Still the One Read Free Page A

“What?”
    “The sign on the door says live bait, but it smells like it’s been dead for days.”
    “Oh.” He was talking about the odor rising from the cooler of day-old shrimp by the door—of course. She lifted her shoulders.
     “After a while, you get used to it.”
    “You mean it doesn’t bother you?”
    “No. I mean I’m used to being bothered.”
    He’d laughed, a hearty, appreciative laugh, and the sound made her heart feel like it was tied to a hot-air balloon. He hooked
     a thumb toward the cooler at the back of the store. “Let me grab a Coke and I’ll come bother you some more.”
    The door opened as he sauntered to the rear of the store, and two men in orange hunting vests ambled in. The stench of stale
     beer clung to them like sweat. Their bloodshot eyes ran over her in a way that had made her skin crawl. “Oo-ee. Lookee what
     we got here,” said the taller one.
    The shorter, chubbier one, who had a stubbled chin and a scar by his eye, stared at her chest. Apparently the cretin could
     read, because when his gaze eventually made its way to her nametag—
Katie Landers
—his contiguous eyebrow rose. “Hey—are you Mona’s girl?”
    Her stomach had clenched. She didn’t want to say yes, but it would be disloyal to deny her own mother. She nodded her head.
    “I knew it. My, my, my. The apple sure don’t fall far from the tree.” He gazed pointedly at her breasts.
    The taller one chortled, revealing two missing bottom teeth. “How old are you, honey?”
    Katie decided to ignore the question. “May I help you with something?”
    “Well, now, that just depends,” the shorter one said. “You ever party with your old lady?”
    The other one gave a phlegmy cackle. Katie felt her face flame.
    “Your mama, she sure knows how to party.”
    Oh, God. Her mother had a drinking problem, and when she drank, she didn’t always remember what she did.
    “Know what I hear? I hear she’s hot and heavy with the mayor now,” the taller one said.
    Katie’s mouth went dry. She’d known the news was all over town, but being confronted with it head-on made her want to barf.
    “Yes, sir, you’re your mama’s daughter, all right. The family resemblance is right there for all to see.” His eyes locked
     on her breasts in a way that had made her feel as if he could see through her shirt. “Yesirree. Your mama’s mighty fine, but
     I do believe you’ve got an even nicer pair of…”
    “Leave her alone,” said an authoritative voice from the back of the store.
    The men turned as Zack strode up. The shorter one squinted at him. “Who the hell are you?”
    “The mayor’s nephew. And he’s not going to like hearing that you two are spreading nasty rumors about him.”
    The short one spat in the trash can. “We don’t care what he likes and don’t like.”
    “Yeah, well, maybe you’ll care to know that when folks tick him off, he gets the police to follow them. Before they know it,
     they’re being stopped for speeding or reckless driving or worse, and it’s their word against the cop’s.”
    The two men looked at each other.
    “We were just havin’ some fun,” the tall one said. They both edged toward the door.
    “You picked on the wrong girl.” Zack’s brow lowered into a badass scowl. “Now get the hell out of here and don’t bother her
     again.”
    The door banged behind them after they scurried outside. The tires of their dirty red pickup threw up a rooster tail of gravel
     as they squealed out of the parking lot.
    Zack plopped the can of Coke on the counter. “When you said you were used to being bothered, you weren’t kidding, were you?”
    “No.” To Katie’s chagrin, tears sprang to her eyes.
    Zack’s eyes went all warm and sympathetic, which made a lump the size of a bullfrog form in her throat.
    “Hey—don’t let them get to you. They’re just a couple of losers.”
    “But what they said about my mom…” A tear snaked down her cheek. She scrubbed it away with