Page 21 of Sundowners
It was Lexi…and Creed? They were dressed as if they’d been out for the evening.Huh.
Maybe I’d had it wrong. I could have sworn Creed was gay, and I usually wasn’t wrong about these things.
“Everything okay, officer?”
“Yeah, just a busted window,” Reynaldo said, smiling at Lexi. He looked between the two of them, probably checking to see if they were both sober, since they were headed towards a car. “You coming from The Catalyst?”
Creed grinned. “Yeah. We saw Barns Courtney.” He turned and smiled at me specifically. “You listen to alternative rock?”
I fumbled over my words. It was a miracle I had any words left. Creed had a protective arm around Lexi, who was shivering in the chilly night air, but his smile was for me.
Thought so.
Why that pleased me, I had no idea, other than I’d accepted the idea of him as potentially more than Lola’s night nurse. Though I wasn’t sure whether I was ready to make a move. His smile was infectious, his sense of humor totally fit with mine, and he was oh so easy on the eyes. Made me forget about my summer fling.¿Quién es Basajuan?
I hadn’t read the situation wrong. Creed was most definitely gay. I’d had a hard time forgetting that ever since he’d casually asked me to grab a beer. I’d never be able to unsee the alarmingly hot sight of Creed as he was dressed tonight—in a pair of tight black jeans that were tapered at the ankle, which was bare above his checkerboard Vans, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. The guy had the Santa Cruz look down, but it wasn’t natural to him. No, I could tell Creed wasn’t originally from California by the ever-so-faint Southern accent he let slip occasionally.
“Sometimes. I don’t really pay attention to what I’m listening to. I was just doing a ridealong with my uncle.”Idiot! You don’t have to explain yourself.
“We’ve had a few break-ins around Puesta lately, too,” Lexi was saying. “Do you think they’re connected?”
“Hard to say,” Reynaldo said. “Whoever did this probably got scared off. This parking lot is busy this time of night. Probably surveillance cameras picked something up.”
Creed frowned as he scanned the parking lot and pulled Lexi closer. The cold didn’t seem to be affecting him, which surprised me. The guy was only wearing a thin shirt, while I felt the chill through my hoodie and a thermal. And I was staring.
“You guys didn’t see anyone hanging around on your walk over, did you?” Reynaldo asked, interrupting the staring contest I had going on with Creed.
Creed shook his head. “Anything in particular?”
“Any groups of young men wreaking havoc? Anyone checking out cars? Anyone biting anyone? I’m at a loss. There’s way too much weird shit going on lately.”
Creed nodded. “I’d say Mercury was in retrograde, but somehow I don’t think that’s the case.” His smile fell a bit and he looked around the parking lot. As I watched him, Creed’s boisterous fun-guy attitude morphed into something…darker.
“Is your car parked near here?” Reynaldo asked Lexi.
“I’m over there,” Lexi said, pointing to an old Honda Civic parked next to the street and under a light. She looked between us as Creed and I gazed awkwardly at each other.
“Well,” I said, trying to smile in a friendly way and succeeding at a smirk. “We better let you guys get back to your date.”
“It’s not a—”
“Professor San Angelo knows this is not a date.” Creed smiled knowingly. “I’m just going to walk Lexi to her car. Goodnight, Officer Cabral. Roman.”
“Bye! See you on your next visit to Puesta,” Lexi said as she waved.
“See you for bingo,” Reynaldo said, then he turned and elbowed me. “What’s your problem? Say goodbye.”
“See you,” I said, my overpriced education aiding and abetting my vocabulary.
Creed had turned around and walked backwards with a sly smile directed at me. Once he’d made his point, he turned around and bent down to conspire with Lexi. She let out a laugh and hip bumped him. Creed led the tiny woman to her car and held her door open for her as she took off her puffy jacket and tossed it in the backseat. Good. I liked that Creed was protective. He hugged her, and then watched as she drove away before heading back toward where I stood waiting for my uncle, who was finishing up his report.
At five foot eight, I was used to guys being taller than me. Creed had at least two or three inches on me, and while he looked fit—he had to be to do the more physical parts of his job—I wondered if Creed could handle any trouble that might find him. Whoever broke into the woman’s minivan could still be out there looking for an easy target for his next fix.
“I think I’m done here,” Reynaldo said as Creed approached us once more.
“You have a good rest of your shift,” he said. He paused briefly, as though he had something else to say, and then he walked toward the darkness in the opposite direction.
“Hey,” I called out, unsure if I really wanted to stop him from leaving. “You need a lift?”What the hell am I doing?
