Page 40 of Swept for Forever
He smirked. “I’ll have you know, I’m a valued member of this community…”
I squinted at him.
“…Okay, fine. I hadn’t even spent a full night here after deciding I’d officially moved.”
I laughed. “So you’re from L.A., and you retired young. You moved here but didn’t settle, went hiking instead, and followed a dog into the wilderness. Yeah, you’re weird.”
“I have a lot of friends here. Really good friends.”
The words should have been reassuring, but they weren’t.
My mind jumped straight to the wrong kind of friends. The kind lawyers always seemed to attract.
Was Stiff-Neck one of them?
No. No way.
I shot him a look before I could stop myself.
Dom frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.” I shoved a crouton in my mouth.Stop it, Autumn.
He let it slide, though the twitch in his mouth said he knew damn well I was lying.
“Can I call anyone for you?” His voice was careful, as if my answer might come with complications.
I swallowed against the dry burn in my throat. “Actually, I’d like to call my mom.”
Without hesitation, he handed me his phone. Then he stood and stepped out to give me privacy.
I stared at the screen for a second, my thumb hovering over the keypad. The urge to just sit in silence was strong, but I forced myself to take a breath and dial.
It rang twice before Mom picked up.
“Hello?”
Of course, this would be an unknown number for her.
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh, hello, love. Where are you?”
The window to tell her the truth was wide open. But if Idid, she’d panic and call the cops. She’d make it a whole thing, and I couldn’t afford that right now.
“I’m still hiking. Just taking a break in a village nearby.” My voice came out even. Lie smoothly. Lie well. Though Mom usually had a sixth sense for unpacking my lies.
“Why…well, I saw Jimmy this morning,” she said, her voice shading toward suspicious. “Who’s with you then?”
“Another friend,” I said quickly.
“Okay. Another girl?”
My brain scrambled. “Uh, yeah. She’s very skillful. I learned a lot from hi—her.”
Mom made a pleased noise. “That’s good. Glad you’re still enjoying yourself despite…well.”
“He didn’t show up or tell me,” I huffed.
