Chapter Three
“What’s he doing?” Ren’s mom asked.
Ren tapped the end of the pen against her lips gently, frowning at the man who was pacing the sidewalk just outside the front window. Mars had acted like he was going to come in three times, and then changed his mind, and now he was seemingly having a conversation with himself.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and from here, she could hear the irritation in his tone as he answered a call. “What?”
He rested his hand on his hip and stared off at the street, his back to the window. They had the mirrored tint on there, so he perhaps didn’t realize they could see him so easily.
“Maybe he’s on drugs,” her mom murmured.
“Maybe,” Ren agreed.
“He has a nice truck,” Mom pointed out.
“Super nice,” she said, squinting at the jacked up, glossy black Ram pickup parked right on the street in front of the shop.
“And he’s very handsome,” Mom pointed out.
“So hot.”
“But you know, it’s not right for us to judge a book by its cover. People who seem to have it all together also can do drugs.”
“Mmm hmmm. Did I mention he’s a Cat?”
Mom jerked her attention over to Ren and lowered her reading glasses. “Come again?”
Ren rested her elbows onto the counter next to the cash register and sighed. “He’s definitely a Cat.”
Mom seemed shocked into silence. “Why didn’t you mention that yesterday?”
“Because I didn’t know how I felt about it, and I didn’t want you voicing your opinions until I thought it over for myself.”
“Cats are dangerous—”
“I know exactly how you feel about them.”
“You know what I’ve been through—”
“Mom,” she said in a soft warning. “You have your past with Cats. I am not you.” Ren pressed her palms against her chest. “It’s not okay for you to hate Cats when I’m literally one of them.
We’ve talked about this before. I get that you love saying your opinion on Cat culture, but I’ve walked the line pretty well, don’t you think?
I don’t need a lecture. I’m too old for those now. ”
“So, he’s here for you?” Mom gritted out, sliding a narrow-eyed glance to the window. “What about Abe?”
“Mom, we broke up a year ago.”
“But he still texts you.”
“But never when he’s sober.” Ren blew out a breath and closed her eyes, prayed for patience, and then looked at her mom. “Abe isn’t it. He will never be your son-in-law. I need you to listen to me on this. He cut me loose. He’s with someone else. He’s not it for me.”
“Because he’s human?” Mom was trying to bait her into an argument, but she was way too well-versed in this conversation to fall for it.
“Because to him, I was boring.”
“You think this guy is going to be better than Abe?”
“Literally didn’t say any of that, Mom. I don’t know this guy, and clearly,” she said, pointing to him, “he’s got some problems he’s dealing with.”
Outside, Mars was griping at someone on the phone.
“Abe drives a truck too,” Mom muttered.
Ren swallowed down a growl and stood. “I’m going to inventory our record players.”
“Oh, don’t be angry.”
“I’m not. I just don’t want to talk about my ex anymore.”
“Okay, well I want grandkids, Ren.”
“It’s not going to happen with me. You know that. I don’t know why we keep circling back to this conversation. You know that can’t happen.”
“Well, at least settle down and get a dog or something!”
Okay, now she was getting angry. Ren tossed her a fiery look and headed right for the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking my lunch break.”
“Ren!”
Ding.
The bell over the door dinged and Ren came to a stop in front of Mars. He froze, his frost blue eyes locked on hers.
“Do you want to go out to lunch with me?” she demanded.
“What?” he asked, the phone still pressed to his ear.
“Do you…want to go out to lunch…with me?”
“Dame, let me call you back.” He hung up the phone. Mars stood up straighter and looked her up and down, then cocked his head. “What do you like to eat?”
“Surprise me.”
“How long do you get for lunch?”
“An hour normally, but I’m fully comfortable taking an hour and a half break today,” she gritted out, ghosting a glance at the tinted windows, where she knew her mother would be watching in fury.
She didn’t know why she felt so rebellious right now, but she was so done talking about Cat culture with a woman who had spent so much time convincing her it was destructive. She wanted to find out for herself. She wanted to ask questions.
“I just need to get my purse,” she murmured.
“No need. I’ll pay.”
“You don’t have to. I am asking you out. The asker is supposed to pay.”
He inhaled sharply and said, “Ren, will you go to lunch with me? There. Now I’m asking.”
Oh, he was turning the tables, huh? Okay.
An accidental smile took her lips about the same time heat started creeping up into her cheeks.
She ducked her gaze to the sidewalk. She hadn’t been asked out in so long.
“Um, that sounds good to me. So…yes. But I need my purse, because I have pepper spray in there, and if you try anything funny with me, I’ll blind you and then murder you. ”
He narrowed his eyes. “Adorable. Okay, go get your pepper spray. I’ll start the truck.” He started to walk away, but then said, “Unless you want to drive? If you are more comfortable driving, we can do that.”
