Page 63 of Finding Noah

“Noah, stop kicking your little brother's ass.”

“Then he shouldn't make it so kickable,” I complained, releasing him from my hold just as I locked eyes with a certain father and daughter duo with matching blue eyes, and instantly, my playfulness was wiped away.

“Congratulations, Officer Mason,” Patrick said, extending his hand.

I accepted the gesture gratefully, and we shook. “Thank you, sir.”

“When are you coming to work?”

“Whenever you'll have me.”

He grinned. “How does Monday sound?”

“Consider me there.”

With an approving nod, he clapped a hand against my shoulder. “You turned out all right, ya know. I never doubted ya for a second.”

“Yeah, right,” I teased with a smirk. “You dragged my ass out of that pool and thought I'd be taking up permanent residence in your holding cell.”

He shook his head as he stuffed his hands deep in his pants pockets. “Oh, no. That was a one-off. Next stop would've been Wayward.”

I tipped my head, feigning consideration. “Actually, maybe I would've been better off. I could've gotten in close with Uncle Levi and his buddies, could've gotten myself a sick-ass nickname …” I glanced over my shoulder at Dad, who wasn't looking all that amused. “Right, Dad? What did they call you?”

“Depends on who you ask,” he grumbled, glowering. “But, hey, let's just be glad that's not where you ended up, all right?”

All joking brushed aside, I gave him a nod and allowed the conversation to rest, just as it occurred to me that Meg had been awfully quiet, standing beside her father and observing the interactions between me, Sergeant Kinney, and my family. My eyes drifted over her face, and I tried to get a read on what she might be thinking, but although she and I had become something close to good friends since those days in the holding cell, I still couldn't read her mind.

“Thanks for coming,” I said with a smile.

She reached out to brush her fingertips against my elbow. “Of course. I wasn't going to miss it.”

Mom appeared beside Dad, peeking around my arm. “Meg, will you be coming over for dinner? I know your dad said he'd be there, but I wasn't sure if you were.”

I stifled an eye roll. Dinner.

Mom and Grandma had insisted on getting some people together for a celebratory meal at home. They had spent all night and morning cooking a buffet of my favorite foods and then some, and from the sounds of it, they'd cooked enough for the entire town to join the festivities. But I had requested they keep the guest list small, not wanting to make a huge deal out of my graduation, and so far, they had listened. As far as I knew, Patrick and his wife, Kinsey, were the only two people from his family attending, and with how big the Kinney family was collectively, I was glad for it.

But now, I felt a tremendous amount of hope building in my chest at the thought of Meg accompanying her dad and stepmom. Suddenly, she seemed to be the only guest that even mattered.

But she gave my mom an apologetic smile and said, “I actually have plans with Jack tonight.”

That hope was extinguished in an instant to give way to a stomach-churning bitterness at the mention of her boyfriend's name.

Jack. Fucking Jack.

I had met him once, and, dammit, I didn't hate him. Yet, somehow, that made me despise him all the more because I couldn't think of a single reason for her to break up with him. He was an okay guy with a good, steady job and a jawline even I was jealous of. He had an apartment a couple of towns over, a brand-new car, and a fucking dog.

How the fuck could I compete with all that?

The answer was, I couldn't, and I constantly had to remind myself of that and shove my goofy ass back into the friend zone anytime I caught my mind wandering. Which was more often than I'd care to admit.

“Oh, bring him!” Mom exclaimed cheerfully, and I glanced over my shoulder to level her with a look I hoped shot daggers right through her friendly hostess exterior. “The more, the merrier!”

For fuck's sake, Mom.

I bit down on my tongue and turned to face Meg with a smile so forced that my cheeks screamed for mercy.

Meg blanched and started to shake her head. “Oh, no, no. It's okay. We—”