened. He didn’t need to know that I knew the guy from high school or that I’d had problems with him back then, too.
He nodded in understanding. “So, why aren’t you happy with your assignment?”
I laughed nervously. “Straight to the point, huh?”
“You brought it up. For most people, that means they want to talk about it, even if they think they don’t.”
His insightfulness was spot on and really starting to piss me off. “So, I work as a traveling nurse for an agency and have been assigned to work in Devil Springs for three months. My assignment itself isn’t the problem. The people I work with are great, and the hospital has the equipment and supplies necessary to provide adequate care for the patients. My issue is of a personal nature. I, um, I have family that used to live in this area and maybe still do, and I have no desire to see or speak to them.”
“When’s the last time you spoke to any of them?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe six or seven years ago.”
“Can I ask why?”
“My mother is the very definition of a junkie whore. My brother took off when he turned eighteen,” I said flatly, doing everything in my power to hide my emotions. “I know my brother came back at some point, but I don’t know if he’s still here, and I have no idea what became of my mother.”
“Hold up,” he said, leaning forward and bracing his hands on his knees. “You’re from Devil Springs?”
Well, fuck me sideways. I hadn’t realized I was inadvertently sharing that information with him. “Yep,” I said.
“How old are you?”
“It’s not good manners to ask a lady her age,” I said playfully.
“Oh, please. I’m just trying to figure out how I don’t know you. This isn’t a huge town, and there’s only one high school in Devil Springs.”
I studied him for a few moments. His eyes never left mine as he waited for my answer. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He shook his head. “I’ll find out one way or another. You can tell me, or I’ll find out on my own.”
I figured it would be better to tell him than to have him calling attention to my presence in town by asking questions about me. I inhaled deeply and squared my shoulders. “Well, Jonah, you knew me as Rain Lawson.”
Chapter Five
Judge