AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not before you add me to your will. I saw that coffee maker of yours—I’d murder for it.” She holds a handful of hair at the base of her neck. “Sorry. I didn’t anticipate being on top of a weather tower or anything.”
“You’re forgiven. Can I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Here comes the scary part.” She spins and presses her back against the glass partition. Her attention shifts to me, and she takes a deep breath. “Hit me.”
“You have a car, so I’m assuming you have a valid driver’s license, right?”
“I do. The expiration date is seven years from now.”
“Good. And your car has functional seatbelts and airbags?”
“Yes? I mean, I’m not a mechanic, but I haven’t been told otherwise. It’s driveable, and I haven’t been in any accidents, so they should be fine.”
My lips turn up. “Checking all the boxes so far. Any criminal offenses?”
“No.” She pauses and rubs her lips together. “Well. That’s a lie.”
Shit.
“What, uh, did you do?” I ask.
I reason with myself, a quick decision made in my head.
If it’s murder, she’s out. If it’s something stupid like vandalism, well, I could work with that.
It’s not like she’s going to graffiti my kid.
“You’re familiar with clothing stores, right? How some places have those big, metal, circular racks?”
“Yes,” I say slowly, and I’m not sure where this is going.Jesus Christ.Did she shoplift? “What about them?”
“When I was younger, my dad and I were shopping. We were at Ross, and there was this candy necklace I really wanted. He wouldn’t let me have it and told me we were eating dinner soon. I could have itnexttime, but not now. Well, I didn’t like that answer. When he was in the dressing room, I made a run for it. I stole the necklace and hid in one of those racks. My dad couldn’t find me. They put the store on lockdown. Called the police. Searched high and low, only to find me eating the necklace ten minutes later. He waslivid.I was in so much trouble.”
I stare at her for a beat and try to figure out if she’s fucking with me. When she blinks at me with innocent eyes, I burst out laughing.
“Stop,” I wheeze, and I clutch my side. “You’re joking.”
“Nope. True story. I think they might have a WANTED poster of my four-year-old face still hanging in the store.”
“What was your thought process? You took the necklace, and you thought he wouldn’t notice you were missing? Were you just going to drive his Volvo out of the parking lot to freedom?”
She gasps. “How did you know it was a Volvo?”
“What middle aged white guydidn’thave a Volvo in the nineties and early two thousands, you klepto?”
“I was a child, Dallas.” Maven levels me with a look that’s anything but serious, and she gives my chest a gentle shove. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I saw what I wanted, and I took it.”
“So you’re not a felon, but you’re definitely not innocent, either. Noted. I think I can let that slide.” I grin and draw a check in the air. “You’re passing with flying colors, Maven.”
“The bar is keeping my clothes on, Dallas, not finding a solution to world peace.”
I choke on my laugh. “You’re doing that well, too.”
“All these compliments are going to go to my head if you’re not careful.”
“Okay. Enough tooting your horn. Let’s talk about serious shit. Do you know CPR? What about how to operate an AED?”
“I’m comfortable with both. My college coach made sure we were familiar in case we needed it at practice. I wish everyone could say the same.”
