"I'll be over in a minute." I need to introduce her to the owner there too. A few of the servers as well.
"Okay." Beckett smiles, and I turn away from her. Kindred is almost to me now. "I'll save you a seat and order you coffee. Black, right?"
"Sure," I mutter to her.
“Don’t be too long.” Beckett’s hand comes down on my shoulder. I start to shift to get it off me, but she’s pulling it away already and heading across the street to the diner.
Kindred tries to walk past me, but I step in her path, giving her no choice but to stop. “I’ll be driving you home,” I tell her. It comes out like an order. I suppose it is because I’m not going to let anyone else do it.
“Don’t worry about it. You have other things to handle.” Her head turns toward the diner. I follow her line of sight to see Beckett is already at a table and watching us.
“I’m taking you home,” I repeat. Repeating myself to Kindred doesn’t bother me in the least. She really is different to me than everyone else.
“Hudson.”
“We need to talk.”
“That sounds ominous. If we were a couple, I’d think you were going to break up with me.”
“That would never happen.” Break up with her? Never.
“Right.” I try to get a read on her but can’t. “All right, you can take me home or whatever. I’m not going to fight with you about it.”
“But you enjoy fighting with me.”
“I do not.” That chin of hers goes up. One day when she does that to me, I’ll be able to lean down and kiss it.
“You keep telling yourself that, Cupcake.” I step to the side so she can go on by, and I can watch her ass as she does. I watch until she enters the salon, but not before peeking back at me.
Our eyes lock; she gives me a soft smile, but it’s not a happy one. I’m starting to wonder if me trying to get closer to her is only pushing her further away.
At least I know she can’t push me too far away. Kindred will never leave New Hope, and if she’s here, I’m here. Even if I can’t have her… but that won’t work. It can’t. I will have her one way or another.
Chapter Eight
KINDRED
Ihop right up on the counter to sit on it. Shelly smirks, turning in her rolling office chair to face me.
“How’s the chair?” I ask. I’d gotten it for her and made sure it was here when she came back to the library after her surgery. The thing cost a grand, but it’s got special cushioning on it. I know Shelly has no plans to retire anytime soon, so it was needed.
“I love the chair. Now ask me what you really want to ask.”
"No clue what you mean." I swing my legs back and forth.
"I know you snuck in here last night."
"I didn't sneak. I merely came in the back door. With the holiday season, I didn't want to use the sidewalk out front."
"Yeah, foot traffic is killer out there," Shelly snickers.
"You see there's a new deputy in town?" I change the subject. No use lingering on last night. We have bigger snowballs to melt.
“Haven’t met her yet, but news travels fast around here.”
“What have you heard?” I lean forward, ready for any gossip.
“Probably the same as you have. Rumor has it she’s got eyes for the sheriff. Heard they’re having lunch at the diner together as we speak.”
