“I have nowhere to be. Why don’t you start at the beginning?” she presses, and I decide what the hell. Might as well throw her a bone. It’s not like my childhood is classified.
“My dad was a cop. He died during a routine traffic stop when I was just a little boy. Classic case of wrong place, wrong time. Some asshole was driving a stolen car, got nervous when my dad approached the vehicle and shot him in the head.”
“That’s awful,” she whispers.
“It was a long time ago, but I worshipped him. He was my hero. I remember him taking me to work a few times. Having me ride along and letting me turn on the lights. I wanted to follow in his footsteps ever since, even knowing we may end up sharing the same fate. I didn’t start out with the FBI. I was a cop with the NYPD for a few years, and I loved every second of it. It was everything I always dreamed of.”
“So, why the switch?” She’s fully invested now, food forgotten as she leans back and sips her hot drink. I shrug.
“Seemed like an upgrade at the time. I guess I was flattered that the bureau wanted me so badly. They pursued me quiteaggressively, and once I thought about it, I figured I’d be able to make more of an impact, you know? Serve justice on a larger scale. For a while, I was convinced I made the right choice.”
“And then?”
I take my time answering, wiping my mouth, and crumpling up my napkin before discarding it on my plate. This particular conversation never fails to ruin my appetite. “Then my successes went to my head, I got careless, and the job cost me everything I ever cared about.”
I don’t know what possesses me to share so much, but there’s just something about Tink that makes me want to open up. Maybe she feels safe because I know whatever this budding friendship is between us, it’s temporary. Three months from now, I’ll be out of her life, and she’ll be just a girl I once knew. Someone I remember fondly from time to time. Chances are we’ll never see each other again, so what’s the harm in letting her see some of my damage? Reading people is an essential skill in my profession, and I know without a doubt that Charlie has some skeletons in her closet. It’s in her eyes. This girl is no stranger to pain and suffering. People like us recognize a kindred spirit. She might not know it now, but she needs someone to help mend her broken pieces. And in that moment, I’m willing to admit, so do I.
eight
Charlie
Dee smirks at me when I approach the counter, and I brace myself for the inevitable interrogation. Once our table had been cleared of empty dishes, I’d sent Cole across the road to take care of his groceries. I told him it’d be best to run our errands separately under the guise of saving time. That I have to get back to the resort in case an unexpected guest turns up. But here’s the God’s honest truth, I needed a few moments away from the growly yet very alluring FBI agent. His close proximity in the small booth was messing with my head, making me feel things I haven’t allowed myself to feel in years.
“Well?” Dee prompts when I just stand there, lost in my own thoughts.
“Well, what?”
She gives me an impatient look. “Don’t play dumb. I spent hours last night talking you off the ledge and helping you come up with a plan to make this guy’s stay a living hell. Now, I know I had a couple of glasses of wine, but I don’t remember you treating him to breakfast and eye fucking him across the table being part of it.”
I cringe and reach for the doggie bag containing Dave’s take-out, before placing another order for to-go coffees. Dee looks at me with questions in her eyes.
“Cole’s having a bit of a rough morning,” comes my sheepish reply. “Figured he could use a pick-me-up.”
“Ha,” Dee barks, and I’m suddenly all too aware of just how wifely my off-hand comment had sounded. Like we’re some old, married couple, and it’s my responsibility to make sure he’s taken care of.
“Fine, look. I got up this morning with the plan in mind and did exactly what we’d agreed upon. Figured the pounding would piss him off, he’d yell a bit and march his fine ass back into the cabin to pout for the rest of the day. But he took me by surprise by being a decent human being and teaching me how to do the job right, even though he looked like hell and was quite obviously nursing a doozy of a hangover. I had to repay his kindness somehow.”
Dee makes a humming sound that could be interpreted a thousand different ways and rests her forearms on the counter before leaning in. “So, does that mean we like this guy now?” she whispers like we’re discussing state secrets.
“I wouldn’t go that far. He’s still a bit of a sour puss, but I’m beginning to think his attitude has less to do with him being rude, and more with the fact that he’s seen some shit, ya know?”
“So, kind of like you?”
I rear back. “Are you saying I’m a grouch?”
“Well, not right at this moment, seeing as you currently have a full belly and spent the last hour basking in the attention of a guy who’s hot as sin. Like, holy shit, Charlie. I’m actually relieved he’s not the enemy anymore, because I had a hard time looking at that hunk of a man with anything but stars in my eyes. Fair warning, if you don’t at least attempt climbing that like a tree, I might give it a shot myself.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Slim pickings, babe. Slim pickings. You don’t let a hottie like this roll through these parts without at least trying to make his vacation memorable. We work in hospitality. It’s our job to make sure our customers are happy, and if you’re not up to the task, then I consider it my duty as a representative of this fine town to make sure he leaves with a satisfied smile on his face.”
I shake my head as I regard my friend with an incredulous expression. Dee manages to hold my eyes for an impressive amount of time, considering mine are flashing fire, before she throws her hands in the air. “Okay, fine. You know I’d never encroach on a sister’s territory. Besides, it’s painfully obvious he’s already decided which one of us he wouldn’t mind spending some one-on-one time with. The way he undressed you with his eyes was almost criminal. I had to fan myself, and his smolder wasn’t even directed at me.”
“You’re exaggerating,” I say, taking the tray of to-go cups from Dee’s barista.
“You keep telling yourself that, but I saw what I saw. That man is so into you. If you don’t take that for a test drive, you’d be doing an entire population of single, sexually frustrated women a great disservice.”
I chuckle at her theatrics and fish a few bills out of my wallet, slapping them on the counter before saying, “I’m not making any promises, but I can’t deny that he intrigues me. I mean, I’d have to be dead not to notice all that. But we’ve just struck a tentative truce, and I’m still annoyed by how judgy he was yesterday, so let’s just see how things progress. With my history, I don’t feel comfortable diving head-first into something with a literal stranger. Younever know when someone might turn on you and start showing their true colors.”
