Page 32 of Safe With Me

“Jared, this is Lila. Jared went to high school with us too.”

“Nice to meet someone new in town,” Jared said, a slow smile creeping over his lips. “What brings you here?”

“She works with my father,” Mike said before I could reply.

“Ah, I see. Well, welcome.”

Something about him made me uneasy. He seemed a little older than Mike and Aaron and was tall with a stocky build. He kept his gaze on me as he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, flexing his thick forearms.

“If you guys are staying for the band, I guess I’ll see you all later.” He did a quick sweep of the table before his gaze landed back on me. I darted my eyes away, pretending to tip back my empty cup of sangria.

I’d managed to relax enough over the past couple of hours to almost forget the messy past that had brought me here. Jared’s lingering stare had made me uncomfortable enough to remember.

I wanted to stay for the band for Claudia’s sake, but I had to fight the urge to tell everyone good night and head back to my car and the safe solitude of my apartment.

And what had he really done? Stare at me for too long? Men did that, and while some had more finesse about it than others, none of them had scared me.

Before.

But I wasn’t alone. I was with Mike for the rest of the night, and I was still safe.

I hoped there would come a day when I wouldn’t have to keep reminding myself of that.

“Fucking asshole,” Aaron mumbled at Jared’s departure.

Mike’s expression was tight, his eyes thinned to slits as he watched Jared go.

“Yeah, that will never change. Unfortunately, he stayed in town after graduation too,” Mike told me as he tossed his crumpled napkin onto his plate. “He’s forward when it comes to women. And a douche about it. Sorry if he made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine,” I said, smiling wide to not give away the tremble in my hands. “Besides, I have a police escort tonight, right?”

Mike’s slow smile triggered enough warmth through my chest to steady myself.

“Yes, you do.” Mike bumped his shoulder against mine. “He’s just one of those jerks who peaked in high school but still thinks he owns every place he steps into.”

“Yep. And on that note, we are going to skip the band.” Aaron pushed off the bench. “Very nice to see you again, Lila. I hope Mike brings you around again soon.”

“Oh, I will.” Mike turned toward me, raising his brow when he met my gaze.

“Glad to hear it. Enjoy the rest of tonight, Lila.” Selena said, smiling as she linked her arm through Aaron’s and shifted to leave.

“We can go too if you want. I don’t want to bombard you too much.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t know if I’ll stay to see the band, but we can hang out for a little while longer. Don’t hold yourself back on my account.”

“I’ll be here tomorrow. And I’ve been to enough of these things that there’s really nothing new about them to me. How about we head back to the bar for a while?”

“Sure. And thank you. I know you said you didn’t mind, but I appreciate you sticking by me all night.”

“Of course,” he said, standing from the bench and offering me his arm again. “What are friends for?”

“Exactly,” I croaked out as I let Mike lead me back to The Pour House. The crowd had dispersed for the most part, aside from who had congregated next to the band setup.

“Mike!’ A tall man in a police uniform approached Mike as we headed to the tables. His hair and beard were mostly gray, his dark eyes dancing as he looked between us. “This lucky bastard doesn’t have to be in uniform tonight.” He gave Mike a playful pat on the cheek.

“Lila, this is Keith. He’s our police chief and my father’s best friend, so you’ll be seeing him a lot.”

“So you’re Keith McGrath,” I said, taking Keith’s extended hand. “I have heard a lot about you.”

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