Page 21 of Shattered Secrets

“Dude, do you really want to harass the last person that touches your food?” Four winked at Scarlet as he set a small ramekin of ketchup next to her plate.

“The man makes a good point,” she said, munching on a fry. “By ‘we,’ you mean...?”

“Cade, Gavin, Joe, and Quinn.”

“Ahhh. Team Testosterone. Nice.”

“Team Testosterone?” Matt’s lips tipped up in a grin, and for a second, she forgot how to breathe. “I wouldn’t exactly say that.”

She chuckled and dipped a french fry in ketchup. Chomping down on the crispy, salty goodness, she smiled at him around her bite. “I would.”

His gaze shot to her mouth, and she stilled. “You, uh, got a little...” He pointed to the side of her mouth, his attention never leaving her lips.

Her tongue darted out and landed on a hint of ketchup. Matt’s brown eyes heated, and butterflies took flight in her belly. The sound of her racing pulse filled her ears.

He jerked back, clearing his throat, gaze flying everywhere but at her. “All good.”

Whoa. What the hell was that?

Unsure what to do with her hands, Scarlet grabbed her water and waved at her plate. “Feel free to have some fries while you wait.”

Matt took a gulp of beer and shook his head. “I’m good, kid, but thanks.”

Her spine straightened, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m sorry, but by ‘kid,’ are you referring to me? Because we’ve established that Daisy’s not here.”

He winced. At least he had the decency to look contrite. “Shit, Scarlet. I’m sorry. That was rude. I know you’re not a kid.” Heran a hand through his hair and grumbled, “It’s just you’re a lot younger than me, you know?”

She pasted her diner smile back on her face and nodded. She understood. No one would ever accuse her of not being able to read a room. Matt’s silent message was loud and clear: Whatever that moment had been a second ago? He wasn’t cool with it. She was akid. Too young and immature for him.Got it.

See... this was exactly why it was so much easier crushing on someone she didn’t actually know. It had all been harmless fun when he’d simply been the quiet, handsome friend of a friend who came into the diner. But now here she was, crushing on Matt Alvarez—who she now kinda sorta knew—and feeling like a goddamn idiot.

Before Matt could apologize again, Four was in front of him, nodding toward the entrance to the bar area. “The crew’s here,” he said, the three words curt.

Yeah... Matt could read the message on his friend’s face. And he wholeheartedly agreed. He was a fucking dumbass. A dumbass who’d just hurt Scarlet’s feelings.Fuck.

“I’m sorry again, Scarlet.” Standing from the barstool, he hesitated. Shit. He had no fucking clue what to say. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“It was good to see you,” she replied with a bright smile before returning her attention to her soup.

It was good to see you. He’d heard her say those exact words, countless times, to various customers at the diner. All with that sunny—fake—smile. Holy fuck, he really was an asshole.

Regret weighed on his shoulders as he made his way to his friends, lifting his chin in greeting. He’d known Cade for foreverand they were basically brothers, but over the last year, these other guys—Gavin Frazier, Joe Buchanan, and Quinn O’Conner—had become good friends, too.

Now that Matt was officially working for Hudson Security, he imagined he’d be getting to know the people working there as well. For the first time in a long, long while, he was looking forward to making new connections. That’s what he’d missed the most while being away from the force. That brotherhood, that bond, that solidarity.

“Long time no see, man,” Joe said with a grin.

Matt shook his head at his friend. He’d had a meeting with Joe and Gavin earlier that afternoon. Joe headed up Hudson Tactical, a joint venture between Gavin’s Hudson Security and Cade’s De La Rosa Gym, which provided hand-to-hand combat and tactical training for law enforcement.

Taking a seat next to Quinn, Matt said, “How’s it going, Sheriff?”

Quinn shrugged. “Good. Work is work, Alex is still putting up with my dumb ass, and Annie’s finally sleeping through the night. So I really can’t complain at all.”

Matt smiled. Quinn’s wife, Alex, was a wonderful woman, and their daughter was pretty cute. “How old is Annie now?”

“Almost seven months.”

“Wow, already?” When he pictured Annie, he saw a tiny little newborn bundled in pink blankets.

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