Page 50 of The Tomorrows After You
“Right,”Inodded, giving her my full attention.“Yes, I can do that.”
When her car door slammed, I booked it inside.
Nicolette’s sliding door was closed, but the curtain was open. I listened, but it was quiet. I took a breath before knocking on the door. She appeared a moment later and pulled the sliding door open a few inches.
Her high cheekbones were sun-kissed but her eyes were tired and I hated that she might have lost sleep over what transpired between us. She peered up at me with raised eyebrows but her lips remained pressed in a thin line. I tried not to look at those lips, tried not to remember what they tasted like.
“Hey, I was going to order a pizza. Are you hungry? Did you eat?” I asked. She suppressed an amused smile at my nervous shifting.
“Um, thanks but I’m all set.” She blinked at me a few times. Does that mean she had eaten with whoever was in that car?God,I was spinning out. I had no claim to this woman but here I was, analyzing every man she shared a meal with.
Because I want them all to be with me.
I nodded, shuffling my feet, trying to come up with a reason,anyreason, to keep her talking to me.
“Oh, okay,”Istartedto turn away.“Hey, did the last of the woodland creature pieces sell this morning? Iwasthinkingofroundingout the bird line for the Field Days — maybe a couple more of the Northern Cardinals?”
“They did. And that sounds like a great idea, Riot.” She nodded and there was a finality to her voice. I offered a weak smile and turned to go. “Chelsea said she’d help out with the booth on Saturday. I have a few committee member duties — so she’s going to tap in.”
I clutched her gaze with my eyes and wanted to hold on forever. After the shitty way I’d treated her, she had still thought of ways to help me.
“Thank you, Nicolette. Really.” I hoped she recognized the sincerity in my voice.
“Of course. I have to…” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder.
“Right, good night.”
Sheoffereda weak smile andslidthe doorshut, taking all the beautiful colors of her personality with her.
17
Nicolette
Isank back down into my bed, clutching my wounded heart. After the gut-wrenching rejection I had suffered last week from Riot, I was too embarrassed to show my face around him.
I think it’s just been a really long time…
Every time I let my head wander, every time I’d let my heart hope that kiss had meant something more to him — I replayed that sound bite on repeat, drilling it into my soul night after night, reminding myself what I really meant to him.
I didn’t cry over boys. Ever. I remember Chelseasobbinginto me when her boyfrienddumpedher right before our junior year. Ihadcriticizedher andtoldher to be stronger than that. Hewasn’tworth the tears. Shelookedup at me through bloodshot eyes andsaid,“The ones who move youarealways worth the tears.”
Was that what Riot had done? Had he moved me? I don’t know about moving me but, he had reached a part of me that no one else ever had. A part I didn’t know existed.
After the affair with my producerleftmy life, heart, and career in shambles, Ipromisedmyself I would neverleta man affect me like that again. When Ienteredinto a relationship with the guy whofilmedme, itwaspurely sexual. Ithoughtthat might empower me somehow but lo and behold thatreboundcameback to smack me right in the face.I know how to pick ’em.
I gave myself one day. Twenty-four hours was all I took to sulk over my wounded pride that was Riot Asher. He couldn’t have any more than twenty-four hours. At least that’s what I told myself. I wasburying myself in work, going down every rabbit hole to find out how all the problems in the Valley could be interconnected.
Today, I was hoping I struck pay-dirt. Dr. Moore had called back with some information. He was leaving town for a few days but wanted to drop off the results in person since my request had been “off the record”.
Riot must have been curious about the car I’d gotten out of and I could have cleared it up right away but hadn’t I earned a little retribution? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little satisfaction out of watching him squirm.
Pushing his shy smile and deep blue eyes to the back of my mind, I tore open the envelope Dr. Moore had given me. The first piece of paper I pulled out was the results of the leaf samples I had given him. It looked like gibberish to me but he had circled the bottom where the paper indicated the sample tested positive for a high concentration of…
“Fluoride?”
Isatback. Thatwasn’tmuch of a scandal. Not that Iwastryingto conjure one up but healthy teeth didn’t exactly link back to lung cancer or drug addiction. So whywasEcho Chemicalstreatingthe water with fluoride in the dead of night instead of the county water authority during normal hours?
I did a quick search for the Spokane County Water Authority andbroughtup their website,scrollingdown to find the names of the executive team.
