“Oh shit, please tell me you did not go to the cave alone.”
“I wasn’t alone. I had my phone and a flashlight. I had to wait for my dad to fall asleep and sneak out.”
“What about the notebook?” His eyes glance toward the one I have on the table. I put my hand on top of it and slide it closer to me.
“Of course I had it.” A silly question.
“Like asking if the bat scientists looked in the caves for the bats.”
“Exactly.” I snap my fingers and hit him with the finger gun. “Long story short.”
“Nope, I want the long one.”
I let out a loud groan. “You’re about to be fired,” I lie.
“Might be worth it. I mean, you get it, right? It’s all about getting the story.” Damn. He got me there.
“Touché,” I agree. “When I go with my dad, we stay in hotels, so I picked one near a cave because I can’t drive, and I’m not calling a random person to give me a ride in the middle of the night. You don’t get into cars with strangers.”
“You also don’t go into caves alone at night.”
“You sound like my dad. At least I didn’t do the stranger-danger car thing.”
“Josie.” He shakes his head, letting out a chuckle. Dang it. Why is even his laugh hot?
“So maybe I stepped over the no trespassing sign. No one can say I saw it, you know? They can’t prove it.”
“No proof. Agreed.” I’m not sure if he really agrees, but I continue onward.
“Well, I got into the cave, and guess what?”
“No bats.”
“Bingo! I nailed it; I had a video and everything. I was going to rub it all up in my dad’s face, and then the fuzz showed up.”
“The fuzz?” Bam throws his head back and laughs. I don’t know what’s so funny. The cop sure didn’t think any of it was. “So you were arrested for trespassing.”
“I mean, it started as a warning.” I fiddle with the napkin in front of me. “And the next thing I know, I’m arguing with the cop about the bats because he thinks they’re in the cave too but won’t even go look. Then it all happened so fast. I’m in the back of the cruiser cuffed for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.”
“You? Assaulting an officer?” His brows rise.
“Right! I can’t assault a fly.” I really can’t; I’m the worst with a fly swatter. My hand-eye coordination isn’t the best, clearly. “Anywhoos, I didn’t have an ID on me, and he took me back to this trailer police station. I wouldn’t tell him who I was, so he said I could tell the judge in the morning, and he tossed me in the can.”
“A cell?”
“It was really more of a room, and he passed out at his desk, so I snuck out. I don’t think he thought I could fit through the little window, but here I am, still a free woman.” Being tiny can be handy at times.
“A wanted woman. A real-life escapee,” he teases me.
“Bet they have those wanted posters of me up all over that town.”
“It’s got a sketched pencil drawing of you. That’s old school.”
“What I was thinking too.”
The server returns, placing the cake down between us with two forks. Bam grabs one, handing it back to her. “Only need one.” He pushes the slice toward me. “Eat up, jailbird.”
“That’s three nicknames now.” He’s popping them out.
