Chapter 4 #2
She rubs at her temples, as if the conversation is giving her a headache. “A cop whose name you didn’t get?”
I slide my gaze away, looking over her shoulder, and watch a mariachi band serenade a young couple. “It, uh, didn’t come up.”
“How could it not come up?” Her voice rises an octave.
“That’s not the point.”
“All I’m saying is, when a man puts his penis in you, names are usually on the table.”
“Well, they weren’t.” I shove a chip into my mouth and take several huge gulps of my drink, hoping alcohol and carbs will soothe me. “We agreed not to talk about anything personal.”
“A name isn’t personal. The checkout girl at the grocery knows your name. You deliver your name with a handshake. So, how does one go from I can’t be bothered with your name to motel rooms?” She’s distracted now, wanting to understand something that’s so counter to her nature.
“We can talk details later, but a plan is more important. What am I going to do, Hailey? We’re moving there. I quit my job. We got rid of our house. There’s no going back.” I cross my arms and rest my head on them before I wail, “I’m going to see him all the time. This is a nightmare.”
Her eyes are wide with a horror that reflects my own. “I don’t understand. Didn’t you meet him when you interviewed at city hall?”
I throw my hands up. “Obviously not.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Why would I?
He wasn’t on the schedule, and our paths didn’t cross.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a bit busy dealing with the fallout from the Travis debacle.
Our brother has always given his boss and close personal friend glowing reviews.
He told me how great he is and how good he is to work with.
I trusted him, and now look what’s happened. ”
“That’s unfortunate.” She presses her lips together like she’s trying not to laugh.
I scrape my hair back and push it over my shoulders. “It’s just sex, right? I mean, it’s not that big of a deal. It was one night.”
“How was it?”
“Did you see him? How do you think it was?” Why does he have to be so hot? If only he’d been a typical law enforcement beefcake, but he wasn’t. I’ve run across a lot of cops in my day, and the sheriff hadn’t given off that vibe at all. If he had, I would have stayed away.
Hailey retrieves her phone from the table and starts tapping. I have no idea what she’s doing, and my mind is spinning about the wrong thing too much to care.
Instead of figuring out my next steps, I can’t stop looping through last night. The images of what we did replay like a pornographic montage.
How dirty and intimate and orgasmic it was.
How, even in the seediness, there was something almost romantic between us.
No. Stop thinking about it. It can never happen again.
Cell in hand, Hailey clears her throat. “How can I get arrested by this guy?”
I snap back to attention. “Excuse me?”
“Lock me up, Sheriff Hottie.” Reading from her phone, she grins. “He can protect and serve me anytime.”
Horrified, I sputter, “Are you reading YouTube comments during my time of need?”
“What are they putting in the water over there? Did you see the other one? Where can I get me a sheriff sandwich?” Hailey wrinkles her nose. “I’ll stay away from ones that include our brother and threesomes.” She scrolls with her thumb. “There’s a thread.”
“Please, if there’s a god, kill me.” I bang my head softly against my folded arms. “I get it. He’s hot, and don’t think he doesn’t know it. But none of this helps my predicament.”
Hailey discards her phone. “Okay, I’ll be good. Let’s get to it. What’s your plan?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t have one.”
“Well, there are only two options as far as I can tell. Find a way to talk to him and explain the situation…or blindside him at the party.”
Ryder and his fiancée are throwing us a welcome party next Saturday with all their friends, and I can’t imagine the sheriff won’t be there. “I have one week to figure it out.”
“Yep, so let’s talk pros and cons.”
I tap my nails on the table. “The blindside gives me the upper hand.”
“You love that.”
“I do, and with him, I need every advantage I can get. But with a blindside, there’s a greater chance of our brother picking up on something between us.” I wave a hand through the air. “You know how he is.”
She nods. “Good point. Even if the sheriff has a great poker face, Ryder is like a dog with a bone if he catches a scent. A shock ups the odds of discovery considerably.”
“As much as I’d love the upper hand, the strategic move is to deal with this like an adult and allow both of us the opportunity to put on our game faces before we’re forced to spend the entire day together with alcohol.”
“I agree. Besides, maybe it’s not public, but you’ll still blindside him.”
I press my fingertips into my temples and rub in a circular motion. “How do I get myself into these messes?”
Hailey chuckles. “It’s your special gift.”
“I want new gifts.”
“This is your payment for being hot, bold, and exciting. Every gift has a price.”
I sigh. “Do you have any ideas on how to get out of this?”
She tilts her head, causing the sun streaming in from the windows to highlight her hair like spun gold. “You could call the station, ask to speak to him, and explain your new reality.”
“But they might ask who I am, and what if Ryder finds out?”
“Don’t give your name.”
“They aren’t going to hand me over to the sheriff without identifying myself.”
“You could try.”
I shake my head vehemently.
Hailey picks up her phone again and starts tapping before sliding it over to me. “There’s a contact email. You could email him.”
You know, it’s pretty hard to look hot and lethal in a professional headshot, but Sheriff Charlie Radcliffe manages it.
Charlie. I roll the name around in my mind, picture screaming it out in the heat of passion. I fan my face. “It’s hot in here.”
“He was that good, huh?”
The beginnings of a plan start percolating in my overactive brain as I chew on my lower lip. “What if I drive over to Revival, stake out the station, and follow him home.”
Hailey’s expression narrows in suspicion. “You sure that this isn’t about being alone with him? That this isn’t about him having his wicked way with you?”
Well, now that she said it… “Um, no?”
She cocks a brow. “No?”
“No!” I blow out a frustrated breath. “There’s a reason we didn’t exchange names. I don’t anticipate a happy reunion.”
“Maybe I should come with you so you’re not alone.”
That’s the safe, smart choice. It’s what Hailey would do.
Except, I’m not Hailey. “No, it’s better this way. It will be fine. All I’m going to do is corner him in the privacy of his own home, explain this nightmare, and set some clear boundaries.”
Hailey sighs like the long-suffering sister she is. “Of course you are.”