In the Wind by Bijou Hunter Page A

else in your life, and that scared you."
    "Even though everyone expected Sawyer and me to hook up, I wanted to be with her. She and I were friends. Real friends not forced family friends. We talked every day. What I felt for her was real."
    "I don't think you're good with real. I get a lot of weird vibes about you. Mostly, I sense you're not your own man. You don't own your size or power. You don't enter a room ready to bust heads, even though I bet you could easily kick Mac's ass. You seem like a nice boy in the body of a big tough guy. I don't think you're a nice boy, Jeffery Todds. I think you're a big faker."
    "So I do what?"
    "Well, we need to figure out why you dumped Sawyer. If what you had with her was real, and there was no pressure from others to leave her, why did you choose that day to walk away? Until you figure that out, you're useless to Sawyer, and I refuse to meddle in your broken love affair."
    "Good. No one needs your meddling."
    Smiling Bodie leans back in the booth. "I know you think I've had an easy life, and that's why I'm so perfect."
    I grin without thinking because her arrogance is funny. Bodie glances around then back at me.
    "JJ McLaughlin is an amazing businessman, and a brilliant strategist when preparing for the zombie apocalypse we all know is bound to happen. As a dad, he sucked. I can't even pretend he tried. No, he was definitely a half ass father. Sometimes, I'd say a mere quarter of an ass was involved."
    Sipping her coffee, Bodie glares at a passing man. When the frightened guy moves faster, she smiles at me.
    "Weak men make me laugh, Jacque Todds. Anyway back to my childhood reminiscing. So my dad didn't raise us as much as pay to have others raise us. Our nannies let us run wild, so we grew up doing whatever we wanted. Good or bad, we made our own decisions. We often crashed and burned. It made us strong, and I'm comfortable in my skin. You aren't, but you have a chance here in Last Dollar."
    "I'm not moving to your town."
    "Don't challenge me, Jolisa Todds."
    "Great. Now I have a girl's name."
    "Shit happens, biker boy. My point before you tried to dick measure me was in Last Dollar no one knows you. No one cares about you either. There are no expectations, and you can grow the fuck up and find your balls. Once you figure out who you are, you'll know if you really want Sawyer. Who knows? You might even return to Ellsberg and pick a hairstyle based on your own taste rather than doing the fangirling crap you are now."
    "You're a fascinating woman," I say to her, and she smiles at my sarcasm.
    "Thank you, Jarvis Todds."
    "At least I'm a guy again."
    "Seeing your balls beginning to descend, I want to encourage you."
    Bodie stands. "We're going to run around town again. As much as I know you love to follow us around, why not skip it for today? After our naps, we're going boating. It'll be a good chance to see how much you want Sawyer."
    "Why then?"
    "Three hot girls in bikinis. If you can see her past all this hotness, you might actually like her."
    "Your confidence is admirable."
    "Because it's real, Jace Todds," she says, giving me a wink. "Your confidence is a con. Work on that or else Stanley or some other guy will sweep in to steal away Sawyer."
    Bodie walks to the front and pays for her coffee. After bullshitting with the waitresses, she leaves me to finish my breakfast. The food is cold, but I force it down because my adopted mom Toni hated when we wasted food.
    Even after Bodie's speech, I still can't shake my frigging need to please people who aren't even in the same state.

Chapter 17
    Sawyer
    Anchor
    Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls wakes me from my nap. Before deciding whether to get up, I reach for the phone and find my mom's picture smiling back at me. The pang of homesickness is undeniable, but I put on my happy voice when answering.
    "How's the cruise?"
    "Great. I met a few nice people. Also a lot of a stuck up assholes, but you know what I do with them."
    I smile. "I miss