Page 50 of The Harborer
Her phone chimed with a familiar tone, and she swiped it from where it lay on the cushion beside her, grateful for thisnewdistraction.
Hailey:Hey girl. Taking a quick break at MT and wanted to know how you’re liking the new place.
Amy:Wouldn’t know. Hanging out at Deputy Shane’s apt.
Amy cringed while she waited for Hailey’s reply. She was sure her bestie would give her a virtual kick in the pants for being at a guy’s place after leaving someone else only hours before, and she didn’t have to wait long.
Hailey:Right where you should be! I love that for you.
Amy:???
Hailey:What? You know it’s where you want to be, and I’m sure DS is glad you’re there. He wouldn’t have asked otherwise.
Amy:There’s only 1 bed!
Hailey:Even better, and probably part of his plan! Joy can write a story with that trope!
Amy:[eye-roll emoji]
Amy:I’m only here because the new place is kinda creepy.
Hailey:If that’s what you need to tell yourself …
Hailey:You do have permission to crawl into DS’s arms … and his sheets. Good way to keep the creepies away. I hear he has a big gun.
Amy:Shut. Up.
Hailey:Go with it, Aims. You deserve this more than anyone I know.
Amy:Way too soon.
Hailey:Not when you’ve been waiting a long time.
Amy:What does that even mean?
Hailey:You’ve been crushing on him forever. You just didn’t know it. Micky was a musical interlude way out of tune. Pretty sure DS feels the same about you, but he’s a good guy who’s never acted on it. Remember, I know things.
Amy almost shot back,I suppose you know about the kiss too?But her mind ground to a halt, and her thumbs hovered over her phone, waiting on her brain to calibrate and issue the correct response. Part of her was elated “DS” might like her, while a different part of her was horrified she would even consider hopping from one bed to another. And yet another part worried “DS” had superpowers that would allow him to read everything she and Hailey were texting. She was on the verge of asking her friend why she thought the feeling was “mutual,” but a buzzing noise from the end table on Shane’s end of the couch stopped her. He took his time picking up his phone and looking at thescreen. He slid her a rueful look. “I’m going to step outside to take this.”
Before she could argue, he had grabbed his parka and was out the door. His footfalls rattled down the steps, and remorse settled over her.
Amy:DS just tore out of here to answer a call. In the cold!
Hailey:He’s SAR. He’s used to cold.
Amy:I should be the one to leave, not him. I’m invading his space and keeping him from taking calls.
She shouldn’t be here, yet the thought of returning to the strangeness of her apartment was enough to immobilize her.
Hailey:Get over yourself and give in. Gotta get back to work. I expect deets in the a.m.
“Ha!” Amy snorted to Vin Diesel, currently growling on the TV. “I feel you, dude.”
Shane interrupted her one-sided conversation when he came crashing back through the door, his russet brows bunched in a furious set. On the screen, a car launched off a bridge and a huge truck burst into a fireball.
“What’s wrong?”
His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. “Nothing.”
