Page 95 of Safe With Me

If I called Ally, she’d head up here and wait in my apartment for the opportunity to kick Ted’s ass. I didn’t want her involved if Ted was upping the ante now that he’d finally found me, but Claudia had taken care of me just like Ally would have.

Maybe she was my cousin’s cousin-in-law, but aside from Steven, she’d become more family to me than anyone I was biologically related to.

“Don’t say Mikemadeyou happy. You guys aren’t letting this asshole make what you’ve found with each other past tense.”

“I don’t want to. I hate that I dragged him into this.”

“Sweetie, you didn’t drag that boy into anything. He adores you.”

I nodded without lifting my head. “I adore him right back. He’s everything.”

“I can see that,” Claudia said, the softness in her tone making me want to drop my head onto the bar and sob.

“But I should have known better before I lost myself on the beach.” I cupped my forehead. “I wanted to die when I watched Jude read that note.”

“Jude did not judge you for what you did by the lake.” She leaned in close. “Do you think you’re the first one to get busy on a beach blanket with a hot cop around here?”

My head shot up. “You and Jude…”

She shut her eyes and nodded.

“I…would not have guessed that. Like, at all.” I leaned back as Claudia’s grin grew wide. “I mean you, yes. But Jude. He’s so…sturdy.”

Claudia’s head fell back as she burst out laughing.

“The quiet ones are always the dirty ones. It’s as constant as gravity.”

My eyes bulged as heat burned my cheeks, reminded of my own dirty-talking cop.

“I’d trade stories with you, but since Mike is like my nephew…” she said, her nose turned up in disgust.

I let go of a laugh for the first time since early this morning.

Waking up next to Mike, giggling as I’d told him to get ready for work while I made him breakfast, seemed like a year ago instead of only a few hours.

I’d been in a haze since I’d read that note, but Claudia’s company, combined with the copious amounts of tequila in my system, was beginning to coax me out of it.

At least enough to distract me from how my very beautiful new life in Kelly Lakes had turned ugly in the matter of a morning.

“Amber?” Claudia called over my shoulder as her brows pulled together. “You’re not due here for another couple of hours.”

“Well, it’s good to see you too, boss,” she said, chuckling as she tied the string on her black apron. “I was home bored since finals ended for the summer semester, so I thought I could pick up a couple of extra hours here if you didn’t mind.”

“It’s slow for the afternoon, but maybe you could sort out the pretzels in the back.”

“Pretzels?” My brows popped up. “You’re making food?”

She rolled her eyes. “I bought a large fridge and a couple of toaster ovens. I made them for my senior citizens crew the other day, and they loved them. Jake said I could make one of the back rooms a kitchen with some renovations, so I thought I’d start small and gauge the demand.”

“You’ve had pretzels all this time and didn’t tell me?”

She chuckled. “You’re right. Forgive me. Amber, please make my cousin a pretzel. She’s had a long day.”

“Long day?” Amber asked me, examining my face. “What happened? Did you and Mike get into a fight or something?”

I reared back in my seat. “No, why would you think that?”

“You have a long face. That’s how I used to look after a fight with my ex-husband.”

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