“That doesn’t mean they’re right.”
“No offense, but I trust their gut instincts over your desire to pretend it’s not real any day.”
Did he just call me emotional? I turned and glared at him.
Paul was my patient and a first responder, so I wanted to believe he was a good person.
Matt’s right. Paul did more than make me uncomfortable. And because of him, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched.
I should tell him. Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, I decided to wait until the next time it happened. Besides, I always looked around when I sensed it, and no one was ever watching me.
“Did you seriously just say that?”
Matt glanced at me before returning his focus to the road.
“Every. Single. Day.”
“Why is their opinion more valuable than mine?”
It was a stupid question. I pointed at him. “Don’t answer that.”
Chapter 20
Matt
Ihad every intention of answering, but first I needed to find the least offensive way.
Between growing up with a cop for a father and her time in the Navy, I expected Madi to have stronger survival instincts. I knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she didn’t trust Paul’s intentions, and her determination to ignore her gut instincts worried me.
“Can you sit there and honestly tell me that one, you believe I value their ‘opinion’ over yours? And two, that you truly believe Paul isn’t someone you should be concerned about?”
Her sigh was the only response I received for two long, drawn-out minutes.
“No.”
“Are you pouting?”
“What? No.”
“You look like you are.”
“I’m not. Just resigned to the fact that you’re right. Paul gives me the heebie jeebies and I want to believe the best, but I can’t deny he might be unhinged.”
Her response wasn’t quite the admission I’d hoped for, but it was a step in the right direction.
I kept my ‘I told you so’ to myself.
When I parked in Jack’s driveway, I got out and jogged around to open her door.
“Any objections to me walking you to your door?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You do.” I could stand here and watch her walk the twenty feet to Jack’s porch. “But I’d prefer if you let me walk with you.”
“Fine.” She cracked a sad smile. “But only because I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
At the door, I fought the urge to kiss her good night to end the date.
