Page 96 of Whispers of You
Lawson stared at me for a moment. “The difference is that you haven’t let it harden you. You haven’t taken that pain out on others. I see how you react to Joe. You make sure to give him a smile and a kind word every time you see him. That can’t be easy.”
“What his brother did isn’t his fault.” It made me sick that people in this town would hold that against him.
“No, it’s not. And Amber needs to get that through her head.”
“I don’t know if disciplinary action will get her there.”
Lawson shrugged. “It might not. But it’s necessary.”
I wasn’t going to convince him to take it easy on Amber. So, I simply nodded. “Thanks for making it clear that I wasn’t the one to report her.”
“Of course.” He glanced at the clock. “Do you need a ride home when you’re off shift?”
“No. Holt’s coming to pick me up.”
Lawson’s lips twitched.
I rolled my eyes as I stood. “Oh, shut up.”
“Pretty sure I didn’t say a word, Little Williams.”
“Your danged smirk says it all.”
Lawson held up both hands. “It makes me happy to see the people I care about happy.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I started out the door, Lawson’s chuckle following behind me. As much as I gave him a hard time, it meant everything to me that he cared. That he was invested. My parents might have been nonexistent in my life, but I’d filled that space with chosen family—those who stuck.
Taking the long way around to avoid Amber, I sought out the break room. Coffee was a no-go this late, and my nerves wouldn’t thank me for it anyway. Instead, I went in search of my secret stash.
Opening the fridge, I pawed through to the back and grabbed one of the two caffeine-free Diet Cokes. Cracking it open, I took a long sip as I walked back to my desk. As I sat, I stole a quick look in Amber’s direction. Her desk was empty.
Shit.I turned back to my station, ending the call forwarding and trying to focus intently on a game of solitaire, but my body was too aware of every little sound.
A door slammed, and my head jerked up.
Amber stormed to her desk. She ripped open one of the drawers, grabbed a bag, and then slammed that, too. Her eyes cut to mine, and I saw rage blazing there.
Clint grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear.
She shrugged him off and turned for the back door, but not before sending me one last scathing look.
“What the hell is that all about?”
I jumped at the sound of Abel’s voice. “Geez, give a girl a little warning, would you?”
He grunted. “You were too distracted by the death stares.”
I winced. He might have a point there. “What are you doing here? You’re not on till two.”
“Couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d come play backup until my shift starts.”
Secretly, I was relieved. I could get Abel on a tear about something. The school board’s inane rules. How the intersection north of town desperately needed a stoplight. Anything that would take my mind off the silence and give me something to think about other than another shooting call coming in.
“Everything’s been pretty quiet.”
Abel glanced at me. “Quiet’s good.”
