Page 20 of Sutton's Shadow

Wyatt took Finch’s place on the treadmill and began a slow pace to warm up. “It was different with her. She blatantly disobeyed orders. She was loud in her opinions and often acted like a dog with a bone if she was on to a good story.”

“That sweet little thing from the other night?” Finch asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, she’s a little different from when I knew her years ago.” Wyatt pursed his lips, thinking about the difference between past Sutton and the Sutton of today. Could Liam’s death have affected her that much?

Finch chuckled. “I know that look. You’re besotted.”

“Besotted? What the fuck are you talking about? And who says shit like besotted?” Wyatt shot back.

“Nothing wrong with that word. What would you rather I say, ‘you’re hot for teacher’?”

“Jesus, Finch.” Jude groaned.

“What? I’m just pointing out that our Tin Man has the hots for the lady photographer. You seemed pretty close the other night while we were searching for that kid.”

Wyatt pressed a few buttons on the treadmill to speed up his run, not wanting to answer Finch’s question. It was complicated, to say the least. He was attracted to Sutton, but she had been engaged to his best friend. He couldn’t go there with her. It was too problematic.

He sighed. “Look, I ran into her yesterday on the beach using a drone for photography. Before I got the call for the kid, she let me have a go at it. Since I didn’t have my equipment, she offered to help. Nothing more than that.”

“Hmph,” Finch murmured. Wyatt shot him a glare, knowing just by that tone alone, his friend did not believe him. “She’s pretty, don’t you think?”

Inwardly groaning at Finch’s obvious attempt to probe Wyatt, he responded with a simple, “I guess.”

“Heard David talking about her last night,” he said of their fellow teammate David Whitaker, Graham’s brother and co-owner of Nighthawk. “He seemed pretty interested.”

Hit with a shot of jealousy, Wyatt did not want to hear that. David was a good guy, but Wyatt didn’t want him hooking up with Sutton. He didn’t want to hear anything about other men and Sutton. It was hard enough to imagine her with Liam.

In just a few short days, the woman had a strange hold on him. Admittedly, he’d felt drawn to her from the first moment he’d met her, even as she got closer to Liam. And then, as he sat by her bedside after her injury, he’d felt connected to her in a way that made no sense. Their interactions had been few, so why was he so captivated by her?

“Wonder if she’d welcome a date with David.”

“I don’t know Sutton well enough to answer that question,” Wyatt mumbled, his blood heating from more than just his workout.

“Hmm...” Finch mused, placing the weight back on the rack.

Wyatt looked over at Finch as he slowed the treadmill down. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Just thought it might bother you if David took a chance with her.”

“Bother me?” Wyatt asked. “Why would it bother me?”

“No reason. Just thought I saw something between you the other night.”

Wyatt sighed again, shutting down the treadmill. He grabbed his towel and wiped the sweat from his face. Placing the towel around the back of his neck, he held each end as he faced his friend. “It’s complicated,” he admitted.

“Complicated how?” Finch asked, pointing to the climbing wall in an unspoken question.

He and Finch were not the strongest climbers on the team, so they practiced as often as they could to hone their skills. They grabbed their gear and walked to the wall. After donning their equipment, harness, and climbing shoes, Wyatt offered to let Finch go first. He would be on belay for his friend as he climbed up the wall.

After clipping into the rope, Finch grabbed the first handhold and started to climb to the top. Halfway up, he asked again, “How is it complicated? She’s single. You’re single. She’s good-looking and likes the same kind of toys you do. She seemed interested if the way she kept looking at your ugly mug at Jolene’s was any indication. And if any woman could stand to stare at that face,” he said, pointing over his shoulder at Wyatt. “Then she must be interested. Right?”

Wyatt ran a hand over the back of his neck, squeezing the tension-filled spot. “She used to be engaged to a buddy of mine,” Wyatt admitted.

“Used to be? Did they break up?”

“No. He died,” Wyatt answered flatly.

“Oh. No wonder she looks so... haunted.”

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