Page 53 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
I stared at the knife, my chest feeling tight. When did my home become so unsafe that we had to keep weapons with us at all times?
“McKenna,” Austin started at the same time my phone began ringing beside the plate. Booker had retrieved my belongings from my car the night of the crash. Thankfully, my cell survived with barely a crack in the screen.
He glanced at it, probably hoping I wouldn’t answer so we could discuss whatever he was about to go on about, but talking about hard things was the last thing I wanted to do right now.
Ignore and avoid.
Those were my middle names now, apparently.
“Hey,” I answered, pressing the phone to my ear.
Austin watched me carefully as Brynne asked, “Are you ready to go?”
I took account of my baggy gray sweats—I think they were Austin’s, now that I was really looking at them—and oversized shirt—again, probably Austin’s. “Give me five minutes?”
I didn’t have to look to know Austin was clenching his jaw, per usual. I could practically feel his disapproval of my leaving the house, but I was going stir crazy. I didn’t have work for another three days, much to Austin’s refusal of me going back when my mandatory rest period was up. But still, going to the grocery store with Brynne was harmless. Besides, Booker and Austin had demanded they join us when they heard us making the plans last night.
Some may say those two were adoringly overprotective, but I considered them annoyingly overbearing.
“I’ll be waiting outside!” Brynne said cheerfully, though I could hear the force behind it. She was worried. They all were.
I was numb.
After hanging up the phone and changing into my white dress with strawberries spread throughout the material, I threw on a denim jacket before the two of us joined Booker and Brynne in his truck where it was waiting out front. Booker was behind the wheel, so I took the space behind Brynne on the passenger side. Rather than taking the other seat behind Booker, Austin slid into the middle and slung an arm around my shoulders.
I refused to lean into him, but mere seconds into the drive, Booker turned a little hard and I had no choice. Austin took the opportunity to lock me in place, so Ipurposefully positioned my elbow so it was digging into his ribs.
“Dan keeps asking if you’re alright,” Brynne said, turning in her seat to look back at me. She visibly took note of Austin’s proximity, and I shot mental daggers at her for the smile on her lips. “I think he has a favorite.”
“The cook, or my stalker?” I asked innocently.
“Which stalker?” Booker chimed from the driver’s seat.
“Don’t you have a road to focus on?” I shot back.
Brynne’s eyes widened a fraction.
So the subject was clearly sensitive to me. So what?
“And Monica,” Brynne went on, trying but failing to hide her grin, “is getting the hang of things. She broke a couple glasses the other night, so she’s been banned from clearing tables or bringing people drinks. At least, that’s what Dan said. He said he doesn’t want to cut his hands on the broken glass in the sink. I think he just hates how hands-on she’s trying to be.”
“Who’s Monica?” Austin piped in when Brynne paused to take a breath. Clearly, she had a lot to fill me in on.
I dramatically gasped, plastering my not-squished hand over my heart. “My annoying stalker doesn’t know who one of my coworkers is? I’m shocked.”
“Well, technically, she’s not your coworker,” Brynne corrected, grabbing the seat belt to pull it away from her shoulder. Booker shot her a frown at that and reached out, prying her hand off the material and making her face forward. See, he might be more on the overbearingly sweet scale. Austin? Plain annoying. Or at least that’s what I kept trying to remind myself. “She’s our boss.”
Austin gave me a look that promised he’d make me payfor not telling him this information later. He was well aware Booker had found Marv’s daughter online and proceeded to contact her. If he’d remained anonymous or not, I wasn’t sure.
I rolled my eyes. “Booker was the one who left the note. He knew she’d be coming, which meant you did too. Don’t look at me like that,” I snapped.
He kept looking at me like that.
I elbowed him harder.
His eyes moved to my mouth as I chewed my gum.
I think his dick got hard.
