Her lips turn up in the biggest smile she’d ever given me. “Yes. Fuck her, Myles St. James.”
“And for the record, I like your name. It’s unique.”
“You don’t have to feel sorry for me because my mom ditched me. I’ve had a great life. I have a dad who has loved me enough for two parents. I grew up in a small town that I love, and I’ve built a business that’s thriving.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you.” I shrugged as Benji walked up and cleared our plates, and I handed him my credit card.
“So now it’s your turn to answer my question.”
“All right. Remind me what the question is,” I said, knowing perfectly well what it was.
But she’d just been brutally honest with me about her childhood, and I didn’t want to shut down now.
“Were you able to move past things with your dad?”
“It’s complicated. My father has not been very present in my life or my brother’s, because he works a lot. And that’s okay. But he’s neglected my mother in a way that bothers me, he’s pressured my brother into a life I’m not so sure he wants, and he despises me for being the one person who he can’t control—yet he demands that our family be united for social events and holidays, and it all feels a little disingenuous to me. And it’s hard to put a family together that’s been broken for a long time. But, I guess you could say that we’re a work in progress.”
Her eyes told a story. Montana Kingsley was all heart, and she was showing it to me right now.
Empathy and sadness flooded those dark-brown eyes as she sighed. “I’m glad you have your brother beside you. Do you have any other siblings?”
“Well, I’m fairly certain we have at least one other sibling that hasn’t been acknowledged. Like I said, the man is a brilliant doctor, but his moral compass is damaged beyond repair.” I shrugged. “But that’s a story for another day. I think that was enough sharing for one day.”
“Thanks for telling me that. I wouldn’t have guessed you a big sharer.” She chuckled.
“You’d be correct.”
“Why’d you tell me all this?”
“Same reason you shared what you did with me. Sometimes you just trust your gut.”
Her gaze narrowed as she studied me. “Did you bring me here because you want to be friends?”
“Is that what you want? For us to be friends?”
“I guess it’s better than enemies.” She shrugged. “I mean, I hope you weren’t expecting me to go home with you after this dinner and have a repeat of what we both know was a mistake.”
“You sure it was a mistake?” I asked, my tone gruff and flirty. Why was I pushing this?
“Yes. We can barely stand each other most of the time. And you don’t even live here, so it could never be more than a friendship.”
Well, that’s not completely true.
It was possible to be more than friends with someone, without being in a serious relationship. I’d had a few ongoing, no-strings-attached situations over the years with a few different women. They usually ended with me being called an asshole, but it didn’t mean that a casual relationship wasn’t possible.
Benji walked over and handed me my credit card, and I thanked him before signing the receipt and slipping my card in my wallet. He held up a hand in goodbye as he walked away, and I leaned forward, my face close to hers. “You do know that people can have a good time without making it complicated.”
“If you recall, you were the one who stopped things that night, Myles.” She raised a brow.
“Because I could tell that it was a big deal for you. Even if you were begging me for it.”
She laughed. “I never begged. God, I hate you sometimes, St. James.”
“I think you like me sometimes too.”
She sighed. “I’m actually grateful that you stopped things when you did. It would have made things more complicated for me. I’m a relationship girl, you know? I don’t do the casual thing. That was a first for me.”
I could see the struggle there. Her vulnerability and honesty.
