“What was that all about?” Hansen asked, stepping into the lounge. “Did you know him?”
“Friend of Peyton’s,” I said quietly.
“What did he want?”
I didn’t answer at first, and instead focused my attention on the sandpapery carpet beneath our feet. “He wanted to tell me how she was,” I said finally.
“Really? How is she?”
“Not good. Not good at all.”
Hansen said nothing to this for a moment, merely propped himself up on the arm of the couch as he looked at me. “Are you shocked?” he asked. “You humiliated her in public and broke her heart for the second time. I’m a little surprised she hasn’t taken a hit out on you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I mumbled, but I knew he was right. Everyone was. Accepting it was the hardest part.
“So are you going to go see her?” Hansen asked, forcing me to meet his eyes.
“Yes,” I said, and this time I meant it. “I’ll go see her. And I’ll get her back, too.”
I followed Hansen out of the lounge and into the kitchen where Paisley had lunch cooking. She looked up as I approached, a teasing grin starting on her lips. “How was your date the other night with Amanda?” she asked. “Did you two bode well?”
I scoffed, shaking my head, and sat down at the table across from Chief Davis, who had his nose buried in the weekend paper. “It was a mess,” I said. “She drank too much, ate too little, and then came onto me when I took her home.”
“She came onto you, huh?” Hansen asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. “Did you kiss her back?”
“No. I panicked and told her to cover up.”
“So it did nothing for you, yeah?” Paisley asked, handing Hansen the plates so he could set the table.
“Not really,” I admitted. “No, not at all actually. The night couldn’t be over soon enough.”
“Thank God for that,” muttered Paisley. “I was really, really hoping you weren’t going to end up with that crazy girl.”
“Watch what you say,” Chief Davis said suddenly, raising his head from the paper to look at Paisley. “We are professionals and this is a work place.”
“Sorry, chief.”
“We can think those things,” he continued. “But try to whisper them next time.” He winked at me and then buried his nose back in the paper.
“It was just—weird,” I said. “I only wanted to be her friend. I think she’s lonely.”
“Yeah, I’d be lonely if I was that weird, too,” said Paisley. “The girl is everywhere. She’s like a plague.”
“Jeeze, Paisley,” said Hansen, laying the food out on the table. “Bitter much?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I am. I think Amanda is a big reason why Peyton left.”
I chuckled humorlessly. “I highly doubt that. Peyton isn’t intimidated by women like Amanda. Her leaving was my fault and only my fault.”
“I can get behind that, too,” said Paisley with a chuckle. I reached for the serving spoons and dished up some lunch; pasta salad and homemade pizza, Paisley’s best dish.
“Hansen says he’s gonna go find Peyton, anyway.” Hansen took a seat across from me at the table, dishing up a slice of pizza for himself and Chief Davis. Paisley joined us a second later, dishing up her own food.
“Are you really?” she asked, grey eyes burning into mine. “You better be. She seems really great.”
“You only met her briefly at the wedding,” I reminded her, and Paisley shrugged.
“Sometimes a girl just knows, okay? We could be friends, Peyton and me, and I never even got a chance to find out if that could ever be true.”
