Page 79 of Clumsy in Love

Blue and red lights came up the street and stopped next to them.

“Robinson?” one of the men asked. “Whatcha got?”

Cole handed over the bad guy and explained the situation to one officer, while Holly led the other to the victim. “She’s hurt,” Holly said.

“I’ll be fine,” the woman said, dabbing a finger at her split lip. “Thanks to that man. He saved me.” She pointed at Cole and had a look in her eyes Holly could relate to. One that said Cole was a dreamy hero.

After the men were cuffed for real and put in a patrol car, the officers got statements from everyone and left. Cole flagged down a taxi, and they returned to his place.

“I was gonna stop for dessert somewhere, but we’ve had enough excitement for today.”

“You scared the crap out of me,” Holly said. “Running after that guy. What if he’d been armed?”

Cole shrugged. His hands went to her waist. Almost like they had a mind of their own. “Holly.”

“Let’s not talk about it. Let’s just enjoy the time we have.”

He nodded and dipped his head to kiss her. It was soft and tender. And it melted her heart even further. They fumbled their way to his bedroom and closed the door.

Their time together was short, so why not make the most of it? Fighting her feelings for him was a losing battle, so she surrendered willingly. Whatever happened tomorrow, they would deal with it then. For tonight, she was his.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

At the first crack of light, Holly tiptoed out of Cole’s bedroom, packed her stuff, and fled. Even though her flight didn’t depart for another five hours, she went straight to the airport and parked herself in a chair where she could watch planes take off and land.

Events from the last two days filled her thoughts. Almost getting shot, spending time with Cole’s fun-loving family, a hot day on the water followed by an even hotter night in Cole’s arms.

There was no way to top all that. So rather than struggle through an awkward goodbye, she arranged for a cab and snuck out in the pre-dawn light. Guilt ran through her, but she couldn’t face Cole. She would not allow herself to regret sleeping with him. But she also didn’t trust herself to be able to look him in the eye and hide her feelings. And she had no idea what, if anything, came next.

She liked him. A lot. And not just him. The Robinsons were wonderful. They’d welcomed her so effortlessly. It was like coming home. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that feeling of “home.” Since her parents had left Green Valley Falls, she had nowhere to land when things got rough. It would be way too easy to fall in love with Cole and his family.

No, she had to put some distance between all these emotions. There was no future with him. He wasn’t the pen pal type, and long-distance relationships never worked. And that was assuming he wanted one.

While she sat at the airport gate, Cole texted.

Um, bye?

The sarcasm came through loud and clear. And he was right. It had been rude to sneak out. Normally, her manners were better than this, but she didn’t think she could say goodbye without making a fool of herself.

Sorry. I suck at goodbyes. Thanks for everything.

Lame. Even she saw how inadequate that was. But it was better this way. Rip off the Band-Aid and get on with life.

She made it back to Green Valley Falls for dinner. Her friends were eager to hear about this trip to New York.

“I can’t believe you sawanotherperson get killed,” Tess said. “What are the odds?”

“I can’t believeyoualmost got killed,” Juliet said.

“Yeah,” Holly said. “I’m oh for two on visiting the Big Apple without witnessing a death.”

“Okay,” Faith said after the entrees arrived and they’d all dug in. “On to more important matters. What’s up with you and Cole?”

“Oh, well, um…” Holly stammered.

“You had sex with him,” Tess blurted. It wasn’t a question. Her team knew her well enough to read between the sexy unspoken lines.

“Shhh,” Holly hissed, checking the nearby tables to make sure no one overheard.

---