Page 82 of Sergeant O'
So even as my chest swelled at the thought of him wanting me, reality pressed in harder. Dating Brian O’Shaughnessy wasn’t some sweet, simple fantasy. It was a gamble with the kindof stakes I couldn’t afford—my heart, my pride, and maybe even my place in our town.
I could feel him looking at me, waiting for a response.
With a gentle smile, I touched his arm. “I don’t know what to say, Bri. We agreed this was just while we’re here, and now you’re trying to change the rules.”
His mouth parted like he was about to argue, his thumb brushed against my wrist in a way that told me he wasn’t ready to let it drop, but we were next in line to order.
He waited until I told the girl what I wanted: a single-scoop mint chip cone, then he told her, “A hot fudge sundae, no nuts, please.”
As we waited to get our ice cream, I nudged him with my shoulder. “You didn’t have to worry about me stealing your order. I would have never gotten a hot fudge sundae.”
“Never?” He seemed offended.
“No.”
“Oh, Sunshine. You gotta live a little.”
I had to admit, it did look good when the teenage girl behind the counter handed it to him.
He guided me outside to a little metal table with a view of the sunset, settling in so close our knees touched. He stole the first bite of my mint chip and grinned when I swatted at him.
“You’re terrible,” I said, laughing.
“Yep,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss the corner of my mouth, his lips cold from the ice cream.
I should’ve been embarrassed by the way we were wrapped up in each other, but I wasn’t. Not when he looked at me like that.
Maybe we really could date in Haven Springs?
My phone buzzed in my hand. A text from Lainey lit up the screen:Have you seen this??followed by a link.
Without thinking, I tapped it—and immediately felt dizzy as I read the words.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jade
A gossip site opened with a headline splashed across the top:
Sergeant O’Shaughnessy and his ER Nurse Caught on Camera!
A still from the bank’s security footage was sharp enough to make my stomach turn. Brian’s hand was on my waist, my face tilted up toward his, our lips locked. It wasn’t some grainy maybe-they-were-kissing, maybe-they-really-weren’t photo, it was undeniable. And underneath, the caption spelled out my name:ER nurse Jade Beaumont, the woman who treated O’Shaughnessy after his shooting.
I felt the ice cream from my cone running down my wrist and hand, but I didn’t care. All I was focused on was the photo of the kiss we’d shared in the bank—the one Brian had given me to piss Rachel off—now frozen on a gossip site for the world to pick apart. I’d told him we’d have to do damage control when we got back, but I hadn’t expected the damage to find us first.
“Sunshine?” Brian leaned closer, eyes narrowing as he read my face. “What’s wrong?”
My throat went dry. I pushed the phone toward him. “Lainey just sent me this.”
****
Brian
Heat shot through me as I scanned the words.
Sergeant O’Shaughnessy and his ER Nurse Caught on Camera!
The photo underneath of me kissing Jade inside the bank seemed to corroborate the headline.
