Page 90 of Finally Mine
There. She’d said it. She’d voiced her greatest fear.
“I’m pretty sure you know that’s bullshit, Glo,” Aldo said, gently rubbing her neck.
Somedays shewassure. Other days, all she had to do was see Mrs. Diller and her carefully crafted confidence crumbled.
49
They rode like that for long minutes of silence as streetlights shone intermittently through the windshield. Neither of them inclined to speak. Their wounds were open, confessions made, and they were both still here. Aldo was here. Not running away from her baggage. Not blaming her for her choices. Not trying to control her reactions. Just letting her be.
She’d never felt more vulnerable, her truths all spilled and served up for someone else’s consumption. In turn, she knew the weight he’d carried. He’d blamed himself for her being hurt.
“Did you know we had the same study hall together the year before?” she asked him quietly.
“We did not.”
“We did. In Mr. Fink’s biology classroom. You sat at one of the lab tables in the back with your jock buddies. I was the good girl up front shooting you looks of longing.”
“I would have noticed you.”
“You didn’t. I was flat-chested and had braces.”
He gave a gruff laugh and gave her neck another gentle squeeze.
Aldo pulled into the parking lot at Blooms and eased to a stop next to Gloria’s car. He unclipped his seatbelt, and Gloria sighed.
“You don’t have to get out and walk me to my car that is barely three feet away.”
“I’m a gentleman,” he insisted, flashing her a wolfish look. “Besides, I like kissing you without a console between us.”
Swoon.
It was official. Tonight was going down in Gloria’s book as the best night of her life.
She stepped out of the truck, and Aldo met her in the space between their vehicles, his broad chest and shoulders blocking out the night. She brought her hands to his pecs, mindful of his fresh ink.
“Thank you for the flowers,” she said, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Thank you for dinner.” She kissed the other side. “And thank you for being honest.”
She was moving in to capture his mouth full-on when he stopped her. Big, careful hands on her upper arms.
“Gloria. I need you to get in the truck.” His eyes were hard and fixed on something behind her.
“What? Why?”
She turned and saw the scratches in the side of her car.
Whore.
* * *
“We’ll go aheadand take some pictures that you can send to your insurance company, Gloria. In the meantime, is there anyone you can think of who isn’t feeling particularly friendly toward you?” Sheriff Bodett asked.
“You know exactly who’s responsible for this,” Aldo growled. “Gloria’s got two enemies in this entire town, and one of them is behind bars.”
“Be that as it may,” the sheriff said, unaffected by Aldo’s temper, “there’s still a procedure we have to follow.”
Fuck the procedure. Aldo wanted Sheriff Bodett to pull up in front of Linda Diller’s house with lights and sirens.
“I really don’t want to make a big deal out of this,” Gloria cut in. She rubbed her arms with her hands despite the fact that there was no chill in the July night air. Aldo tucked her into his side, wishing he could spirit her away and take care of this for her.
