AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You didn’t come from home.”
“I didn’t,” I tell her, giving her nothing more.
Her sigh is purposely loud, but my night was so incredibly fantastic that it doesn’t have the power to annoy me.
I don’t know how she does it, but her silence once we get inside makes me want to give her all the details. I don’t want to sit and chat quietly. I want to climb the rusty fire escape on the outside of the building and shout from the rooftop that I’m head over heels in love with Cash Tucker. After the night we spent together, I think he might possibly feel something more than friendship for me too.
“You had a good night,” she says, her tone assessing, her lips curled up into a huge smile.
“A great night,” I amend.
“Good. Maybe you’re pregnant already!”
“I think I’m falling in love with him.”
“Falling?” She scoffs. “You’ve been in love with that man since before the great sex. Hell, you were in love before the bad sex.”
I can’t do much more than smile at her with agreement.
Chapter 21
Cash
I can’t think of a time since Adalynn graduated high school that I didn’t crave her. Hell, some part of my deviant mind wanted her before I ever should’ve. I never acted on those desires, and I spent many hours criticizing myself for it. It didn’t change anything. Her smile has always had the power to bring me back to life, no matter how hard of a day I had or the level of disappointment I might’ve been feeling in my adoptive parents. It didn’t matter if I had let self-recrimination settle so deep inside of me that I alone couldn’t separate the happy parts of me from the miserable parts. Just that gleam in her eyes telling me that she had my back no matter what was enough to pull me back into the light.
I’m certain any therapist worth their salt could take one look at what we have and deem it unhealthy. I probably shouldn’t rely on her so much, but it’s not like I can change any of it. Our lives are so entwined with each other’s that my day doesn’t feel complete until I have the chance to lock eyes with her.
I got that this morning in my bedroom. I know that I’ll picture her sitting up in my bed, my covers sliding down her silky skin, a million times before I die. Despite seeing her earlier, I still crave her all day long. I spend the first half of the day at the office, trying to catch up on the never-ending paperwork and questioning why I ever thought police work was going to be fun and entertaining. The other half was spent patrolling town and waiting for a call to come in that might have me doing actual work rather than wasting the taxpayers’ money on gas.
I sweat through one uniform helping Mayor Abraham Fisher get a couple cows back in his fence, and all I can think about is Adalynn when I head back to the office to change.
The woman is an absolute goddess. I don’t hesitate to head to the bakery the second Chandler gets on shift to relieve me.
I know she’s been looking forward to having the baking class for weeks. She charged a small fee for supplies, but it was too little if you ask me. The expense of what she’s providing outweighed what the people paid, but I’d never tell her that. She’s an astute businesswoman, and her reasoning was that the people would have so much fun that they’d tell others and her next class would be bigger.
The line of cars out in front of the bakery when I pull up tells me that her first class was a success and she probably won’t be able to increase the class size next time. She has a hard time telling people no, and as much as I love that generous, giving part of her, sometimes it gets her in over her head.
A round of hellos catch me right at the door the second I pull it open and step inside. More than a dozen women, some with children, grin in my direction. I hold a hand up in a wave, encompassing all of them.
I recognize nearly everyone here. Although I’m not exactly one to feel awkward, the knowing way Madison Kelly watches me as I walk toward the display case makes me wonder if I shouldn’t just turn around and leave.
From the glint in her eyes, I know that Adalynn has told her about what we’re doing or Chase said something to her after he caught me coming out from the back the other day, zipping up my pants.
I can admit the speck of jealousy I felt when Madison came back to town a couple months ago. Adalynn and she were extremely close in school, and they fell right back together as if ten years hadn’t separated them. It’s how true friendships are supposed to be, but at the same time, I had the majority of Adalynn’s time for years. I never had to check with her to see if she had plans. If our off days lined up, we spent them together.It was always a given. Now, she makes plans with Madison, and I’ve felt the sting of loss from that more times than I’m comfortable with.
I don’t exactly begrudge Adalynn her friendship with Madison, but I had just gotten so used to being the one she came to when she needed to talk. She still meets me at the bar on nights I have to work late. We still sit at her parents’ table every time they have a dinner. I still end up on her couch, trying to watch a movie rather than staring at her all night. This week, however, all of that changed because we crossed a line we can never step back over, but the guilt I’ve tried so hard to ignore fades completely when Adalynn steps out from the back, noticing me. Her smile is wide, her eyes taking the briefest of seconds to run down my chest. I swear if they dip any lower, I’m going to be in a very awkward situation, considering the mixed company right now.
“These?” Adalynn asks, handing a bottle of sprinkles over to Madison.
I watch as the woman frowns. “I was hoping for rainbow sprinkles. Is chocolate all you have?”
“There might be some in the back,” Adalynn says, her eyes still sparkling, although they’ve lost a little of their shine.
“Maybe Cash knows where they are back there?” Madison offers. “I bet he can help you find them.”
“Why would I know where—”
Madison glares at me, and suddenly I feel like an idiot for not catching on.
