Page 7 of Cold Snap
“Most likely.” My mom doesn’t seem any happier about it than I am.
“I’m going to see if I can help them. I’m fairly certain they are not…” I wave my hands around, “you know what? I’m gonna…”.
I let myself in and make my way to the back, only to find…that I might be wrong after all!
Chapter Five
Landry
Idon’t see much of Teresa after the night our call took a turn it shouldn’t have. I can admit, I was hiding from the fact that the conversation got too…intimate. I heard about Oakley’s place being broken into and talked to her briefly after to make sure she was alright. She seemed distracted, and I didn’t like it. I hate to admit it, but…I kind of miss hearing her voice and seeing her face, and I damned sure miss her flirting.
So, I call her.
“Hey, how’s Oakley doing?” We don’t get a lot of crime in our tiny town. One of the reasons I love it here…among others.
“Hey, Landry. She’s…doing as good as she can, I guess.” Why the hell does she seem so sad?
“You feeling alright, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, just…worried, I guess.”
“You aren’t putting yourself in danger, are you?” Word is, it wasn’t just a simple break-in like you would expect. In fact, the rumor going through town is that Waylon is taking special care of Miss Oakley following her traumatic event.
“Putting myself in danger? Why? Because I’m friends with Oakley. Even if I were, I wouldn’t stop being there for her. Not for anything.”
“I know that, baby. That wasn’t what I was saying. I was saying…I worry about you.”
“Why? Because my brother is trying to use my best friend as live bait? Because they are growing close and may even be perfect for each other, which means I’m going to be all alone? Because nothing makes sense anymore.”
The sadness in her voice breaks through me like a shard of glass.
“Slow down, sweetheart. Take a breath. You want to come over.” What the hell am I doing? That’s a horrible idea, and I shouldn’t have put it out there, but damned if I can take Teresa being sad. “Maybe have a drink and calm down?”
“You know, if you had asked me that a week ago, I would have already been at your door. Now…I don’t know. I don’t know what we’re doing. I don’t know…”
“We’re friends, baby.”
“Friends flirt and ask each other what they’re wearing to bed?”
I can’t answer that. I know they don’t.
“Right.”
“Teresa, I…”
“Was just calling to check on Oakley and by proxy me. I understand. I have to go, Land. I have…things I have to do.”
There is no way we can do anything. She has to realize that.
“Have a good night.”
“You too. Res…” Before I can finish, she’s hung up on me. So much for telling her to rest well. And why did her ‘good night’ sound like goodbye, the permanent kind?
And how the fuck do I feel about that? What’s got in her head, causing her to seem so sad? Is she putting herself in danger? Maybe I should… maybe I should have gone to check on her instead of calling her. Maybe I should have….
Maybe I need to back the fuck off and this is a good thing. This separation that seems to be widening every day might be just what we need. Even if it does suck. There’s no way we can be together, no way what I dream about can actually happen. All I’m doing is torturing myself by continuing to flirt like we do.
The night I called her and asked her what she was wearing to bed, I ended up with my dick in my hand and her name on my lips. I know it was wrong, but all I could think about was that sexy as fuck giggle and the breathy way she told me good night. What would she wear to bed? If she were with me, not a god damned thing, that’s what.
