Whisky State of Mind by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle Read Free Book Online Page A

league?”
    “I guess it depends on the person. A lot of the older guys I’m working with think fraud is the best of the best—outwitting the big wheelers and dealers, tracking down missing funds, tracing illegal tax evasion. I guess it just depends on your personality. I like using my brains, but I’d also like a little more adrenaline, I guess. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing like the TV cop shows—we don’t run around with our weapons drawn every five minutes,” he grinned and she almost forgot what they were talking about for a minute. “But I’d like to be doing something else within a few years.”
    “Wow, you certainly have your five-year plan all mapped out.”
    “What about you? What’s your five -year plan?”
    Sky felt her smile slip a little. “I hope to go back to college. At the moment though, I’m just trying to stay on top of things.”
    “Go back? Oh, I assumed you were in college.”
    She didn’t think he meant to sound so surprised, but she felt a twinge of embarrassment. “I had to leave when my grandparents stopped paying my tuition. I couldn’t get a student loan. I had to move out of home, and I needed to work full time to pay rent…but I’m working toward going back to finish my degree.”
    “That’s been rough. It’s good that you plan on going back though. Not much of a future in waitressing, is there,” he said with a smile.
    She actually agreed with him—it was hard work and the wage was absolute crap, but it was a decent, respectable job and she wasn’t sure she liked his implication that it was somehow beneath her to be doing. Who did he expect to bring him his food tonight? Someone had to do it. But she supposed he was just voicing what even she thought—because he was right, she didn’t want to be stuck doing this for any longer than she absolutely had too.
    The waitress came over then, and took their order. Sky sat quietly as he gave his order and was relieved that he treated their hostess with polite respect. She’d have had to get up and walk away if he’d been a dick. It was a solidarity thing…a hospitality industry code of honor…and she was very relieved she didn’t have to…in fact the more she thought about it, the more she found herself thinking that maybe she’d be able to overlook it just once…
    It would have truly sucked to discover her dream man was a pig.
    “So you said you lived with your grandparents?” he asked when the conversation stalled a little after the waitress had left them . “You said you had to move out of home. You and your grandparents have a fight?”
    “Yeah. They pretty much raised me,” she took a sip of water and carefully replaced the glass on the table. “It was just time that I spread my wings a little. What about you, what’s your family like?”
    “I come from a typical Latino family. My mother and grandmother are constantly trying to set me up with a nice girl from my old neighborhood and start a family.”
    “You don’t want to be set up?” she asked.
    “I want to choose my own girl,” he said , holding her gaze with a steadiness that she found both intriguing and a little confronting.  
    Sky kept him busy talking about his family and it turned out he was a funny guy. He kept her entertained with stories of blind dates and his siblings ’ equally troubled dating history, with mothers and grandmothers running interference until their meals turned up.
    “What about your parents?” he asked, before taking a bite of steak from his fork.
    And then the warm, fuzzy feeling went away. “My mother died when I was little. My father…” she faltered a little and saw that he hadn’t missed it. “I went to live with my grandparents and I haven’t seen my dad in years.” His face softened and his chewing slowed as he seemed to mull over her answer. “I’m sorry.”
    Sky shrugged one shoulder briefly. “That’s life. I lived with my grandparents until about a year ago. I totally get the whole