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“Can I take a raincheck?” he broke in, already headed for the door. “I don’t mean to be a dick, but I really need to go.”
“Uh, of course.” A frown line showed up between her brows. “I get it. No big deal.”
Clearly, she thought he was about to do another Casper on her, and evenheknew he needed to knock that suppositionright-the-hell out of her head. He turned back, one hand still on the knob.
“No, really, Pixie. This isn’t about ghosting you. I swear.”
“Okay.”
There was a look of disbelief on her face, and Doug searched for an explanation he was willing to share. Words sprung to his tongue, thank God.
“There’s something I haven’t shared with you,” he partially admitted. “I’m a member of asecondspecial task force team you don’t know about. It’s kind-of like SWAT, just not as well staffed. But it’s the same as Talia’s squad, in that I’m always on call.” He hitched a thumb toward the back yard. “I got a summons just before I came in. There’s an emergency.”
Her face instantly cleared, and with a sharp understanding, she immediately shooed him out with her head. “Go then,” she told him emphatically. “Do your hero thing.”
Clearly, she wasn’t going to let him take off the cape she imagined he wore. But now was not the time to argue.
He simply nodded and opened the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, but I’m never sure how long these things will take.”
“I get it, Doug. Do what you do. And stay safe.”
He left with her smile imprinted in his brain, and it felt…good. When was the last time he’d gone on an op with someone worrying about his wellbeing?
Never?
Yeah.That sounded about right.
He bounded across the street, clicked his truck open, then hoisted up onto the cold upholstery. He didn’t bother to warm up his truck. He simply turned the key and dropped it into gear, navigating the streets at a safe, but over-the-speed-limit clip.
Sometimes, minutes mattered.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Pixie hadn’t made any plans for her Saturday, but after Doug had shown up, she’d been hoping to spend the day with him.
It looked like that wasn’t going to happen.
The pancake batter went into the trash, along with her hopes. Pixie could read between the lines. When Doug had said he didn’t know how long he’d be gone, she wouldn’t count on him showing back up until sunset. Whether he was working that whole time or not, would be the question that plagued her. And she wouldn’t delve too deeply on that right now because the answer might disappoint her.
Damn the man for running so hot and cold, and bringing an uncertainty into her life that she’d never thought to face. Friends? Really?
She looked around Talia’s clean kitchen and sighed. What Doug’s sudden appearance and absence had done, was to make her uncharacteristically antsy. Settling in with a movie or a good book with May snuggled on her lap—which is what she’d previously planned—just didn’t appeal now.Damn.Yesterday, that’s all she’d been looking forward to.
What the hell should she do now?
Shedidhave lesson plans to catch up on…
Yeah.Why not? She’d take a trip to Skowhegan; to her classroom, and gather up all the paperwork necessary to build out next month’s curriculum. It would keep her from overthinking Doug’s reappearance in her life, her reaction to it, and what it all meant.
He’d seemed so strangely…tentative.
Even with his avowal that they’d become good friends, Pixie admitted to herself that she had her doubts. There was something in Doug’s eyes that said he was scared. Which meant she wouldn’t put it past him to run away from her again.
The fear she felt radiating off him practically begged the question—one that had kept her tossing and turning all night, and refused to let her have a chill day—whywas he so leery of her? He’d given her a brief explanation of his past, and she’d vowed that nothing romantic would come of their association; that they’d be strictly buddies. That had seemed to be his foremost worry. He’d even looked like he wanted to believe her when she’d agreed to his plan. So what was the continued problem?
Pixie swallowed down a suddenly dry throat. She knew whatherproblem was.
The friend thing…
