Page 12 of Take Me to the Valley

Even though I’m pushing off seeing it and know I need to go over there, I crave some time to decompress and adjust to this move.Hell, I agreed to help them with it, but for right now, I need some more time to adjust to all the changes.

“You settling in, okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, just kind of taking it easy. I'm going to spend some time with Kaylee today. Maybe do a bit of shopping later. It's been forever since I've had time off. I want to enjoy it a little before jumping back into things.”

“I get that. But I meant what I said. If you need anything, you reach out and let me know. I'm always happy to help,” he says, finishing up his coffee.

“I will. But so far, I'm just kind of lying low.”

“Good. Thanks for taking this time with me, but I’m going to have to cut our time short. I need to get to the station. Hopefully, today I'll be getting some info on a case I'm working on,” he says, taking the last bite of his Danish.

“Anything exciting?” I ask and watch a hint of something cross his face. Guilt, maybe or sadness?

“Just the usual. But I can't talk much about it,” he says standing up.

“I understand.” Joining him, I toss out my now-empty coffee. “I'm going to grab coffee and breakfast for Kaylee before I leave.” I nod toward the counter.

“Okay, be safe, and thank you again for doing Skye's hair.”

Awkwardly, he reaches out and gives me a hug. His scent wraps around me, and his arms around me are comforting. I take a step back. The last thing I need is to obsess over his scent and his hard body and his muscles, and… I need to stop thinking right now.

He strides confidently to the door, and I watch him as he heads to the station. After placing another order for coffee and some muffins, I walk across the street to my place and get my car to go to Kaylee's place south of town.

When I get there, she is sitting on the front porch wrapped in a blanket. She jumps up and greets me as I step on to the porch.

“Oh, my god! Coffee with Detective Greer? Tell me everything!” She gushes, taking the coffee and pulling me inside.

“How the heck do you know about that before I even get here?” I ask, shocked, before sitting on the couch with her.

“Have you really forgotten what it's like to live in Whiskey River? Maisie called when she saw you. Her living room looks right over the bakery, you know. She was trying to see what I knew, which was, of course, less than her. Which, as your best friend, just isn't right!”

“It wasn't planned. I ran into them at the grocery store last night, and his daughter loved my hair and asked me to do it for her picture day today. I agreed and met them at the school, and heinsisted on getting me coffee as a thank you. We talked about my brother and you. Nothing fancy,” I tell her as she digs into the bag of muffins I brought.

“Still, a small text could have given me a leg up on the gossip!” she says, smiling.

“If there is a next time, I will try to remember.”

“That's all I'm asking for.” She sighs, “Calvin and I broke up.”

I try to muster up some fake emotion like shock or sadness, but I'm not sure if it’s believable.

Actually, I’m glad they’re not together anymore. I never liked the guy, mostly because he checked out other women when he was with her and didn’t treat her well. She soaked up any ounce of affection he bestowed on her, though it wasn’t much even from the beginning.

“I want to say sorry, but I'm honestly glad. What happened?” I ask.

“I should have listened to you. But I found out he was using drugs, and when I confronted him, he was all, ‘Who the fuck are you to judge me, ugly bitch.' That's when I ended it, and he took what stuff he could carry that night, and I sent him a photo of me burning the rest in the backyard last night. It was very cathartic,” she says, shocking the hell out of me.

“First, good for you! Second, who should have called who? And third, you have plenty of time to find a good guy,” I encourage her.

She just rolls her eyes, but doesn't say anything.

Kaylee is younger than me by almost five years. She was super smart in school, skipped two grades, and was always more mature than the kids in my own grade. Somehow, we just bonded.

“I know. It's the waiting part I hate,” she says.

“Don't I know it? But it's better to be alone than stuck with a mooching idiot,” I say.

“Don't I know it,” she sighs.

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