Like seriously, what was my name again?
Oh yeah. Cassidy. Cassidy McAllister.
That settled, I reached again for the door handle, only to stop in mid-motion when he said, "Wait."
I dropped my hand. "For what?"
"A question. What happened back there?"
I didn't bother asking where or what he meant. I knew exactly what he'd seen – a girl fleeing a limo on a street where limos didn't belong. But none of this was his problem, and already, I'd inconvenienced him beyond all reason.
I forced a smile into my voice. "Nothing."
"Are you in some sort of trouble?"
Oh, boy. Was I ever.I had no job, no money, and no idea where I'd be sleeping tonight. Cripes, when I put it that way, even in my own head, I felt like a total loser.
But it wasn't always this way. Until just a week ago, I had a decent apartment, a wonderful roommate, and a job that actually paid the bills – as long as I wasn't too extravagant, anyway.
Luckily for me, I was almost never extravagant, probably because I'd seen firsthand the dangers of loving things more than people.
Still, his question hit a little too close to home, and I shifted in my seat, only to remember – belatedly, stupidly – that it wasn't a seat I was shifting on. It was the lap of a complete stranger.
What must he think of me? I didn't even want to speculate. "Everything's fine," I said, even as I pushed open the car door, scrambled off his lap, and found my footing near the curb of the street. And then, standing there like a complete idiot, I glanced around.What now?
Already, the traffic ahead of us had moved forward at least two car lengths, which meant that Jax's car was stopped in the middle of the road for no good reason – with both doors open, no less.
And yet, the cars behind us weren't passing.
Why?
Searching for some clue, I looked to Jax. Taking his sweet time, he eased out of the passenger's seat and joined me on the street. He gave me a long, penetrating look before asking, "Is there someplace you've gotta be?"
This was a very good question. Unfortunately, I had no good answer, or at least none that wouldn't sound totally pathetic.
In reality, I had no place Icouldgo.
I tried to think. I had maybe ten whole dollars in my wallet. Was that enough for cab fare? A hotel? Anything?
Not hardly.
At the recollection of my wallet, I stifled a gasp. "Oh, shoot."
Jax frowned. "What is it?"
I gave a nervous laugh. "I almost forgot my stuff."
Earlier, I'd placed my things underneath the passenger's seat, intending to swoop them up on my way out.
I glanced toward his car only to feel myself cringe all over again. My cell phone and wallet were nowhere in sight, which meant that they were probably still safely under the seat. But the tampon?Thathad rolled out into the open.Of course.
And there it was, sitting there in the middle of the floor-mat like some sort of tiny pink neon sign, announcing to everyone – well, to Jax, anyway – that I was on my freaking period, even though I wasn't.
Right then and there, I vowed I'd toss that stupid thing into the very next waste-basket I came across. The vow lasted only a split second before I considered how awful it would be to not have if I needed it.
I heard myself mumble, "I don't suppose you have a paper bag."
"For what?" he asked.
