Page 30 of Trust Me
“Bye, Holly,” he says as he turns to walk out the door.
We both watch as they go, get into their squad car, and pull away. I feel the loss as I watch him get farther and farther away from me. But that view I was just treated to as he left? Well, let’s just say, I do enjoy watching him leave.
Maddox’s ass in a police uniform should be illegal.
Chapter 20
Maddox
The first twelve-hour weekend shift is finally over, and honestly, I’m beat. Jake and I are heading toward my house so he can drop me off. “Vanessa coming back over tonight?” he asks.
“Nah, I’m hanging at home tonight…alone.”
“Want some company?”
“Sure. Pull into the liquor store and grab some beer. I’ll call in the pizza while you’re inside.” Jake steers us toward the liquor store and while he’s inside, I call in a quick pizza order to the local pizzeria. Before he comes out, I also send a quick text to Avery.
Me: How was your day?
She replies right away.
Avery: Excellent. Met up with a hot guy for lunch today.
I love her playfulness. It’s sexy as hell.
Me: Really? Anyone I know?
Avery: Nope. Just some guy I’ve got my eye on.
Me: Well, tell him to get in line. You’re gonna be busy every day and every night for awhile.
Avery: Did you just get off work?
Me:Yep. Jake is coming over for pizza and beer.
Avery: Sounds like fun. You boys behave.
Me: Always. Talk to you soon.
Avery: Bye
I’m slipping my phone back into my pocket when Jake opens his truck door and gets in, sliding the case of beer behind his seat. “Pizza ordered?” he asks.
“Yep. It’ll be there shortly.”
Jake parks his truck behind mine in my driveway, and we head inside. He puts the already cold case of beer in the fridge, leaving two out, and we settle on the couch, flipping through Saturday night primetime movies and sports channels. We finally settle on the Bulls game and are just waiting for dinner to arrive.
The doorbell finally rings, so I jump up and retrieve our dinner, pulling some cash and a generous tip out of my wallet as I go. Jake and I can do some serious damage to a large deep dish meat lover’s pizza.
When a few crust crumbs and apizza sauce stain are all that remain in the box, I decide to try to get to the bottom of Jake’s quiet mood lately. He hasn’t said much at all tonight, and I can tell something is still bothering him. “So, what’s up with you, anyway?” I ask, watching him to gauge his reaction.
He sighs heavily before answering me with a vague, “Nothing.”
“Obviously it’s something, Jake. What gives? You’ve been more than a little quiet and more short-tempered than usual. You’ve already mentioned that you’re not sleeping well, so what’s going on?”
He’s quiet so long that I think he’s ignoring my questions and just watching the game. “A couple of weeks ago, when I was grabbing some groceries, I ran into someone we knew a long time ago. Remember Erin Anderson?”
“Erin Anderson?” I think back to high school and dig for a memory of an Erin Anderson. “Oh yeah, redhead who was here for about a year or so in junior high. What about her?”
