Chapter Twenty-One
Emily
Two Hours Later
“Well, that’s taken care of,” Bella’s mom says as we stand on the front steps of the courthouse. The warm sun beams down on us after the chill of the lobby. The process of getting a restraining order was surprisingly easy.
“Yes, it is,” Bella says with a sigh and embraces us in a group hug. “Thank you for always being there for me.”
Bella told Chief Carter her side of the story, he took notes and sent us over to the courthouse, where they helped her get the paperwork filled out.
“Like we’d be anywhere else.” I rub her back.
“Exactly.” Ruby rests her forehead against Bella’s and smiles. “We’ve always got your back.”
“Girls.” Bella’s mom tugs her purse strap higher up on her shoulder. “I’ve got to get to the office. I need to hire a new employee since Bella has decided to choose a different path in life.”
Bella wrinkles her nose. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Until this morning, Bella’s parents had thought she would take a position with their accounting firm upon college graduation.
Hell, until this morning, Bella thought she’d take that same position, but those plans flew out the window when she finally realized the mistake she’d be making by sitting behind a desk all day.
“It’s fine.” She waves at us as two birds fly down and settle on the power lines behind her. The grass at the courthouse remains a bright shade of green from the recent rain. A few days ago, everything was turning brown in preparation for winter. “See you later.”
“I’m still in shock that it was that easy to get a protection order. I should’ve done this months ago.” Bella sighs again, “I’m exhausted.”
“As you should be.” Ruby winks. “With all those extracurricular activities you and Dominic have been engaging in.”
“Shut up.” Bella’s face is bright pink, and it’s not due to the afternoon sun. “I’ve got to go. Dominic should be calling any second.” Her eyes show a hint of worry as she shifts from foot to foot. “I hope everything went well when they told Brock’s dad about his harassment.”
“Jake said it did.” Ruby tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
It shouldn’t eat at me that Ruby and Jake were chatting like two long-lost friends when she answered my phone, but it does.
I was helping Bella and couldn’t answer, so I asked her to grab it.
But listening to the laughing lilt of her voice as she responded to something he said was like a knife in my chest.
I was the one who asked her to answer the phone, knowing it was him. And maybe I was avoiding talking to him again because keeping my heart intact is proving harder than even I want to admit.
The man asked me if I was tired like he cared. And told me to go home and get some rest. Talk about swooning.
But it’s impossible to forget that he doesn’t do relationships. And if he did, it would be with someone like Ruby.
Because why wouldn’t he? She’s single. She’s also fun, spontaneous, sweet, and smart. Not to mention, she’s gorgeous.
I’m none of those things.
Okay, I’m single, passably smart, and I try to be nice, except Jake hasn’t seen much of my pleasant side. And fun and spontaneous? That’s not me either. Gorgeous? Not hardly.
Ruby knows I’ve had feelings for him forever, but if he asks her out, I’ll step aside and give them both the chance to be happy. I love both Bella and Ruby like sisters and want nothing more than for them to be happy.
I rub my chest. Except the thought makes my heart ache.
A police cruiser turns at the stop sign and inches toward us. It must be Jake because Chief Carter was at the courthouse with us, and Ramirez is at the station.
“Hey, Em, I need to go.” Ruby squeezes my shoulder, giving me a sincere look. “I’ll talk to you tonight.”
God, I love her. She’s going to disappear before Jake gets here, so I can talk to him without her being around to grab his attention.
Before I can reply, she’s jogging toward her car. As Jake passes her, he draws down his window and says something. In response, she steps down to the pavement and rests her hand on the top frame of his window.
Okay…. My heart drops to my feet. Maybe she left so they could talk in private.
When her face lights up, I turn the other way and walk to my car. I’ve got to get out of here before I break down, and I’m going to need more than a moment to adjust to the idea of them dating.
I also need a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a can of whipped cream. And a piece or two of triple chocolate cake from Jolie’s. Maybe then, I’ll be able to stomach seeing them together.
As I fasten my seatbelt, Jake slides into the parking spot next to mine and climbs out. My hands shake as I turn the ignition until my car sputters to life.
When he raps his knuckles on the window, I blink up at him. How did he get around his car so fast?
I wave him off and rest my hand on the gear shift. He frowns and knocks again. Shit. He’s not going to leave. And he’s a police officer. Heat floods over my face. If I leave, everyone in town will hear that I evaded the police.
I drop my hand from the gearshift and roll down the window. “Yes?”
“You don’t have to seem so happy to see me.” He smirks and rocks back onto his heels. When he breathes, the fabric stretches over his chest and biceps. Did his uniform get tighter?
Stop drooling. He’s interested in Ruby, not you. They’d be cute together. Pain slices through my chest.
“Hey, Jake.” I smile even though I don’t feel like it. “Thanks for helping Dom and Bella out today.”
“It was my pleasure.” He shrugs. “Not to mention, it’s my job to protect the people in this town.”
I lean back in my seat. Why did I ever think he was an asshole jerk? “You really like your job, don’t you?”
“Yes.” He frowns. “Yes, I do.” Some of the softness in his features shifts to exasperation. “I like helping people, but that’s clearly not something you’ll ever believe about me.”
“That’s not it.”
“Yes, it is.” He steps back as the muscles across his jaw and cheeks tighten in irritation. “Anyway, I wanted to make sure everything went okay with Bella, but I’ll call Dominic later so I’m not bothering you.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t meaning that to sound rude.” And for once, I wasn’t. I was trying to pay him a compliment, and of course, I fucked it up.
His stance doesn’t change with my apology. He remains stiff and closed off as I try to think of something that’ll make things better. This is all my fault. He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s always been my feelings that I’ve thought about. Not his.
I relax my shoulders and grip the steering wheel with one hand like it’s a life raft. “I saw you talking to Ruby.”
“Yeah….” He glances in the direction she traveled.
“Do you want me to put in a good word to her about you?”
“What?” His head jerks back as he gapes at me.
I laugh roughly. “I realize you think I wouldn’t say something nice about you, but I would.
I can tell her what a great guy you are, and that if you ask her out, I think she should go.
” The words keep pouring out as he stares at me.
“Or if you want, I can tell her that you asked me to find out if she would go out with you and cut out all the back-and-forth stuff. You’d be good together. ”
“Right.” He nods slowly as Chief Carter honks while driving past. His boss waves at us, but neither of us acknowledges him. He presses his lips together and then licks them. “And you wouldn’t mind doing that?”
Tears swell in my throat as I try to talk, but the words won’t come out. Mind? Yes, I fucking mind. The last thing I want to do is see you with another woman. The only thing worse would be knowing I set you up with her.
I clear my throat. “I’d be happy to. Just let me know what you prefer.”
“I need to go.” He spins on his heel, marches around the front of the car, and climbs back inside.
Without a backward glance, he’s gone, and I’m left with a stupid, fat tear slipping down my cheek.