Page 136 of Debts and Desires
“Shit!” I hissed. “Let me go!” Carter finally let me, only a few moments before the cop parked behind us. I buckled as fast as Icould without drawing attention. Carter tucked himself back in his pants just as the cop got out of his car. Of course, it was Officer Jameson. Carter had the audacity to look over at me and wink before rolling his window down.
“Officer Jameson,” Carter greeted with a nod.
“Black,” the officer greeted back. His eyes met mine as he said, “Miss Emogen.”
“Hello, Officer Jameson.” I smiled.
“Somethin’ the matter?” the older gentleman asked. He seemed a little worse for wear, probably because he had his ass handed to him by Uncle Sebastian weeks ago.
“Nope,” Carter started. “Just pulled over to have a chat.”
“A chat?” Jameson looked at me again. “That true?” I could feel my face growing red, but I schooled my features.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Where you headed?” he asked both of us.
“Ty’s for dinner,” Carter responded. “Em’s a little nervous since Cass is gonna be there, too.”
“I think the lady can speak for herself,” Jameson grumbled. I rolled my eyes.
“Well, it’s exactly what Carter said,” I began. “She and I don’t really get along, and I needed a moment to compose myself. But I’m better now.” My eyes darted over to Carter’s briefly. “Muchbetter.” The look in his eyes told me that the moment we were alone, my ass was in trouble. And it made me grin all the more. The officer looked between us, a brow slightly raised.
“Alright,” he said. “Next time, try somethin’ a little safer, like a parkin’ lot or driveway. Since everythin’ is fine, go ahead and move along.”
“Will do,” Carter answered with a nod. Officer Jameson tapped on the truck door twice as he headed back to his car.
We looked at one another, busting out in laughter as Carter drove us away.
The door openedand a pair of familiar blue-ish brown eyes greeted us.
“Hey,” Cassie smiled. “Thanks for comin’.” She had her auburn hair down, its waves bouncing with every movement she made.
“Thanks for having us.”
“Of course, c’mon in,” she said, awkwardly side stepping so that the two of us could enter.
“Can I help you with anything?” I asked as I looked around. I still wasn’t entirely surewhosehouse it was. Carter had attempted to explain, but I wasn’t getting it. It had been the house that Tyler’s mom and Cassie’s dad had bought. When they both passed, the house was in a trust for both step-siblings.
Apparently, Cassie had moved out for a little while. She’d been gone for about two years, so it was solely Ty’s. Then when she came back, she got an apartment in Wrightsville near her job. Now she was back, sometimes. That bit had come from Tyler reluctantly. He had been kind of weird on the subject, not offering much of an explanation.
“Nope. Thanks, though. Everythin’ is pretty much done. Just waitin’ on the rolls to finish brownin’ and we’ll be ready to eat.” Cassie grinned. “Can I get you anythin’ to drink?”
“Since when do you play the part of gracious host?” Carter snorted. She cut him a glare before looking back at me.
“Sure,” I chimed in, ignoring Carter, who mumbled something about going to find Tyler.
“He went to get ice,” Cass answered. “I’ll show you what we have.” I assumed the last part was for me, so I followed. As we walked through the living room, I noticed there were a few odd things. Not so much odd as out of place. There was a toy box overflowing with cars and dinosaurs. There were a few board books and stuffed animals, too. When we entered the kitchen, Cassie listed off the drink choices. I settled on a soda, eyeballing the sippy cups on a drying rack beside the sink. My eyes flitted from there to Cassie, who was staring at me, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“Do you babysit?” I stupidly asked. She shook her head.
“I have a son,” she admitted. My eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh.” The sound barely made it out.
“Yeah, I, uh, haven’t really told anyone. A little overprotective, not that it really matters now.” The last part was more mumbled, as if to herself.
“Will we get to meet him tonight? Or is he with his dad?” I asked and wished I hadn’t. She cleared her throat and looked away.
