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“A honky tonk?” I interrupt. “What the hell is that?”
He starts howling with laughter. “Damn, despite those pretty cowboy boots you got on, you definitely aren't from the south.”
“Not at all.” I lift a shoulder in a shrug. “But I'm team Roll Tide if that helps any.”
He stares at me for a moment before he chuckles and says, “Bless your heart. You're adorable.”
“Screw you, I'm not stupid,” I grind out, turning to my car.
“What? No.” He reaches for my arm. “Darn it, Sindile, I know you're not. It doesn't always mean that, I'm sorry.”
“I'm just—I'm really sensitive when it comes to that.” I swallow hard because I can't believe I'm being so candid with him. “I'm not here because I'm enrolled in college courses like you are. I'm here because I didn't finish high school and I'm taking a night school course.”
Hot tears prickle my eyes and that only makes me feel even more humiliated. “I just turned 25 and I'm enrolled in a course to pass the 10th grade, I'm such a loser it's not even fu
“Hey,” he says softly, tipping my chin up. “Don't do that, Sindile. Don't tear yourself down when you're attempting to build yourself up.” The corner of his mouth tilts up. “And for the record, I wouldn't mind any part of you rubbing off on me.”
Those honey eyes of his stare down at me and I have to turn my head away.
I won't go down this route again...I won't let some man sink his hooks into me because he thinks I'm weak and vulnerable.
I may not have had a proper education in the conventional sense, but I graduated with honors when it came to the school of hard knocks.
“I—I'm go
I try to turn back around again but he holds me in place. “When did you turn 25?”
“Why does it matter?”
“Why wouldn't it matter?”
“Today,” I tell him. “Look I have to—”
“Oh hell no,” he says startling me. “There's no way you're going to work on your birthday. Give me your phone, you're calling in sick and I'm go
“Atticus—“
“Phone,” he demands.
“I don't have one.”
He digs his out of his pocket and hands it to me. “Lucky for us both, I do.”