Page 58 of Chasing Infinity

“What?” she asks suspiciously.

I smirk down at her, my fingers tugging on the hem of the t-shirt she’s wearing. “You’ve stolen my clothes.”

Addison bats my hands away and laughs, turning back to the mirror. “I’m sure you have more, now leave me alone.”

“But this is myfavoriteshirt.”

“I think the mayor would have an issue if you showed up to his dinner tonight wearing this ratty old thing. Please tell me you have something nicer to wear,” she retorts.

I step back, smiling at her. “I do. Don’t worry, I know how to play my father’s game.”

She looks up at me, her hazel eyes scouring my face as if she’s searching for something. “Will you be okay? What do you think he wants?”

My teasing expression drops, and I take a deep breath, a ball of tension settling in my stomach. “I’m not sure. But I’ll find out.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“I need to stop by and see Charlie,” I tell her as I rub the back of my neck nervously. Maybe if I stop in and do a quick debrief with the sheriff, I’ll feel better. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to have him know where I will be tonight just in case this spontaneous dinner party goes sideways.

Addison and I finish getting ready for the day and then head downstairs to her diner. I settle in on one of the stools at the counter as she situates herself for the day. I pull out my phone and send a few quick texts to the powers that be, letting them know what’s going down tonight. A fail-safe.

The more I think about it, the more my suspicion grows that my father is up to something. Even when I lived in his home, we never had the kind of relationship where I would just casually have dinner with him.

No. There’s something else going on, and I need to be on my A-game.

Addison stops in front of me, holding a plate with eggs and toast on it. “You need to eat something; you’re looking pale. Are you feeling okay?”

I stare at her blankly for a moment, her words not making sense. “What?”

Her expression displays concern as she looks at me. “Noah, is everything okay?”

“Fine, thanks for breakfast,” I tell her, forcing a smile on my face and reaching for the fork she hands me. “I gotta run out of here soon, and I probably won’t be back until after this whole thing.”

She still looks apprehensive but nods her head once. “Okay, promise me you’ll call me if something happens.”

“I will.”

I quickly scarf down the eggs and toast, finishing off my coffee with it. Before I leave, I step around the counter and place my hand on Addison’s waist, pulling her close to me. She looks up in surprise but doesn’t push me away.

“I’ll see you tonight, Parks,” I murmur to her, bending my neck so I can kiss her soundly on the mouth. When I pull away, her eyebrows are knitted together, displaying the same uneasiness I’m feeling on the inside.

“Noah, you’re worrying me,” she whispers.

“Everything will be fine. I’ll see what he wants, and then I’ll get right out of there, okay?”

She nods her head. “Okay.”

I kiss her once more before letting her go and striding out of the diner. The ball of anxiety in my stomach steadily growing as I walk towards the police station. I do my best to talk myself out of my worry, but there’s something niggling in the back of my mind telling me my paranoia is warranted.

“Hey,” I say, knocking on the door to Sheriff Sullivan’s office. He looks up from his computer; his eyes are wide and bloodshot. Charlie’s staring at me like he’s not actually looking at me. I frown and step into the office, concern taking root. “Whoa, man. Everything okay? Did I just walk into something?”

Charlie shakes it off and runs his hands over his face, groaning. “Sorry. Things have been crazy around here today.”

“What’s going on? Did my father—”

“No, actually nothing to do with him. Well,” Charlie pauses and rubs at the scruff forming on his chin. “At least I didn’t think so. But who the hell knows in this town anymore?”

“What happened?”

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