Page 31 of Five
I catch her scent, daisies and vanilla, and I have to wonder if she’s really as innocent as her perfume suggests, because the things I want to do to her aren’t innocent, and they’re not at all vanilla.
Shaking my head against the fantasies that are trying to crowd my brain, I reach into my wallet for a business card. I need to get out of here; away from her, so I can think straight and get my mind out of the gutter. “I’ll keep you updated on our progress, and I’ll check the CCTV cameras for the neighboring businesses since yours hasn’t caught anything useful.”
Neve nods, her expression pensive. She’s not stupid; she knows as well as I do that the perp appears to have known the location of all the daycare cameras and successfully avoided giving us any useful images.
Sucking in a breath, I find myself worrying about her even though it isn’t my place. “But if anything unexpected happens, no matter how insignificant it might seem, I want you to get in touch.”
As I hand her my card, my fingers graze hers. It feels like static electricity, and I know Neve feels it, too, because her eyes fly to mine. I hold her gaze, noting the way her violet-tipped hair enhances the green of her eyes a moment before her pupils dilate and her voice catches. “Of c-course.”
Looks like I’m not the only one who’s affected. The knowledge makes me want to grin.
Turning on my heel, I stride towards the exit. I really do need to get out of here before I overstep every boundary and do something I shouldn’t, but her husky voice stops me. “You were really good with Henry. I appreciate it. He’s had a hard day today and I was dreading him having to suffer through a police interview on top of everything else. I just…”
Neve pauses and I chance looking at her. She’s biting that plump bottom lip that I want to taste for myself and twisting her fingers. When she senses my gaze, Neve lifts her head. “I just wanted to tell you that. He wouldn’t have opened up to just anyone, even on the best of days. You have a gift.”
I wonder how much I should disclose. She’ll find out soon enough, I guess, but it’s not my place to say too much, so I keep it cryptic. She might work it out, she might not. Depends if she caught my last name. “I learned to talk to kids before I learned to talk to adults,” I tell her.
“I have a little brother, Oliver.”
Five
Neve
Mood:Attentiondeficitinthe house.
Head tilted to the side to hold my phone steady between my shoulder and cheek, I thumb through the clothes on the rack in front of me, determined to find something to wear tonight. Everything I currently own has a ketchup or grass-stain—not my plan for making a good impression.
There are way too many cute dresses in this boutique, though, and I’m finding it difficult to focus on shopping after the day I’ve had. Especially with Caroline’s voice babbling in my ear.
“His brother’s name is OLIVER?!” Her exclamation comes through the earpiece of my phone at DEFCON levels and I wince. Hanging the sundress I was considering back on its rack, I head toward the back of the store, away from the super-helpful hovering sales clerk. For some reason, Caroline is choosing to focus on the hot-cop-Oscar-has-a-brother-named-Oliver part rather than the child-nearly-got-abducted part.
“A little louder, please. The people outside didn’t hear you.”
“Har, har. Seriously, Neve. What are the chances of him being The Oliver?”
I roll my eyeballs upward as I pretend to consider the question. Not that Caroline can see me or anything. It’s just my face. “Since the main island has over 17,000 residents, I’d say there’s a good chance he’s a different Oliver. I’ll check out the profile later and see if there’s any mention of a brother named Oscar. I can’t remember the names of the other guys other than Remi and Cope.”
“Bet you ten dollars it’s him.”
I smile a little, remembering the detective’s rugged sexiness. He looked older than I am, but not by too much— maybe ten-ish years. It was just enough space to impart a sense of security and steadiness. “It wouldn’t be a hardship if it was.”
I pick up a slinky-looking top in a comfortable, casual fabric, then set it down again with a groan. “Who am I kidding? There’s no way I can go out after the day I’ve had, Caroline. I’m going to have to cancel, and he’ll probably never talk to me again.”
“Neve! What is the matter with you? Of course, you still have to go.”
“There’s no way. My phone has been ringing off the hook with parents wanting to pull their kids. And I can’t blame them. First the break-in and now this. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving a kid with me, either. I have to do damage control.”
“All the more reason to get away from it for a few hours. Have a nice evening. Relax. Forget about this stuff for just a little while.” Caroline’s voice is firm.
“I can’t just forget about it. I had to shut the school down early. I’ve had well over fifty percent of my parents tell me they’re not bringing their kids in tomorrow, so I might as well close for the day. They have no idea who this nut is. I can’t, Caroline.” My gaze flickers toward the front of the store, to the sun-drenched plate glass windows. “I need to just go home and sit with Jamie Fraser out on the catio.”
Caroline groans at the mention of my sweet ginger cat. “I know you think Jamie Fraser is the only man you need, but babe…you are wrong. Now, listen. You’ve done everything you can possibly do to help the situation. There’s nothing else you can do. It’s time to sit back and let Hot Cop Oscar do his job.”
“Mm.” I agree, but it’s half-hearted. It’s easy for Caroline to say things like that. It’s not her business—her baby, really—and she hasn’t been through the same stuff as I have. Watching that man try to snatch Henry over the fence—it was my literal nightmare, come to life.
“Speaking of hot cop—”
“Detective,” I correct.
