Riley followed a few footsteps behind us, giving Katy directions like I was a small child and she was taking me home for the first time over a long weekend. “I want you guys to go right to the bakery.”
“Yes, Father,” Katy said, tugging me beside her a little faster.
Riley picked up his steps as well and then we were standing at the door teetering to get out. “I’ll know if you divert or even take a step out of the way, Katy.” He pointed at her, daring her to argue.
She was Katy Kadish, so of course she did. These two had been arguing since elementary school. She turned and glared at Riley. “But I need to pick up a new protest sign from Pearl.”
Riley glared right back at her and my libido liked the way he looked as he did. All big and tough. Like he’d boss a woman right into listening to him. Someone like me. I’d definitely let Riley boss me around.
What? No.
Probably not.
Maybe.
I had no clue where the thought even came from, but I stared at the ground until I could make eye contact with Riley and not picture him naked.
“No,” was his simple answer.
Katy rolled her eyes so hard I worried she’d give herself a headache. “You’re being ridiculous.”
Riley only glared harder. “And if you get her arrested, consider our friendship over.”
Katy huffed and then turned around and pushed through the glass door of the security building. “Fine, then I guess she won’t have any fun while she’s here on vacation. You’re such a killjoy, Riley Jefferson.”
She stormed down the sidewalk, and I turned around once after following her, just to give Riley a quick wave. He lowered one of his eyebrows as if silently reminding me not to let Katy get me in trouble. It was super-hot.
I waved again, but when I turned, I couldn’t get one particular thought out of my mind. What exactly would Riley do if I got in trouble? Yell at me and be a little bossy? Spank me?
Did I want him to spank me?
Hmm.
Maybe yes.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Katy asked as I caught up to her and Vonnie. The bakery was close, so it didn’t take us long to walk, especially at the speed they maintained even after we were too far for Riley to see us.
I tripped over a small crack in the sidewalk and then straightened myself, acting like nothing had happened. I worked at a desk job. This walking while being angry and talking thing was new to me. Cut me some slack.
“Nothing,” I said as we waited to cross the road.
A car drove past and Katy raised her hands to wave, but they were too fast for me to see who sat in the driver’s seat.
“You are kidding on the arrested thing, right?” I asked as we crossed the other side of the road.
Katy was always out for an adventure when we were younger, but it wasn’t anything she could get arrested for. Except the one time she borrowed her grandmother’s car to drive to Clearwater before she was technically sixteen. But she was close and had already finished driver’s training, so the rules were a little bendable. More than likely.
“Of course we were,” Katy said, waving her hand in the air like I was being ridiculous with even mentioning the idea of arrest.
I took a deep breath and relaxed. We were just three women on our way to the bakery for cookies. I didn’t know why Riley worried. This was Pelican Bay, and nothing exciting happened.
“No one’s arrested me since last fall,” Katy said, still maintaining her bland tone.
Last fall?
“It’s been February for me,” Vonnie pitched in and smiled as she said it, as if remembering a fond moment.
Katy laughed and then gave her a fist bump. “You go, girl.”
