AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ll always be different.
Jamie grins at me over her shoulder. She lives for these events. She and Nathan are always going to parties and galas. I suppose being the most influential couple in town, it’s sort of expected of you. Jamie loves going, though. It’s not a chore for her. I think it’s a chance for her to be able to show this town that she crawled out of that gutter we came from and made something of herself.
Sometimes, it’s a little nauseating for those of us still trying to claw our way out.
One day soon, I’m going to invest in another couple of dresses. I’ve worn this same stupid dress more times this summer than I have the entire decade I’ve owned it. It’s past time for a wardrobe upgrade.
Cars fill the PMU parking lots and people dressed in black-tie attire litter the sidewalks. I follow behind the couple of the night, hoping to slip in and out unnoticed. This is Dempsey’s night and I don’t want to overshadow it with our…thing.
It’s a thing that just won’t go away no matter how hard I try to make it.
Before we reach the entrance, a man strides over to us with purpose. The cop in me has me readying myself for an attack. As soon as I lock eyes with the man, I stifle a groan.
Chief Tanaka.
“Officer Thurman,” Tanaka greets, eyes narrowing as he glances at Nathan. “What brings you to such an event this evening?”
I straighten my spine. “I should ask you the same thing.”
Our silent stare-off continues. Nathan interrupts, offering his hand.
“Nathan Park. And you are?”
“Hiroshi Tanaka. Chief of police.”
Nathan grins at him and Tanaka turns on his charm. They begin a conversation where Nathan says how pleased he is to finally meet the new chief and how Tanaka has heard great things about Nathan’s family from the mayor. The two men easily chat, no animosity whatsoever.
If Nathan and Tanaka get along, it only makes me even more suspicious of Tanaka.
“My son is being featured tonight,” Nathan says with real pride. “He’s an incredibly talented artist.”
As he walks off, both men lowering their voices, I can’t help but wish Nathan would share some of his pride with Dempsey. I know Dempsey feels as if they see him as a screwup.
“He really is proud of him,” Jamie says, looping her arm with mine. “We both are. Dempsey’s always been a moody child. Maybe one day he’ll realize we only want the best for him.”
A moody child?
Maybe he wouldn’t be so moody if they didn’t think about him that way.
Bitterness at Jamie slithers its way in, but I squash it. She’s his mother and I’m…just the local cop he likes to make out with. Obviously, she knows him better than me. Feeling protective over him around his own mother feels like a major overstep.
No one is more protective than a mother.
As we enter the building, we follow people heading down the hallway to the auditorium. Waitstaff bustles around with trays of bubbly champagne and appetizers that look too pretty to eat. Jamie snags us each a champagne flute before we make our way into the auditorium.
Everywhere art is displayed with lights highlighting each piece. People are crowding around a display in the center of the room, pointing and admiring the art. I see Dempsey first and lose my breath.
He’s a good-looking man, but in a tuxedo, he’s positively dashing.
His dark hair is slicked back and he seems to be at total ease as he converses with people. I detach my arm from Jamie’s, taking several steps forward, needing to see him up close. Electric blue eyes find mine, searing into me and making me stumble to a stop.
I wait for the smile and the excited gleam in his stare.
All I get is panic.
Horror.
What?
