“What?” I glance up from my squatted position with a fist full of crumpled napkins in my hand. With my first swipe, all I’ve managed to do is slosh the coffee in either direction, rather than soaking it up.
What exactly am I doing? Hoping that by playing dumb, he’ll forget what he’s saying, and move on?
“I wasn’t expecting to hear that Jake was that bad in the sack due to his reputation as a lady’s man, but you look like hell and not in a good way.”
“I wasn’t with Jake, but thanks for the compliment about my looks.” I return my attention to the spill, folding the paper towels in half and swiping them again over the concrete. This time, I’m able to collect most of the mess.
His boots drop down to the ground as his shifting weight causes the chair feet to scrap along the flooring. “I didn’t mean to be insulting.”
“Well then, your execution was off.” I spin on my heel, drop the used paper towels into the trashcan, and snatch up a couple more. This should be enough to finish off the rest of the spill.
With my back to him, I drop the paper towel to the ground and use my shoe to slide it over the remaining debris.
“I would’ve thought after yesterday’s display of–”
“Don’t.” I spin on my heel and glare at him. “Nothing happened.”
“Fine.” He raises his hands in mock protest but has the decency to appear chagrined.
As I toss the last paper towel into the trashcan, Dale is smart enough to keep his mouth shut. The less people know…. What? That Jake needed to get off and used me to do it?
Yeah, no one needs to know that happened. I have no intention of breathing a word to anyone. Including Bella and Ruby. I hate the thought of lying to them, but I can’t bear the humiliation of them feeling sorry for me. Again.
“I’ll be in the office doing paperwork.” I pick up the coffee mug, march to the office, and shut the door with a snap.
I don’t have any paperwork. I finished everything up the day before, but I’m not about to sit in awkward silence with Dale while he envisions things he has no business thinking. My teeth grind together. Things I don’t want to remember.
After slumping into the chair, I cross my arms over my chest. Why did I go with Jake to his house? He was with Amanda two nights ago.
Did I really think he’d change for me? Am I that foolish? Amanda was already messaging him in the middle of the night planning to hook up tomorrow night.
I scrub my hands over my eyes and face. I shouldn’t have picked up his phone.
Granted, I thought it was my phone, but that’s no excuse. The second I realized it wasn’t mine; I should’ve set it down. Not slid the screen down and read the first part of the message.
Amanda: I can’t wait for tomorrow night….
Thank God I couldn’t see any more. She could’ve sent a detailed account of what she couldn’t wait to do. Or sent photos to get him in the mood. I’m going to get sick.
When my phone pings, I jump, causing my upper thighs to hit the underside of the desk. My heart races as I retrieve my phone from my back pocket. It’s my brother.
Kaleb: I can’t stop by Mom’s tomorrow night after work, can you?
Me: Sure.
It’s not like I have anything else to do besides moping around and wondering what Amanda and Jake will be doing. His hands caressing her body after laying her on the bed. The fresh scent of paint filling their heads as they climax.
I hop out of the chair with the intent of running to the bathroom to lose my coffee when Dale knocks on the door. “We’ve got a call.”
“I’m coming.” I straighten my shoulders and block everything else. Duty calls and someone’s life may depend on me keeping my head straight and the contents of my stomach where they belong.
After I climb into the passenger seat, Dale slides behind the wheel and the engine revs to life. “What do we have?”
“A fender bender at the four-way stop.” A fender bender is a simple call. More of an obligation to the community than an actual emergency.
“Who?” We both buckle our seatbelts at the same time.
“Elias ran into Ben.” Elias McCormick is in his mid-forties. Pretentious and snooty. Not that he’s a bad guy. He isn’t. It’s not his fault he’s the bank president’s son.
