I know I need to deal with what happened all those years ago, but I have enough shit on my plate right now. I tell myself I’ll consider confronting my demons before I leave, even though I know that’s a lie.
CHAPTEREIGHT
JADE
Ice-cold lemon gelatoglides over my tongue, my moan attracting Nate’s eager gaze as he pushes a spoonful of vanilla between his lips.
At ease, Deputy.I’m not trying to seduce you.It’s only my tastebuds getting jacked up because I haven’t fed them more than grilled cheese and ramen noodles in weeks.
This is what real food tastes like. And it’s glorious.
Letting people pay for me has always been a challenge, but Nate insisted when he saw me salivating over the gelato stand. I tip my melting cone toward him. “Thank you for this. Or should I say,grazie.”
His lips quirk up. “De nada,” he replies, confusing his Spanish with his Italian. I don’t know if that’s cute or cringe, so I just shake my head with a smile. “Have you ever been to Italy?” he asks.
I stare at him before biting off a laugh. “Are you serious? No, I have never been to Italy. Or Europe. Or even Canada.” That requires actual funds.
“Me neither.” He smiles, visibly relieved that we have this in common. Because in the hour-and-a-half we’ve spent eating this Italian fair to the ground, we’ve discovered that—other than going to the same high school—we’re kind of chalk and cheese.
I have a sweet tooth. Nate prefers salty foods.
I love camping, especially down at the springs. Nate despises bugs and doesn’t even own a tent.
I enjoy being creeped out by extreme horror movies. Nate thought “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was scary.
And when a pair of musicians arrived at our table a few minutes ago singing “Quando, Quando, Quando,” you couldn’t wipe the grin off my face, but Nate turned away with fire-engine-red cheeks like he was the one on show.
I get it. He’s a low-key guy. That’s not breaking news.
But right now, as he quietly picks at his gelato while I drag my tongue over my own like it’s my long-lost boyfriend, I low-key want to set off a firework under this cop’s butt just to see what happens.
“So, Officer Williams. Did you always want to chase bad guys for a living?” I lift my brows like that’s hot, and he glances down with a fierce blush.
“If you mean working in law enforcement, then absolutely. I enjoy protecting and serving my community. Which mostly involves traffic stops and filling out paperwork. Thankfully, there aren’t a lot of ‘bad guys’ around here.” He makes air quotes with his free hand. “Unless you count the guy living next door to you,” he mutters, digging harder into his gelato cup.
I sit up a little higher. “What do you mean?”
“Dylan King,” he grumbles. “Isn’t he staying in the apartment next door to your store?”
“I wouldn’t call him abad guy.” It’s not like I really know Dylan that well, but because he’s Hayley’s brother, the loyalty I feel to her transfers to him to some degree.
Nate heaves a sigh. “You clearly don’t know the full story, and to be honest, I’d sooner not talk about it. But like I said, you should keep your distance.” A sudden thought registers in his eyes. “Do you want me to see if I can get him to move out of there? Maybe I can find a technicality, like perhaps the apartment is no longer zoned as—”
“No,” I cut in, aghast. “That guy just lost both his parents. You want to evict him from his own apartment?” I sit back a little in my seat, and Nate chases me by stretching his arm across the red and white checkered tablecloth.
“You’re right,” he says quickly, although the sullen expression hasn’t left his face. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk abouthim. I want to talk about you.” He cocks his head, and while I wouldn’t say my stomach flutters, it definitely warms a little.
I bite into the last chunk of my gelato cone. “What do you want to know?”
A blush creeps over his jaw. “Why did you finally decide to go out with me?”
Responses flood my head without warning.
I’m lonely.
I miss my mom. I miss Ruby.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve drifted out to sea somewhere, and I keep paddling my arms like crazy to get back to shore, but I keep moving further away from where I want to be.
