Page 17 of Found By You
I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound watery, as I realized that he was trying to make me feel better. “Do they torment you often?”
“Oh yeah, my whole family does.” Another wicked, mischievous smile crossed his face. “But I guess I torment them too, so maybe I deserve it.”
I chuckled at that.
He let out a light breath. “So, back to the question of what should we call you …” His gaze was looking at my hair for a second. He put his hand up like he wanted to touch it, but then pulled it back like he remembered he shouldn’t.
My heart raced. Despite my situation, I couldn’t deny that I found him attractive. “I don’t know. I guess if that name was a fake name, then none of us have any idea what my name is.”
He squinted, studying me. “What do you want to be called?”
I looked up at the sky, which was now turning a deeper blue as the sun sank lower. “I don’t know.” I let out a long breath, andthen my mind settled on a possibility. “Sky,” I muttered. It felt like it fit.
He grinned at me. “Sky. Okay, I like it. I’ll let everyone know. That’s what we’re calling you.”
I smiled again, the name settling around me like a new identity, something to hold onto in the sea of uncertainty.
He shrugged and patted his stomach. “Do you want to get something to eat? That pizza place is really good, and it’s calling out to me.”
Suddenly, I realized I was hungry, the aroma of pine and lake water replaced by the imagined scent of melted cheese and tomato sauce. “Pizza would be amazing.” I hesitated, remembering his sister’s kindness. “Should we ask Kayla?”
He winked at me, and the gesture made my heart skip a beat. “Nah, you’re going to see enough of her. I know you will.”
Chapter 7
McCrae
Later that evening, I showed up for the extra security detail at the high school. I was grateful to be in my uniform so I didn’t have the weird social pressure to act like I was single at some high school reunion that wasn’t mine.
I winced as I thought about my own reunion two years ago and how awkward it had been, especially because everyone asked about me and Rose. I didn’t want to think about her. I was happy that I hadn’t been dwelling on her too often.
Sky was a good distraction. I thought about her beautiful green eyes, like a lush forest after spring rain. I thought about her red hair and her pale skin dusted with freckles that caught the sunlight. Shaking myself, I pushed back on the attraction I was feeling for her. She was a woman who needed help, and she was fragile and vulnerable right now.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how after we had eaten pizza together, which had been a pretty delightful experience, we’d sat out on the pier overlooking the lake with all of the tourists. The sunset had painted the water in shades of orange and pink. Shehad asked a million questions about my life, my family, and my reasons for becoming a cop.
The odd thing was that she had surveyed me and said, “I peg you for having a hero complex.” Which was hilarious, because my family said that kind of stuff to me all the time.
When I asked her why she would say that, she said, “Well, you feel responsible for me, don’t you?”
And it was true—I did feel responsible for her.
In fact, I pulled out my phone and texted Kayla.Everything good?
Immediately, Kayla texted back:She’s been here less than an hour. We are about to turn on a chick flick. We are great.
I felt myself relax. Why was I so keyed up about her? I’d randomly found her, and she needed people. That’s the only reason I cared.
I kept telling myself that, kept pushing away the thought that she was gorgeous and maybe there could be something between us. That was stupid, idiotic. There couldn’t be anything between us. This was just an assignment—well, an assignment I’d given myself.
With that in mind, I turned my attention to the high school gym. Music was blasting through speakers mounted high on the walls, and people were mingling under the glow of blue-and-white balloon arches. Of course, I recognized most of them—another blessing and curse of a small town.
To my complete lack of surprise, I spotted Dylan with Eliza. The music changed to something slow, and the two of them put down their drinks before he reached a hand out to her. It was interesting to watch people in their dating practices. Eliza seemed happy to dance with him.
I knew she’d gotten married, then divorced about six months ago. She had recently moved back to Refuge Falls. She was a dental hygienist, but I hadn’t been to our dentist lately, soI hadn’t talked to her; most of the town had, though, so I’d heard that it was a bad marriage. They’d tried to have kids and couldn’t. The local gossip had told me more than I wanted to know.
I started patrolling around the gym, staying to the edges where the shadows were deeper, hoping that there would be no incident tonight.
Suddenly, I spotted my brother Noah, which surprised me. This was not his year for a reunion, but he was just walking in, and he didn’t seem like he was there for the party. He looked around, spotted me, and headed my way.
