Page 53 of An Unfinished Memory

“Knight,” I answered.

“There’s a going away party for the mayor’s son tonight before he leaves for college. We should make an appearance before they shut it down.”

“Isn’t it late?” I didn’t want to go. The mayor’s son was a good kid. Could sink free throws like no one’s business, but crashing a party I wasn’t invited to wasn’t my idea of a Saturday night.

“They were at the mayor’s house, but they opened the community center for midnight basketball. I can pick you up in ten.”

My heart rate jumped. “I’m out of town.”

“What? You were just on the clock.”

He didn’t have to sound so surprised I had a life. “Yeah, I was.” I didn’t elaborate.

Berry picked that moment to meow and bump her head against my free hand.

Ray was silent for a moment. “I’ll let you go, then, but the football team is having a scrimmage tomorrow. You should make an appearance if you’re not going tonight.”

“I’ll be gone for a few days. I traded shifts.”

More silence. “Football season is a good time to be seen and talk to everyone.”

“I’ve been out and about, Ray. I talked to the bank president yesterday and listened to him bitch about the kids who speed down his road.”

“It’s a good start, but you gotta do more than get groceries and run errands. Think of it as pre-campaigning.”

My patience was wearing thin. He’d talked to me already, and I was doing what he asked. I should be able to leave town. “I’m keeping it in mind.”

“You do that,” he said in the low growl that meant he was displeased.

When I hung up, the flash of headlights turning into the driveway penetrated the night. The cat darted off my lap when Sutton opened the front door. Vienne was already driving off when Sutton flipped on the lights.

Damn, she looked good. Each time I saw her, I drank her in. I hadn’t thought I took her for granted, but not seeing her every day made moments like these shinier than any badge. Her skirt brushed her thighs as she stepped out of her boots.

“So,” she said.

One word formed an ominous cloud in the air between us.So. “Why don’t you have a TV?” I hadn’t had shit to do while waiting.

Same with working in the house. I was acutely aware this place wasn’t mine, nor was anyone expecting me to be here. While waiting, I planted myself on the couch, got bored scrolling through my phone, tried to crack the password on her Wi-Fi, and settled with petting the damn cat. The more disgruntled I got, the more the cat reveled in the attention.

I was so sick of sitting around with only my thoughts and a strange cat as company, I would’ve happily cleaned Sylvester’s cage, and I wasn’t a reptile guy. Had Sutton taken a page from my book and started working all the time?

Why didn’t that sit well with me?

Then there was the camping.

Sutton’s expression blanked. “I had enough TV growing up.”

She hadn’t gone into depth about her childhood. I had pressed, and she’d answered with generalities. When we traded stories while we’d dated, she’d said she had pets that were her best friends and that her parents were gone a lot for her sister’s practices and performances. But a niggling started at the base of my brain. I would’ve noticed if she shut down talking about her past, right?

“How was your date?” I asked innocently.

She put a hand on her hip. “Vienne saw you.”

Shit. “How?”

“It’s a small town, and you drive a big pickup.”

“So does every other guy in the state.”

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