Page 251 of Something Rad
Robbie shakes his head. “No. His dad, who’s an even bigger dick than he is.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand.
“It’s fine,” Robbie murmurs. “Just give him a minute to feel like he’s doing something. He’ll eventually get bored and leave.”
I try to sit still for a few moments, but the seconds feel like they’re ticking by like hours. I keep glancing from the edge of the counter to Robbie’s face. Then, slowly, as if we decided it telepathically, we both inch our way over, peering around the corner once more, my head below Robbie’s.
I have to keep myself from letting out a gasp as I see an older, more burly version of Paul shining a flashlight into the store window. Luckily, he turns away only a second later, and my shoulders instantly drop in relief. Robbie reaches for my hand, squeezing it. I assume Officer Strothers is heading back to his car, but instead, he walks the opposite direction, making a beeline for where Robbie’s Camaro is parked just in front of the store.
“That son of a…” Robbie grits, biting his knuckle.
Officer Strothers shines his flashlight into the front windshield of Robbie’s car, then walks around it, bending down and looking in the driver’s side window.
“Does he know that’s your car?” I whisper.
“Everybody knows that’s my car,” Robbie responds, shaking his head. “And it definitely doesn’t help that he’s pulled me over in it a time or two.”
“A time or two?” I ask, raising a brow.
“Or ten. What’s the difference?” Robbie deadpans, keeping his eyes on the window.
“Robbie…”
“It’s fine,” he repeats. “The asshole sort of has it out for me, but he can’t do anything with what he’s found tonight. He didn’t see us, and it’s not illegal to park your car in our public town square.”
I nod my head, chewing on my bottom lip as we watch Office Strothers make his third lap around Robbie’s car. After his fourth trip around, and after one more glance inside the store, he seems to be frustrated, but content, making his way back to his police car.
Once he finally starts his engine and drives away until his taillights are no longer visible, Robbie and I let out matching sighs of relief.
“I’m sorry about that, Cooper,” Robbie says. “It was stupid, coming here. I wasn’t thinking.”
When I don’t respond right away, he reaches for my face, pushing my hair out of my eyes.
“Cooper, are you okay?”
I look between his eyes for several long seconds before a full blown laugh bursts out of me.
Robbie rears back, caught off guard. “What is it?” he questions me.
I shake my head, continuing to chuckle. “It’s just…”
“What, Cooper?”
“That was kind of fun,” I admit.
Robbie breathes out a laugh. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I think I am,” I nod, placing a hand on my chest. “My heart is racing.”
“Okay, adrenaline junkie,” Robbie chuckles, his brows pulled together. “Who are you?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “But I think I like it.”
fifty-two
ROBBIE
“Nope. Absolutely not.”
