“I do.”
Learning forward in the booth, Bailey smiled. “You saved me that night at the party. That was so hot, but I thought you were showing off to make Farah want you. I know that makes no sense. I also thought you might like Tawny because she looks like Farah.”
“You’re kinda obsessed with Farah, aren’t you?”
“Only because I thought you were. She had you and my brother wrapped around her finger and I wanted to kick her ass for that. Turns out, she’s not so bad. She’s really good with Sawyer and Coop is really happy being married. I never thought he’d like being tied down, but with her, he’s happy. Weird shit. Anyway, I wanted to beat her ass, but now I’m glad I only smacked her around a little. She’s a good sister-in-law. Hell, she even bakes.”
“I thought she was too good for Cooper. No offense, but your brother seems like an asshole who would use her up and toss her aside like trash.”
“He is an asshole. Normally I don’t let people talk shit about my family, but he did put you in the hospital.”
“He also paid for the rest of my freshman year. Sure made my life a lot easier after that.”
“Do you hate him? Like does it upset you to look at me and know I’m related to the guy who fucked with you?”
“No. Like I said, it worked out. Cooper and Farah seem happy and I was working too much to keep up with school. Once he paid the tuition, I had more time to study and get caught up.”
Sighing, Bailey whispered, “He put you in the hospital.”
“It wasn’t my first head injury. Won’t be my last,” I said, tapping on my head. “My skull is hella hard.”
Bailey smiled, but it never reached her pretty blue eyes.
“I’m fine really.”
“I worried about you back then,” she said, messing with her straw. “I felt weird caring about a guy I didn’t really know. I mean I thought you liked Farah and my brother attacked you. I normally hate people who mess with my family, but I still worried about you.”
Wanting to change the subject, I thought about the shit storm a few months earlier.
“I heard about that guy driving you off the road and trying to grab you. I hated not knowing what happened. Most days, you felt pretty close because I’d see you in class. Last summer killed me. I hadn’t seen you then that happened. That’s when it really hit me how we’re strangers.” Realizing I sounded like a weirdo, I hated myself for blurting it all out. “I didn’t stalk you or anything.”
“Why not? I only went to the Thunderdome to see you even though I didn’t like watching the fights. I just wanted to know you were still real. Does that sound crazy?”
“Yes,” I said, smiling. “But you look really sexy when you’re crazy.”
Bailey smiled again like I was magic. We sat there quietly for a moment, just thinking about how many stalker-like qualities we shared. It was both weird, yet exciting.
“You pay for school yourself?” she asked when our appetizers arrived.
“Yeah, I worked several jobs in high school and saved up as much as I could. After I moved to Ellsberg, I got a warehouse job, but I was struggling to keep up with costs until Cooper lost his shit. Once I started fighting, I had cash to spare.”
Bailey grinned at me as we enjoyed the cheesy fries.
“I admit I splurged when I first got paid for fighting. First the tat by Aaron. A back piece isn’t cheap. Over the summer, I bought the Harley and moved into a new place. I probably should have just saved the money, but life is unpredictable. What if I slipped in the shower and died? Those savings wouldn’t mean shit, so I enjoyed some of it. Since school started again, I’ve behaved though.”
“Why do you want to be a teacher? Seems like you could do a lot of things. Anything really. Why work with little kids? No offense, but they gross me out with the boogers and screaming.”
Grinning, I loved the disgusted expression on her face.
“In high school, I did a work study program. I tried working in a few different places. Volunteered at a hospital then a bank. Worked on cars and helped an electrician. As a senior, I worked with a fourth grade teacher. It was my favorite. The other jobs weren’t awful and would pay my bills. With teaching though, I looked forward to going in every day. I loved seeing the kids grow over the year. The whole experience was like a light bulb moment. I knew what I wanted.”
Bailey nodded, but I didn’t think she understood. Despite her insecurities, she fit in a lot of places. She had a family and friends where she belonged. I had only my dream of replicating the happiness from my senior year.
“What made you want to go into business?” I asked when she seemed unsure what to say.