26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
VIOLET
We still had no new leads in the arson case, so I knew I shouldn’t be smiling.
But I couldn’t help it. Seth had spent Saturday night and all day Sunday with me since we were both off.
But both of us had to work today even though it was Labor Day.
Technically, I could have taken it off, but with this arson case still not having any breaks, I really needed to watch more footage.
There had to be something we were missing. We hadn’t been able to connect either the Taylor kid or his godfather to any of the locations. The godfather wasn’t at all helpful when Dylan questioned him either. Straight up defensive and threatened to get a lawyer if we didn’t stop harassing them.
My phone vibrated on my desk and I quickly reached for it hoping it was Seth. Only a slight twinge of disappointment followed when I saw it was Hattie.
Hattie: Still good for lunch? Can’t wait to hear all about your weekend ;)
Me: I’m not one to kiss and tell.
Hattie: Yeah, ok.
I smiled and set my phone back down. She knew as well as I did I couldn’t wait to tell her everything.
Well, maybe not everything . Probably not what I did when we were watching a movie.
And definitely not what we did on the back deck later that night.
Heat rose quickly to my face as I thought about how he’d touched me under the blanket and whispered that I had to be quiet.
I sat up straight and hit pause on the video footage I’d been watching, and honestly, only half paying attention to. My eyes narrowed at the figure wearing a green hoodie. I was pretty sure I’d seen it before.
After searching through the folder of screenshots I’d captured from the other footage of pretty much any person who stood out to me, I found the image I was looking for.
Definitely looked like the same person. The build was the same, and definitely stood out to me as a man, but with the hood up and the angle from the back, I wouldn’t be able to determine features like skin color or hair.
I stood and went to find Dylan. “I might have something.”
He looked up and pushed his chair back. “Show me.”
I nodded and he followed me back to my office. I pulled up both images on my computer screen. “Same guy, right?”
“Yeah, definitely could be. Wish we could see his face though.”
“It’s never that easy.”
He scoffed. “Don’t I know it. Send me those clips.”
“Sure thing, Bossman.”
He tilted his head as he looked at me. “You’re in an extra good mood today.”
I smiled with a slight shrug. I was totally in an extra good mood, but I had no plans on telling Dylan why.
With a shake of his head, he turned and walked back out of my office. I emailed him the clips and got back to watching the footage. Maybe I could catch Mr. Green Hoodie when he wasn’t looking away.
My eyes were tired by the time I had to leave to meet Hattie.
My good mood had faded a bit after watching almost two hours of footage with nothing more to show for it.
Not a single sighting of the guy in the green hoodie.
It was frustrating, almost like he knew every business and home that had a camera.
Like he knew exactly how to go completely undetected.
She was already seated at a table and waved me over. “You’re totally glowing,” she said as I took my seat.
I chuckled. “I think you’re being dramatic.”
“You haven’t smiled quite like this since Asshole James broke your heart.” She bounced in her seat. “Now tell me everything.”
Pausing halfway through to order our food, I filled her in on what happened Saturday when I asked him if he wanted to be my date to the fundraiser dinner.
“You’re welcome for that, by the way.” She sent me a sly smirk. “I’m glad you took my advice, though.”
I was glad too. In the back of my mind, a part of me had hoped he wanted to be my real date, but never did I imagine he wanted to be my real boyfriend. Our food was delivered, and I filled her in on some details of Saturday and Sunday as we ate.
“I didn’t realize how bad things had gotten with James until being with Seth. He’s so attentive.”
“I bet. I could tell that when you guys came out for Savannah’s birthday. He’s observant. Seemed to pick up on your needs even before you did.”
I nodded. “I noticed that too, but just thought he did a good job of faking it.”
“You know some of the comments on that viral video called this, or at least thought something was already happening between you two.”
My body flushed, remembering that day. I wouldn’t lie and say I hadn’t felt something as I’d buried my face into his neck. But at the time, I didn’t want to read too much into it.
“When will you see him again?”
“We’re supposed to grab dinner tonight after his shift… as long as he doesn’t get stuck there.” I fiddled with the napkin in my lap before picking it up and setting it on the table. “I might swing by and say hi before heading back to the station.”
I was already missing him and couldn’t wait to see him. Plus, who wouldn’t be happy about a surprise visit from their new, very real girlfriend.