Page 43 of Safe With Me

I nodded, lost in his kind, gorgeous eyes and the sizzle on my skin from his touch.

“And you could come back anytime.” His smile faded as his gaze dropped to my mouth.

Maybe when I did see a therapist, they could help me make sense of all these feelings blossoming for someone I’d only known for a matter of weeks. Was it the genuine kindness that exuded from Mike every time I saw him, a kindness I’d realized I’d only experienced a little of in my thirty-two years, aside from my cousin and a few friends?

Or was it something deeper? Something about Mike that called to me in a way no one had, the same as he seemed to understand me in a way most didn’t.

We stood there, eyes locked, neither of us saying anything until the ding of the oven timer made us both jump.

“Yay, it’s ready!” Keely scampered into the kitchen. “Now we can eat and get the cookies in the oven. You’re staying for thattoo, right?” Keely hugged my waist and peered up at me. I spied her brother’s sweetness in her smile.

“Of course she is,” Mike answered for me, those beautiful eyes still boring into mine. “We’re going to give her the whole experience.” The corner of his mouth tilted up as he reached for his oven mitt.

As it turned out, Icouldget into trouble here with a kid around. Watching Mike with his sister gave me another glimpse into who he was, and how, if I wasn’t careful, if I saw any more, I wouldn’t be able to resist.

9

LILA

“What’s in this?”

I sputtered out a cough and handed my plastic cup back to Terry. It looked like red wine, but as the liquid trailed a thick blaze of fire down my throat, I couldn’t identify it.

“It’s a brandied wine,” she said, holding the cup against the light. “It’s nice. Perfect for a day like this.”

The entire week had been hot, but today was overcast and cool, the temperature dropping enough to tease fall, even though it was only the end of July. When Terry and Kathy had invited me for another weeknight cocktail party on their porch, I’d had to search for where I’d put my hoodies and leggings before I joined them.

“I need to work up to that. Do you have anything lighter?”

“Oh honey, live a little,” Terry said, shaking her head.

“Well, you both don’t have work tomorrow, and I do. Jake needs me to be sort of lucid when I invoice his customers.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Kathy said, taking a seat next to me. “Have one of these. It’s a pineapple rum cocktail in a can.”

“A weak drink,” Terry said, stretching her arm along the edge of the porch. “Soon, it will be too cool to be out here. The cold weather moves in fast.”

She glanced over at me, her lips pursed.

“You should be out. Not that we don’t love your company, sweetie, but you should get out there. See if your cop friend wants to chill.”

I choked on a mouthful of rum.

“Chill? I don’t know if Mike wants to chill after a long workday.”

“I used it right, didn’t I?”

“You did.” I nodded, chuckling as I lifted the can to my mouth again. “But for my generation. The young ones have a whole new language I don’t understand.”

“You’re a young one,” Kathy said, nudging my knee. “And my sister is right. Rude, but right.”

“Remember when I dated Ricky,” Terry mused to her sister. “He was a cop too. Neighboring town, so everyone wasn’t so in our business. But those uniform pants.” She shut her eyes and let out a long exhale.

I burst out laughing before I could help it, despite the heat creeping up my neck at the thought of Mike in uniform.

“He turned out to be a jerk, but he had his nice moments.” She swirled the wine in her cup. “And you should be having nice moments too. Pretty girl, single. Don’t let that asshole ex-boyfriend keep you from a good time.”

I took a long pull from the can. I’d told my landladies a subdued Ted story the last time I’d drunk with them on the porch, skipping over the really bad stalking moments and the threats.

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