6. Indie
INDIE
Ispent the next day dealing with the tire fiasco (thank the gods for comprehensive coverage), and blessedly spent the remainder of the work week at the crematoria.
Awayfrom Kiernan.
Being around him was not good for my well-being.
At least that’s what I told myself.
I’d had to file a police report about the slashed tire, which I didn’t want to do, but I had no choice since I needed to file a claim with my insurance.
I’d known exactly who’d done it, of course.
The longer I dealt with Mark, the more I wished I would have just turned him in from the get-go, but I’d thought he was just some harmless creep. He’d seemed nice enough, though not my type once we’d met in person after matching on a dating app. After I’d made that fact clear to him, he became a little more persistent than I was comfortable with, but nothing that I didn’t feel like I couldn’t handle on my own until more recently.
As much as I dreaded it, Friday was the day I always stopped by the office to bring breakfast for Sammy and Amelia. It was a habit I didn’t want to stop just because Sammy was gone. My heart pinched when I thought of him not being there, but I adored Amelia and I wouldn’t let my sadness throw me out of my daily routines.
The problem was, I couldn’t take breakfast to her and leave Kiernan out. I wanted to keep it casual—simple—so I stopped for donuts and boxed coffee (don’t worry, I grabbed a quad for myself).
Amelia was her usual rosy-cheeked self when I walked in through the main entrance, sitting behind her desk and taking a phone call. She spoke in a sweet, caring tone to the person on the other end of the line and gestured for me to place my offering on her desk.
Kiernan ascended from the basement and hurried over to help me, placing a hand on my back and taking some of the load. Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the contact.
Or maybe I just needed an antacid.
Amelia returned the phone to the receiver and gave me a knowing look.
Great.
“What’s all this?” Kiernan asked.
“Indie always brings breakfast on Fridays,” Amelia answered before I could respond. “She’s such a sweetie.”
Lay it on thick, Amelia.
Kiernan gave me a genuine, heart-stopping smile, and I forgot how to breathe.
“Thanks,” he said, opening the box and taking out a beignet. Those were my favorite.
“No problem.” I gave him a tight smile and scooted the open box toward Amelia.
She chose a pink-frosted donut with white sprinkles—just like I knew she would—and took a big, grateful bite.
“That was seriously amazing,” Kiernan said just as he swallowed the last bit of it. He must have eaten the thing in two bites. Impressive, honestly. “What is this place?” he asked, tipping the lid off of the edge of the desk so he could read the words written across the top of the box.
“Frankie’s,” Amelia told him. “They’re a cute little shop in town.”
“I’ll have to stop by sometime,” he said, now filling one of the to-go cups I’d brought with steaming coffee from the box.
“They didn’t have any spinach filled,” I said seriously.
He gave me a flat look, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
I grabbed the only other beignet before he could get any ideas and took a small bite, savoring the sweet powdered sugar and fluffy dough as it melted on my tongue.
“Have you had much of a chance to learn your way around town?” Amelia asked him.
“Nah. I’ve visited several times in the past, as you both know.” His eyes flicked to mine, causing my face to heat when I thought about the last time he’d visited. The way his hands felt against my slick skin. The way his dick felt down my—“I’m not super familiar, but I know my way around. I was considering exploring a bit over the weekend as long as nothing pressing comes up,” he said, taking a tentative sip of his coffee.
“Oh, I just had the best idea!” Amelia beamed. Fantastic. Love that. Wonder what it is. “Indie, you should show Kiernan around this weekend!”
No more donuts for Amelia. “I’d be happy to,” I lied, forcing a smile.
I would have been happy to under any other circumstances. I knew spending time with Kiernan would be fun. Enjoyable. Tempting—that was the part I was worried about.
“Oh, you don’t have to?—”
“She’d be happy to,” Amelia cut him off. Way to smother that spark of hope.
Maybe I could pretend to get a stomach virus.
But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, a vivid memory flooded back to me. The last time I pretended to be sick, not long after I actually did get a terrible stomach virus. The intense nausea and cramping, the constant trips to the bathroom… it was a miserable experience that I never wanted to go through again. With a shudder, I quickly dismissed the idea and resigned myself to whatever fate had in store for me. I would not be opening myself up to any kind of karmic consequences for lying.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked sheepishly.
The fact that he wanted to do this cracked my inner resolve a little. It couldn’t be easy moving halfway across the country to a place where you knew no one and starting a new life. Well, he kind of knew me. I sighed internally.
“Of course.” I grabbed a cream-filled long John (heh) for the road and made my way toward the door. “Have a good day, friends.”
Heavy emphasis on the friends part. Did you hear that Kiernan? I said FRIENDS.
As I turned to wave at them one last time before leaving, his gaze lingered on me with a longing that spoke volumes. Tension crackled in the distance between us, thick and heavy like a storm cloud ready to burst. It was clear he wanted more than just friendship, and I couldn’t deny the need that pulsed just under my skin in response to his eyes on me.
I wanted to give in.
But I couldn’t risk it, wouldn’t.
Friendship was all I could offer him, but for some reason, even that felt dangerous.