“Why’d you call Oscar?” I grumbled as my teeth clattered.
“Because you were hanging off the back of a speeding vehicle!” Jude protested.
Oscar abruptly came to a stop at the end of the pier and hopped out of his sheriff’s SUV, stalking toward us. I felt like a drowned rat.
“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?”
“Trying to catch the Canceled Killer,” I said. “He’s in that white vintage Jeep Wagoneer. Went that way.” I pointed a finger down the shoreline road.
“What part oflet the professionals handle thisdo younotunderstand?” Oscar huffed, anger flashing in his eyes. Then he turned on Jude, angry. “Andyou, I told you to watch her.”
“He was watching me,” I said, defending him. “Actually, too well as it happens.”
Jude’s eyes grew wide. I hadn’t meant to let that slip, but here we were.
“What the hell does that mean?” Oscar glanced from me to Jude and back again.
“It means what you think it means,” I said, stepping closer to Jude. “Jude has one bed, Oscar. You think you would’ve remembered that when you let me go there.”
Oscar scrubbed his face. “Do you always do the exact opposite of what I ask you to do?”
“I try,” I said.
“I just… I just cannot handle this right now.”
“Why are you so upset?” I asked. “Jude is a grown-up, and so am I and…”
“I am just trying to look after people Icareabout, but you make it so damn hard. I’m trying to save you both from making a dumb mistake.” Oscar shook his head.
I was a dumb mistake? Wow. He glared at Jude then. “I swear, Ella. YouareThin Ice. The town got it right.”
“You took full credit for saving me, but you weren’t the only one,” I pointed out. “Jude got to me first! You just took the credit.”
“I didn’t get any credit,” Oscar said. “I got grounded because I took my eye off you for one second. I missed my playoffs for basketball because Mom and Dad were furious with me, and they’ll be angrier now!”
I hadn’t realized Oscar had been grounded because of me.
“I can take care of myself,” I pointed out.
Oscar snorted, unconvinced. “And you—” Oscar turned to Jude. “You know you’re over your skies with her.”
“I know,” he said.
“What does that mean?” I asked, glancing back and forth between the two men. They seemed to be having an entire silent conversation that I couldn’t translate.
“Ask this one about his grandmother’s ring,” Oscar said, voice low.
Jude started to look uncomfortable. “Let’s not and say we did.”
“Ask him,” Oscar said, evenly.
I glanced at Jude. He wouldn’t look at me.
“Jude?” I asked.
“Ask him why he didn’t want to marry Kenzie. Ask him why she didn’t get his grandmother’s ring.”
I was starting to get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I was starting to think I already knew the answer.
