“Thank you.”
We stood there for a moment, thunder rumbling outside as rain pelted his boarded-up windows. We stared at one another, both of us trying to find something to say while simultaneously waiting for the other to speak first.
“Listen, I–”
“Look, about the–”
We both started and stopped, and he rubbed the back of his neck as I gestured for him to go ahead. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, dropping his arms as he took a step toward me. “About what I said the other day.”
“You already apologized.”
“I know, but I’m saying it again. Because Iamsorry, Haley. It was uncalled for, and I should never have said it. I was frustrated, but I hadno rightto take it out on you when you were only trying to help.”
This was new for me. In my experience, I was used to being gaslighted in situations like this, typically being told I was too sensitive or that I shouldn’t take things seriously, especially when it was said out of frustration. Being able to easily brush things under the rug and act like they didn’t bother me was my defense.
But Blake wasn’t asking me to ignore what he said or just accept it. Instead, heacknowledgedhe was wrong, and that unfamiliar recognition caught me by surprise.
Blake let out another breath. “Look…I did what you said. I took the last few days and cleared my head. And I thought a lot about things. And we need to talk…”
Oh. I didn’t like those words. The ever dreaded “we need to talk.” It was like a trigger—something about them set off alarm bells in my head, like my heart was about to enter the danger zone.
“Yeah,” I said, not nearly as casually as I washopingto sound. “We, uh…we should talk.”
He nodded, holding my stare. And I was trying like hell to get a read on him, to figure out exactly what he was thinking...until my phone rang in my pocket, cutting through the tense moment.
Shit.
I dipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone, seeing Marie’s number flash across the screen. I offered him an apologetic look before answering. “Hey.”
“Hey. You think you can still make it in? We’re getting slammed.”
“Yeah, um…I’m at Blake’s—I left my badge here, so I had to stop by and get it. So, give me about ten to fifteen minutes.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Take your time. Drive safe.”
“I will.”
I ended the call and put my phone back in my pocket. I wasn’t sure if I felt relieved to put off the “we need to talk” conversation, or disappointed I couldn’t just get it over with.
“She said they’re getting hammered. So, I’m gonna go in. Um…” I blew out a breath. “Maybe I can come by after I get out? And we can talk then?”
I swore I saw a flicker of disappointment in Blake’s eyes before he nodded. “Yeah. That works. But are you sure you want to drive? They said it’s going to get worse out there. I could give you a ride.”
“No, I’ll be alright, but thank you. No sense in you going out if you don’t have to.”
He looked like he was about to argue, but he refrained. “Okay. If you’re sure...”
I pulled my hood up. “I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.I don’t plan on working past seven, but depending on what it looks like outside, I might hole up there and wait out the storm.”
“Alright.” He walked me to the door, gripping the knob as he looked at me. “Just…be careful.”
“I will.”
Chapter 32
Maverick was nota fan of thunder.
He wasn’t afraid of it in a way that made him cower or hide. Instead, he barked and growled at every rumble, as if he wanted to fight it. He’d been barkingnonstopfor the last thirty minutes, since Haley left. It was almost like he thought the thunder was to blame for her absence.
