Page 13 of Kiss of Deceit
“Laundry?” I repeated in surprise. “In the middle of the night?”
“I do laundry every Sunday night after work.” His words were fast and sharp as if he didn’t want to spend time explaining anything to me.
My eyes wandered to the clock on the stove, and I cursed, glancing at the filling coffee cup with longing. I didn’t have time to drink it, or I was going to be late on my first day. Kole moved, tearing my attention from the coffee. He was wiping the bread off the counter and into his open hand. I raised an eyebrow, automatically scrutinizing his actions as he dumped the crumbs in the trash can.
I grew more interested when he grabbed a washcloth and wiped down the counter, making sure he got everything. Between this and his mention of doing laundry every Sunday night, it was obvious he liked things organized and clean. He peered at me, his usual frown spreading across his face when he caught me watching him.
“What?” he snapped.
I shot him a sweet smile just to get under his skin before walking away. I could feel his eyes on me as I picked up my purse off the counter. I got halfway through the living room before he spoke up again.
“That’s not what you’re wearing, is it?”
I froze, glancing down at my carefully-chosen outfit. The small amount of money I had went to buying business outfits for this internship. I was wearing a white blouse that I planned to tuck into a knee length black pencil skirt. The black jacket I had matched it perfectly, and the short heels were already hurting my feet since I hadn’t worn any kind of raised heel in years.
“There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing,” I retorted, not turning around to look at him.
“It doesn’t matter where your internship is, you’re going to stand out,” he informed me. “No one dresses like that. It’s casual here.”
I couldn’t tell if he was fucking with me because of what I just did to him, or if he was being serious—but either way—I didn’t have time to change. Without another word, I strode to the frontdoor, ignoring his chuckle. The cool air hit my face as I shut the door behind me and started my way down the sidewalk. Before Kole interrupted me last night, I memorized the directions to where I’d be working and was glad that it was right near town hall.
My stomach was twisting with both hunger and nerves as I walked, and my thoughts were racing about everything. The new job. My new damn roommate. This small town. It was all so overwhelming, and I felt like I haven’t been able to breathe since getting on the bus the other day. Well, except for when I was in the pantry with Kole. I groaned, speeding up my pace. That would not be happening again, so I just needed to forget about it.
I got to the main part of town, sucking in a quick breath when I saw the police department. I wondered who I’d be working with while I was here, or if there were other interns who would be here too. I pulled open the door, welcoming the warmth as I stepped inside. It was small and dated. A desk was on the back wall, and there were some chairs pushed against the walls to the side of me. The flooring reminded me of the ugly white linoleum from high school. The walls were an off-white and needed a new coat of paint.
“Can I help you?”
The guy sitting behind the desk didn’t look up from his book as he questioned me, and I moved closer to him, my grip on my purse tightening. He looked to be in his late twenties, his brown hair cut short. My eyes fell to the tattoos on his neck, and when he raised his head to look at me, I gave him a small smile.
“I’m Dani,” I introduced myself. “I’m?—”
“One of the interns,” he finished for me, his expression staying uninterested until his gaze swept over my outfit. “Go through that door. Your boss is at the first desk.”
I swallowed thickly, noticing he was wearing a blue t-shirt. Nothing fancy or even business casual clothes. Maybe Kolehad been telling the truth about me being overdressed. Forcing myself not to obsess over it, I walked to the door in the back of the room that the guy motioned to and pushed it open.
This area was larger than the front, most of the room scattered with desks. In the back of the room was a small, barred cell, reminding me of an old western movie. People weren’t kidding when they said this town was small. They didn’t even have a jail. The computers on every desk looked like they belonged in the nineties. Old and bulky, taking up half of the desktops. The stale air filled my nose, and I glanced at the closed windows, hoping they would get opened at some point.
“Who are you?”
My eyes fell on the woman sitting at the desk to the right of me. Her jeans and casual black sweater had my gut churning. Kole was fucking right about my clothes. Between this lady, and the guy up front, I was going to be the most overdressed person here.
Her sharp hazel eyes were staring at me quizzically before her gaze fell to my outfit. Her hair was a reddish brown, styled in a braid that was draped over her shoulder. Wrinkles lined her forehead when she raised her eyebrows at me, and I recognized the look in her eyes when she met my gaze. Haunted and cold. If I were to go with my first instinct, I’d say she had a hard life.
“I’m Dani Henderson?—”
“Ah, yes. My new psychologist.” She stood up and rounded the desk to shake my hand.
“You do know I only have my masters, not my PhD?—”
“I’m aware,” she cut me off. “You’ll be working under me but be prepared to be on all cases. Not that we get many here. Your pen will be your best friend because you’ll be doing a lot of paperwork.”
A rush of annoyance shot through me at her interruption, but I swallowed it, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot withmy new boss. She flipped her braid off her shoulder, her eyes sweeping over my clothes again.
“As long as it’s not sweats, feel free to wear what you’d like. We aren’t fussy here.”
My face heated as I nodded, knowing I didn’t have many clothes to choose from. I was going to have to do some more shopping once I got paid.
“I’m Natalie Harris,” she introduced herself. “I have my PhD in psychology with a focus on family studies. You having majored in forensics will be beneficial.”