She grinned. Okay, that was cute. He was trying to make her more comfortable, and she did appreciate it. “I am fine with you driving us if the restaurant is close.”
He tilted his head toward the west. “It’s three blocks over.”
“Okay, let me tell my mom where I’m going.”
“Your mom is in there?”
“Yes. She hates Cats. I’m setting everything on fire today.”
He snorted. “You are a Cat.”
She shrugged. “Daughter of the year.”
He pursed his lips against a smile. “Want me to meet her?”
“Hell no. I’m using you to make a statement. No more, no less.”
He looked surprised but recovered quickly. “Fair enough. Do you like Thai food?”
“Are you taking me to Thai Lake on Maple Avenue?”
“Planning on it.”
“Then yes. Don’t judge how much I’m about to eat.”
“I would only judge if you ate too little.”
She giggled. He was quick. “B-R-B.”
“What does that mean?”
“Be right back.”
“Oh god, you speak the young peoples’ language.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like you’re that old. Warm up the truck, Cat. We’re pissin’ my mom off today with our existence.”
He snorted and turned for the truck, and she went back inside.
“I didn’t like any part of that,” Mom said from where she was now standing by the window. “That was terrible, he is dangerous, and I don’t approve of anything you are doing.”
“I’m aware.”
“I forbid you to take your lunch break.”
Ren grabbed her purse from behind the counter and strode for her mom, and hugged her, then kissed her cheek and said, “I’ll be three streets over. Love you. Stop being so judgmental. Frowning will give you wrinkles.”
“You! You give me wrinkles,” she called as Ren headed out the door. “And gray hairs! I love you too! Don’t get abducted! Keep your location on!”
Ren shook her head and swallowed down a laugh. Her mother was a layered woman who didn’t understand boundaries sometimes. Honestly though, Ren loved that about her. She would’ve been the same with a daughter if she had been destined to be a mother.
Outside, Mars was waiting by the passenger side of his truck with the door held open. A gentlemanly move. She pursed her lips against a pleased smile and scrambled up into the cab. Good Lord, this thing had to be four feet off the ground.
“Have you always been into monster trucks?” she teased as he waited for her to get out of the doorway.
“Ha ha,” he muttered. She didn’t hear any humor in his tone, but when she looked at him, his bright blue eyes were dancing with amusement.
Mars closed the door beside her and she buckled her seatbelt. He climbed up into his truck smoothly, but she supposed that made sense because he was a giant of a man.
“Were your parents breeding for D1 athletes?” she asked.
Mars turned on the roaring engine of his truck. “What do you mean?”
“I mean were they both humongous and chose each other just to make sure they had giant children?”
He snorted but didn’t answer as he pulled onto the road.
That was the second question he’d skirted. “I’m serious,” she said curiously. “Are both of your parents tall?”
“Uuuh…” Mars frowned at the road. “My mother was five-feet-five inches. Dad was tall. They definitely weren’t trying for us though.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean my mom wasn’t exactly meant to be a mother. Some women aren’t built for it. Some don’t want it. My mom didn’t want it, but she ended up with three.” He twitched his head. “I have a couple brothers.”
“She didn’t want any of you?” she asked softly. This was so sad. “Why wasn’t she more careful with birth control after she had you then?” she asked. “Oh my gosh. That is so rude of me to say. It’s not my place to judge, I don’t know why I just said that.”
“No, no, it’s okay. She did get a surgery after I was born to stop having kids.
I’m a triplet. She kind of got screwed the first round.
She wanted zero kids ever, and she got triplets.
” He snorted. “I used to think God was playing a messed-up joke on our family. Anyway,” he said, shrugging.
“It’s not some tragedy. Me and my brothers turned out fine. ” He took a right at the light.
“Do your brothers know you’re a Cat?”
“My brothers are both Cats too.”
She blinked hard. “Come again?”
Mars inhaled deeply and blew out a breath. “We were Turned on the same day.”
“Did you…did you want to be Turned?” she whispered in horror.
“Nope. Oh hell yeah, there’s a parking spot right up front,” he murmured, lining his truck up to parallel park in a space that was clearly too small.
“Um, are you sure you can fit in—” Before she could finish that thought, he’d swung perfectly into the space, his tires a mere six inches from the curb. He pulled forward a foot to straighten out and then said, “Ready?”
“You’ve done that a time or two,” Ren guessed.
“It’s only street parking where I live. I hated it at first and thought about getting rid of my truck, but you give in or you get used to it. I got used to it.”