Page 21 of Don't Look Back

I grin at my screen, knowing it’s Colt. I don’t know why he’s texting me already. He only left around two hours ago. I quickly change his name in my phone and open the text to respond.

Leslie: I was sleeping great until my phone beeped.

Colt: Shit. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t think you’d wake up to it.

Leslie: I'm joking. I haven’t been able to sleep since you left.

Colt: Are you saying you liked using my bare chest as a pillow?

Leslie: Those man boobs are quite comfy.

Colt: I don’t have man boobs.

I giggle as I read his text over and over again. I’ve heard Skylar poke fun at his body and even though it’s a total lie, it gets him all riled up. I love it.

Colt: I don’t! Jeez, between you and Skylar, I'm going to start having image issues. The two of you will have to cover mytherapy.

Leslie: You can lay on my couch and pour your heart out to save me money. I can't afford the amount of therapy you’ll need.

Colt: Damn, I don’t know what’s colder. The bitter cold morning air, or your heart.

Leslie: Definitely the air. I'm just busting your balls.

Colt: As long as you’re not making my nose bleed, I’ll take it.

Leslie: I said I was sorry. Multiple times. How’s the accident?

I try to steer the conversation away from me injuring the town’s sheriff and towards safer territory. The last thing I’d ever try to do is injure Colton.

Colt: It’s a mess. Pecker’s doing a great job, but a teenage girl is in bad condition after her boyfriend hit a patch of black ice and the car slammed into a tree.

Leslie: Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Is she going to be ok?

My heart beats a little faster as anxiety spreads through me. Something similar happened to me when I tried to leave Jimmy the first time.

He found out I left only a few minutes after I pulled out of the driveway. He followed me a little too closely and purposely tapped my bumper. That little tap scared me and I turned the wheel at the same time as I hit some black ice and my car went out of control. I hit a tree, but only dented my front fender.

I was lucky it wasn’t worse. The worst came after he pulled me out of the car and taught me a lesson for trying to leave him.

Colt: Physically? She’ll make a full recovery. Emotionally? It’s going to be rough. She cut her face really badly. She’ll have a nasty scar and she’s only sixteen.

I let his words wash over me and squeeze my eyes shut. I can only imagine what the next few months are going to hold for this young girl.

Is her image everything? No, absolutely not. But at her age, it’s going to feel like the worst thing ever. Boys are going to look at her differently and she’s going to feel so self-conscious. It’s going to be the hardest thing she’s dealt with so far and my heart breaks for her.

Leslie: Are you going to be ok?

As soon as I hit send, I really think about Colt’s job and the types of calls he must go on. I don’t think police officers get enough credit for the jobs they do. They’re walking into your life and helping you pick up the pieces when everything is falling apart around you.

This might be the worst day you’ll ever experience, but this is just another night on duty for them. They’ll see something just as bad on their next shift or in the next month. I don’t think I could handle replaying calls over and over again in my head.

Colt: I have to be.

Before I can stop myself, I click the call button next to Colt’s name and wait while it rings. I’m just about to hang up when his deep voice comes through the line.

“Hey,” he sounds tired and drained. “Sorry, I wanted to get away from some of the noise before I answered.”

“It’s ok…”

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