“Jealous?” I light the cigarette and take a puff before holding it out of her reach once more in case she tries to snatch it again. “I don’t have the right to be jealous, remember?”
“Correct. You don’t,” Alice says, her voice hard. “So, stop smoking out here like some sort of thug.”
“I don’t know what part of town you live in, but smoking isn’t limited to thugs, Alice.”
“It’s an ugly habit.” She looks annoyed. “I don’t want you smoking around Mira.”
The mention of my daughter makes me scowl. “I’m not an i***t. I’m not going to smoke in front of her.”
“You shouldn’t smoke at all, period.”
Annoyed and heartsick, I drop the cigarette at my feet and stomp it out. “Happy? Now, go inside. I want to be left alone for a while.”
I turn away and begin walking. To my annoyance and surprise, sh
