Page 38 of Stolen Summer

“Is that what you did?” he asked.

“I went to return something next door right before the storm hit,” I began to explain. “Their security system activated when I was inside, seconds before the power went out, essentially trapping us. I left the moment I realized the power had been restored.”

The sheriff trusted me about as much as I did him. “Which neighbor? I’d like to corroborate your story.”

My word wasn’t good enough? I never understood why the sheriff never took a liking to me. Perhaps it was because he believed I was hiding something about the night of my father’s accident. “The Rileys.”

“The Rileys,” he echoed, suspicion growing in his eyes. “Are they even in residence this time of year?”

“Their son is. Cole,” I replied, wondering why the sheriff knew the Rileys’ vacation schedule.

“Do you have a relationship with Cole?” Sheriff Carter continued to grill me with questions.

My snort might have been exaggerated. “No. Definitely not. We barely know each other.”

Sheriff Carter slipped his thumbs into his front pockets, the keys attached to his belt jingling. “What did you return?”

Dad and Sadie glanced at me expectantly. “Huh?” I replied, uncertain why the reason I went to the Rileys’ house mattered.

“You said you went to his house to return something,” the sheriff prompted. “In a hurricane. I’m wondering what could have been so important.”

“Am I being interrogated?” My blood pressure rose, color staining my cheeks.

“No, just being thorough with my report, Miss Quinn.”

All I wanted was to escape, and the familiar feeling of being suffocated made my palms sweat. I rubbed my hands on my thighs. “Is there anything else?” I asked, edge lacing my tone.

“I’m sure Arie is exhausted, Levi,” Dad said, using the sheriff’s first name as he made an excuse for me. Dad and the sheriff went to high school together. Small towns.

“Let me make you some boba,” Sadie suggested, scooting out of her chair, knowing boba was my favorite.

I gave her a grateful smile. My system needed the caffeine jolt. I sunk into the chair Sadie abandoned and glanced up at Levi. “I didn’t mean to waste your time, Sheriff. With the cell towers out, I wasn’t able to call home, or I would have.”

His radio went off again, and he waited until the voice on the other end stopped speaking before addressing me. “Sounds like you got yourself into a mess with that Riley boy. A bit of advice, Miss Quinn.”

I fucking hated when he called me that.

“Stay away from the Riley boys. They’re nothing but trouble.”

Well, I probably shouldn’t tell him how I’d most likely be spending the summer at their house. “Thanks for the warning, Sheriff,” I forced myself to say, pasting on the fakest smile I could muster.

It was pathetic, and I was sure he could see right through me.

I didn’t give a shit.

“I’ll see you to the door,” Dad said, his hands moving to the wheels of his chair.

Sheriff Carter tipped his head at me. “Glad to see you're safe. Saves me from doing a whole lot of paperwork.”

“Glad I could make your job easier,” I mumbled dryly.

Neither Sadie nor my father pressed me after the sheriff left, but I sensed they wanted to. Eventually, they would have questions. For now, I took my tea into my room and picked up my phone.

“Shit,” I muttered, seeing the black screen. I plugged in the charger and headed for a shower instead, longing to smell like me again and not like the guy next door. The jerk tormented me enough, and regardless of how much my hormones enjoyed his scent, I needed to desensitize myself. And I needed to fucking clear my head.

My bathroom might be the size of Cole’s shower, but I loved every second under the spotty hot water and spent longer than usual scrubbing myself clean.

With my wet hair tied up in a towel, I plopped down on my bed, feeling more like me, and reached for my phone. “Finally,” I sighed when the screen lit up, and then the notifications came in. One after the other.

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