“So you lived in your car instead.” The sarcasm in his voice is thick.

“What was I going to do? I felt like I had nowhere else to go. I was embarrassed, Colin. At the very end of my rope. I did things that I’m not proud of. Not proud of at all.” Things I never even told Fable and she’s my closest friend. She’s the only one who would probably get it.

Colin rescued me within two weeks of the theft, something I’d never told him about either. I don’t like talking about my Gold Digger days.

Clearly, neither does Colin.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this? I mean, I knew what you were . . . doing, but I sure as hell didn’t know everything.” He steps away from me and rubs the back of his neck, looking confused. Hurt. Disappointed.

Completely devastated by my confession.

God. He thinks I’m disgusting for what I’ve done. And he doesn’t even know the half of it. “Why is it any of your business, what I’ve done with my life?” I know why it’s his business—I want him to know. He’s one of my closest friends.

And now I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him.

“I’m your friend, Jen. If friends can’t be honest with each other . . .” His voice trails off, the implication clear.

I’m nothing but a liar and a slut. How dare he jump to conclusions? How dare he judge me? Yeah, I’m not proud of the things I did, but I had no choice. I was alone. I couldn’t go back home; my parents were too wrapped up in their own problems to want to deal with mine. They’d ignored me for years and once they lost my brother, it was as if I didn’t exist.

My brother. The only one in my family who really noticed me. The only one who seemed to care as we got older. Now he was dead. I had no one.

Just myself.

“Friends don’t treat each other like they’re trash. At least, not the ones I know,” I say, turning away from him and walking out of the room. I don’t stop as I head toward the employee room and go to the short row of lockers. I open mine up, grab the old purse I’d started using again after the robbery, and slam the metal door, heading back out into the restaurant. I storm past Colin, my head held high, my gaze anywhere but on him.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he barks after me.

I turn to him, my nose tilted into the air. “I’m leaving.”

“You leave right now and you’re fired,” he threatens.

Oh my God. He means it—I can see the grim determination written all over his face. “So fire me, then.” I drop my gaze, refusing to look at him. If I do, I might break down and cry.

“Jenny.” He whispers my name and I chance a glance at him. “Talk to me.” I see the vulnerability in his eyes, the confusion and the sadness. Maybe some of it is tinged with disgust; I don’t know. I can’t really tell. All I know is that he’s judging me and making me feel even worse about my mistakes than I already do. It’s better for me to cut my losses and run. Just like I originally planned.

“Don’t make me do this,” he continues, his deep voice rumbling with agony. “Don’t make me fire you.”

“Are you serious right now? Go ahead.” I flick my chin at him. “Fire me. It’ll give me the excuse to get the hell out of this place even sooner.”

Chapter 20

Colin

I take Jen’s hand and drag her back to my office, not giving a shit if anyone sees us arguing. I’m not letting her leave like this. Not until I hear everything she has to say.

“Tell me everything,” I say to her when we enter my empty office. Thank God, Dad is gone. My entire body is shaking I’m still so damn angry and agitated over my confrontation with Jen.

“There’s nothing else to tell,” she says, her voice so low I can barely hear her.

She’s lying. There’s more. What my dad told me . . . I want it all to be a lie.

But I’m scared it’s the truth. I remember finding her in that damn car. Hell, I have nightmares about finding her in that guy’s car.

The words Dad said still cloud my brain. I’ll have nightmares about them, too. I f**king know it.

“You’re holding back,” I tell her, desperate for her to be honest with me. I need her trust. I feel like I’ve broken it and I can’t stand it.

She lifts her chin, defiance written all over her pretty features. “You know all that you need to know. You always have. I can’t believe you’re making a big deal about it now.”

The words threaten to burst out of me. I can’t ask her if the story my dad told me is the truth. How he went to Gold Diggers and saw a picture of Jen on the wall. That the bartender told him she was one of their best dancers and rumor had it she took money for sex out in the parking lot when she wasn’t dancing.

Jesus.

I need to hear her say it. I want her to trust me enough to confess all.

But she won’t. I don’t understand why. I won’t judge her.

Will I? Shit, I don’t know.

“All I’m asking is for you to be honest with me,” I say, my tone pleading. I sound downright desperate.

And that’s because I am desperate.

“I already said. There’s nothing else you need to know.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Is that all?”

“You’re not going anywhere,” I threaten.

“The hell I’m not.”

Damn! I can’t believe she’s pushing me to this. “You walk out, I’m firing you.”