Page 24 of Three Rules I'd Never Break

After we’d paid for our food, she and I headed for the far corner where we could talk without being overheard.

“Tessa, I’m a grown woman who is running across the street to get a guy’s attention. What’s wrong with me? Why didn’t it work?”

Tessa glanced down at her phone and slapped a hand over her mouth as she laughed. “It did work.” She slid her phone across the table so I could read the text on the screen.

Tell Delaney it’s dangerous to cross in the middle of the street.

“He textedyou?” I tapped out a message and hit send before Tessa could tell me to stop.Tell her yourself.

His reply popped up a second later.I tried. She won’t listen to me.

Well, crap. That backfired. I’d have to find a different way to get him to talk to me. I just wasn’t sure how. Getting pulled over would probably work, but breaking rules—except for jaywalking—made me twitchy.

* * *

On Thursday afternoon,a big shipment arrived, so I didn’t go galivanting through the county, trying to get a certain deputy to pull me over. That adventure would have to wait until another night.

I counted items as I pulled them out of the box. Then I hung each one on a rolling rack. It was easier to roll that around the store rather than carry one armload at a time.

Counting super cute rompers, I didn’t stop when my phone rang. Once I’d written down all the counts for each size, I picked up the phone.

It started ringing again immediately.

“Hello, Tessa. What’s up? I’m surprised you are. It’s very late, and don’t you start making doughnuts at like four?”

“Iwasasleep. But then Eli called me over and over until I answered. He wants to know why your lights are on so late.”

I listened to see if she’d done a group call. “Only the two of us on the line?”

“Yes. I told him I’d call him back.”

“Don’t call him. Go back to sleep. And I’m sorry.”

She yawned. “Good luck.”

It was wonderful having a friend who picked up on my thought process even when half asleep.

I unlocked the front door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The wind gusted, and I crossed my arms as goosebumps erupted on my skin. Except for my car, the lot was empty. Eli wasn’t camped in front of the store, checking on me. I stepped back inside and locked the front door.

I wasn’t going to make the mistake of leaving a door unlocked again.

An idea struck me just as I picked up a bodysuit. I hurried out onto the back sidewalk just as his SUV passed my door.

The brake lights came on, and he stopped. But he didn’t get out.

If he wanted to play games, fine. How could I make him crazy? I hadn’t picked up my keys, so I couldn’t just launch out on a late-night stroll.

Then I spotted a small rock.

If leaving a door unlocked bothered him, then leaving a door open would definitely get him out of his SUV.

I kicked the rock into the doorjamb and went back inside. The small rock did its job and prevented the door from closing.

Waiting right inside the door, I counted. One... two... three...

Fingers appeared, picked up the rock, then disappeared. The door closed.

I yanked it back open. “Really? You woke up Tessa?”

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