Page 27 of Nothing At All

On a sharp inhale, she darted a look at me.

“I’m with somebody, and I’m not. Interested, that is.” I refused to run a hand over my nape. “So you shouldn’t waste your time. There’s tons of guys out there, and one is the right–”

Her eyes narrowed.

I bit off what I was saying.

Straightening her shoulders, she drew herself up, something flickering over her face so quick I couldn’t read it.

I cleared my throat again and gestured at her backyard. “You’re clear.”

“Sure.” The syllable emerged taut and testy. She was mad because I’d hurt her feelings.

Like that didn’t happen at work, all day, every day, every time I typed a ticket into my laptop.

Still, I didn’t want anyone afraid. “You’re in the city, and I asked for increased patrols down this street. Our response time is faster than if you were out in the county–”

“Thank you.” She looked away, throat convulsing with a swallow. She turned a tight smile in my direction. “I appreciate you.”

Spinning, she stalked inside, leaving me standing in the driveway. I watched the door swing into place behind her, unease running over my spine.

I tugged my phone free and paused. My first instinct involved running this by Lila, but the whole thing with Nicole annoyed her and I had a keen awareness of the imbalance created by my inexperience with women.

Lydia and EmmaLee were . . . young. And they’d want to get involved.

I needed experienced and objective. Someone who didn’t have a dog in this fight.

Scrolling through my contacts, I texted Vic. This is weird but I have a question

I’m always up for weird

So this woman’s interested in me. I’m not. Told her I wasn’t and the right guy was out there

Bubbles danced on the screen. A meme of a woman spitting out her coffee in a laugh appeared.

You DIDN’T

I sighed.

More bubbles bounced.

Okay. She’s not interested in you anymore. Trust me

Relief bled out of me with a slow exhale.

Thanks

I glanced at Nicole’s door, closed and the house quiet now.

That was all I had to do? Be straight up.

That was easy.

Nicole being not interested any longer was great. She was still blocked, but she also wasn’t showing up asking for rides. For the next week, I saw Elizabeth’s BMW or Allison’s Navigator in her drive each morning as I headed out for duty.

Friday afternoon, I strolled out of the department, tired after a rough shift but excited to see Lila. She’d been busy all week, and Josh, Vic and I had been pulling half evening shifts to cover the mid-shift guys who had fallen victim to bad barbeque. So Lila and I had been making do with texts and FaceTime, but tonight we were going out. I had those earrings tucked away – I wanted to take her somewhere special, not the Cue Club, and I wanted to broach the idea of a weekend away again.

The side door to the administrative offices opened.