Page 27 of The Tomorrows After You
Distinct satisfaction flooded my soul when the police cruiser rolled by. His head was turned toward us but he had his sunglasses on so I couldn’t tell if he spotted us through the glare of the window. If he did, he didn’t show any signs of recognition.
Regardless, I gave a subtle wink.
9
Nicolette
After swinging by the auto garage to grab the rest of my things from my car, we drove the short distance to Riot’s home, which was located on a sprawling landscape down a dirt road.
The inner, ambitious conniving bitch in me was floating with glee. I had somehow weaseled my way into staying at the house of the subject I was supposed to reel in.
This job should be a walk in the park now.
So why did the thought of my original assignment fill me with dread?
And why did my lie about why I had returned sit like a rock in my gut?
Because he’d been kind to me. Because he was offering me help in a way that didn’t make me feel pathetic. For no other reason than he’d been the one to notice what a tight spot I found myself in and I’d been the one to put together the art he made in his spare time.
My bank sent me an e-mail that my accounts should be unfrozen by tomorrow. But I’d keep that part to myself for now.
Riot’s lanai was small but cozy. It was a simple screened-in porch off the side of his double-wide park model. After he gave me the very short tour and house rules (“Keep the kitchen clean. Don’t ever go into my bedroom.”), I excused myself to take a shower.
An audible sigh escaped my chest when I turned the hot water on. I must have stood under the cleansing water for at leasthalf an hour.
When I emerged, feeling remarkably more human, Riot was sitting at the breakfast bar at the kitchen island.
“You know‘endlesshot water heater’is just an expression, right?” he grumbled, scowling. The apology froze on my lips when I detected a playful lilt in his voice, so I shook out my wet hair and smirked at him instead. His eyes followed the motion of my hair like it was a hypnotist’s watch.
“Who are you?”I turned toward the voice that emerged from the front door. A taller, skinnier, goofier version of Riot stood ramrod straight in the threshold to the kitchen. Riot sucked in a breath and bristled, trying to block my view.
I always knew Riot’s brother wasdifferent. About four years older than me, I remembered catching rare glimpses of him around town. My conscience ached for the guy. He possessed no social skills whatsoever, and I sometimes wondered if he was an outcast because he was different or if he was different because people treated him that way.
“Brennan, this is Nicolette Parker. She’s renting out the lanai for a little while.”He swiveled his attention from me to his older brother.“Under no circumstances are you to speak to her. Ever.”He shot me a warning look, all levity from his expression vanished.
Shame burned my cheeks and I fought to bite my tongue. He had already made me feel like dirt. Telling me I wasn’t allowed to so much as speak to the only other person living on the property felt like a new low.
I stalked over to him, jutting my chin out and thrusting my shoulders back. My nose was mere inches away from his puffed-up chest.
“If you think so little of me, why did you invite me here? There has to be someone else on the planet who can sell your artwork.”The ensuing silence grew thick between us. I found myself preoccupied with the muscle that twitched in his jaw, defined even under all that beard. I was idly aware of Brennan standing a few feet away, head spinning between us like an owl.
Riot’s jaw worked up and down. His breathing picked up and his eyes darted over my face, but he remained silent.
“He finds you attractive,”Brennan stated, leaning toward me. I stammered, caught off guard with his honesty.
Riot blanched. “Brennan!”he growled.“That’s not true, why would you say that?”
“Because you’re grinding your teeth, which isn’t altogether an indication of attraction but coupled with your increased respiratory rate and your notably dilated pupils, particularly when your focus falls to her—”
“Alright! Brennan, that’s enough!”Riot cleared his throat looking wholly uncomfortable. A childish snicker erupted from my chest. I took a step back, assessing the brothers.
“I like him,”I snorted, grinning victoriously, pointing to Brennan before spinning around, swaying my hips, and strutting back to the lanai.
I spent the next hour organizing my little space. When I cracked the sliding door, Riot and Brennan were still in the kitchen, looking through some papers.
“Katie’s bringing over dinner tonight, after service, so don’t go eating an entire bag of chips,”Riot warned Brennan.
“There’s a service tonight?”I asked, interrupting them.“Isn’t church usually in the morning?”
