Hissy Fit (The Southern Gentleman #1)(27)

I laughed, which was when I looked up and spotted Ezra leaning against my car.

I also spotted Mackie’s glare over his shoulder moments after that that wiped the smile straight off my face.

A shiver slid down my spine, and I wondered what it was that I’d ever done to the kid.

I’d never sent him to the principal, and I’d never said a word to him except to call his name on the roster during our sex-ed class to make sure he was in attendance.

I groaned inwardly.

“Bye, Uncle Ezra,” Johnson called as he passed. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Ezra snorted. “Says the person that does stupid shit all the freakin’ time.”

He flipped Ezra off before walking to Ezra’s truck that had a crack in the windshield—just like mine did—only on a much smaller scale.

As we’d left the night of the storm, it became apparent quickly that the loud bang we’d heard outside of Ezra’s bathroom window had been a tree limb falling down on top of Ezra’s truck.

That’d been nothing compared to mine—which was a metal sign falling from the bleachers above where my car had been parked, impaling it.

In fact, the metal sign was still there because neither Ezra nor I could get it out. Though Ezra did manage to cut the majority of the pole off the sign.

He’d tried to take me home, but I’d refused, saying my car was perfectly functional.

He’d reluctantly agreed since Grady had been repairing damage to their garage as we’d been leaving.

The impaled sign was on the very right side of my windshield, completely out of my viewing space, and the only thing, cosmetically, wrong with the entire windshield. There weren’t even any cracks branching off of the impaled object.

Tomorrow I’d be taking it to a body shop, but until then, I was stuck with it.

The funny thing was, the sign said ‘violators will be towed.’

I felt a blush hit my face the moment that Ezra and I were alone.

He took it in, and immediately grinned as he caught sight of me.

“Hey,” I whispered, feeling like I’d swallowed a chili pepper.

Ezra grinned. “Hey yourself. What are you doing here so late?”

I grimaced. “Grading papers and inputting them online. I was going to put it all in last night, but since we didn’t have power, I had to do it in the library with about eight other teachers trying to accomplish the same thing. Luckily, the cafeteria loaned out their generator for the night.”

Ezra grunted. “The power company estimates the power being back on tomorrow morning.” He looked at me, letting his eyes trail lazily down my body. “Are you busy? Do you want to get some dinner with me?”

I felt butterflies take flight in my belly.

“I…can’t,” I whispered. “I made arrangements to have dinner with my folks tonight because I still don’t have power. You’re more than welcome to go with me.”

He blinked. Then he grinned. “I wouldn’t mind. We don’t have power, either.”

It was my turn to blink then.

“You…wouldn’t mind?” I asked, flabbergasted. “Are you sure? My family is pretty crazy.”

Crazy didn’t even begin to cover it.

Ezra chuckled. “Have you met mine?”

I didn’t reply. “You know where they live?”

He nodded.

“You can meet me there at six. I have to go home and change first, or my mother will bitch and complain that I’m trying to ruin my work clothes as if she was still the one paying for them—which she’s not,” I hurried to add.

“How about we both go change, and I pick you up at your place at five forty-five?” he offered.

I licked my suddenly dry lips. “I’d like that.”

It was only when I was halfway home that I realized he’d never asked where I lived.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Ezra was intense. Him knowing where to find me almost sent me into a panic attack.

Not because I didn’t want him to find me…but because I did.





Chapter 9


I’m not trying to be difficult. It just comes naturally.

-Text from Raleigh to Ezra

Ezra

Raleigh and I arrived at five minutes to six, and the look on her parents’ faces was enough to make me want to laugh.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I offered my hand to Mr. Crusie, followed shortly by Ms. Crusie.

Apparently, they knew exactly who I was, even though I didn’t know them—at least not as well as they knew me.

I’d, of course, seen them around town. Other than a ‘hello, how are you,’ I really hadn’t had much interaction with either of them.

“Mother,” Raleigh hissed. “Seriously, stop staring at him like you want to munch on his Cheerios.”

“Whose Cheerios are we wanting to munch on?” A man about ten years older than me pulled the door open. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Croft!” Ms. Crusie snarled, slapping Croft, who I assumed was Raleigh’s brother, on the stomach.

He ‘ooofed’ as he doubled over and sent his mother a glare. “What was that for?”

“You know exactly what that was for, Croft Crusie,” she snapped. “Go inside before I kick your ass.”