Page 38 of Into the Shadows

“Yep. Figured I’d run into someone I could con into getting lunch with me. And my plan worked.”

“It seems so.”

Noah gives me directions to The Café, and I load up my car with my supplies. I went a little overboard with how much I got, but I’ve never had a pet. I have no idea how much is necessary or superfluous. The kitten is locked in my bathroom right now, so he should be all right for a few hours. Hopefully. I guess I’ll find out.

I park in a lot a block down from the restaurant. I haven’t eaten here yet. It’s always busy no matter the time of day, so I assume it’s good.

The aroma of freshly baked bread greets me as I open the door, making my stomach growl. If the smells are anything to go by, I might’ve just found my new favorite spot.

Noah’s already in line, and he waves me over. A flash of shiny brown hair catches my attention. Lottie’s sitting at a table with a sharply dressed man. This must be the reporter she was talking about this morning. I hate the way he’s looking at her.

“Do you know who she’s talking to?” Noah asks.

I hum. “Some journalist for her podcast.”

“Ah. No wonder she’s got her thinking face on.”

My lips quirk. “Her thinking face?”

“You haven’t noticed? She gets this very determined look in her eyes, and her mouth always turns down on the side.”

I look over at her again and realize Noah’s right. While the blond bastard is mooning at Lottie, her expression remains stoic. “She’s not giving the guy a second for his flirting, is she?”

“Nope.”

The confirmation allows me to relax. Lottie and I haven’t spent enough time together to build trust in our relationship. Or whatever you’d call what we’re doing right now. I never doubted her, but it’s nice to have proof she won’t flirt with a man just because she can get something out of him.

Noah and I order soup and sandwiches and find a table across the room from Lottie. I’m dying to go overthere and steal her away from the idiot’s dirty gaze, but she’d be pissed at me if I did. I don’t need to have known Lottie long to know that about her.

“I heard you took Lottie on a date last night.”

My eyebrows raise. “How did you hear that?”

“Welcome to small-town life.” Noah grins. “It was the talk of the diner when the girls and I went in there this morning.”

“Why is it such a big deal?”

“Because Lottie’s the golden girl. She’s the police chief’s daughter, and she not only went out on a date for the first time in years but with an outsider at that.”

“Should I be worried about pitchforks and rioting at my house, then?”

Noah chuckles. “Nah. Most people in town want her to be happy. If they see you hanging with the rest of us, you’ll be fine.”

I nod my head. This is going to take some getting used to. No one has ever cared about what I’m doing with my time the way the people of Sonoma do. Not even my mom gave a shit about what I was up to. She spent more time drunk than sober. My grandad was the only other family I had, and he kicked Mom out of his house when I was five. Based on what Mom said about him, I thought he was an evil bastard, but when I moved into his house, I found old birthday cards and letters he’d written me. Mom had returned every single one.

“Uh-oh.” Noah’s gaze is over my shoulder. “He’s making his move.”

I turn to see what the asshole’s up to now. Lottie is putting away her recording device, and the guy’s face is set with determination. I stand without thought, crossing the room to make myself known.

Lottie’s relieved smile alleviates my nerves. I’d worried she would rebuff me for interrupting. I don’t pay a second of attention to her goodbyes to the shithead. My eyes are only onher and how pretty she is. Those amber eyes make me want to sip from her skin until she’s squirming under me, pleading for more.

Fuck. Think of something else.

I lead Lottie over to my table with Noah. He’s smirking at me. While he might have said he’s happy I’m dating Lottie, he could’ve been lying. Whatever is going on between Lottie and me hinges on the approval of her family. If Noah likes me, there’s a better chance the rest of Lottie’s family will, too. Not to mention, it would be nice to have a friend in town.

That thought makes me feel like a fucking schoolgirl, but I’ve never had much in the way of friends before. I don’t count the guys in my unit. They were more like family, and I don’t even have them anymore.

I internally shake my head to focus on the here and now.

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