Page 71 of Give Me Redemption

I pull out a map from my back pocket and hit it against my palm with a smile.

“Seriously?” she asks. “Where did you even get that?”

“Back there,” I say.

“Geez. Nothing’s a mystery anymore.” She looks disappointed, and I tilt my head slightly. I shrug and rip up the map.

“Okay, let’s do this your way, Michelle.”

She turns her head in my direction. “Dalton and fine.” She smiles mischievously. “Wanna bet?” she asks.

I shrug. “Sure.”

“The first person who figures it out decides the punishment for the other.”

I bite my bottom lip, knowing I already looked at this damn map while waiting on her to pull up. “I’m down with that.”

Her lips lift, and she rubs her hands together. Putting one foot in front of the other, we head in deeper.

I know exactly which way to go, but I listen to her for a little while before taking control.

We walk and talk, catching up on things we’ve missed.

“So, what have you been doing with yourself?” she asks.

“Shit,” I reply. “I’ve been hanging out at Red a lot with my brother.”

“Really?” she asks. “You two are good?”

“Yeah. Things are going okay between us.”

Dalton hits my arm with her shoulder. “See, I knew you could do it.”

I adjust my hat. “So, what about you? How’s the library treating you?”

She slides her hands into her slacks pockets. No jeans tonight. Black slacks and a black blouse. I wonder if she came from work, or something. She’s dressed nice. I mean, not over-the-top, but more than her jeans and T-shirt she wears at Hudson’s.

“Work’s fine,” she says. “We should turn here.”

“Nah, I think it’s up there.” I point.

She narrows her eyes at me, but gives in. “Okay, Mr. Know-It-All.”

I laugh. “I’m not that guy either.”

She agrees, “I like that about you.”

I look over at her, studying her profile before I say, “You know you never talk about your life much. I’m starting to feel like you’re my therapist as much as I talk about mine.”

She laughs once. “Ha, therapy is far more boring than you and me talking.”

I lift a brow. “You go?”

She clamps her mouth shut, like she didn’t mean to let that slip out.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I say. “I mean, I might call you crazy every once in a while, but I’ll try to keep it at a minimum.” I joke.

She swallows and looks ahead, her mood turning dark.

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