Page 74 of Rescuing Brinley

“I appreciate that so much, but I’m just going to call the non-emergency line first, see what they want me to do. They might send an officer here, but if I need to go in, I will. You’re taking another measurement of the glacier today, right? You can’t miss that.”

“I can totally miss it. We’ve got two interns going with us today, and I like to make sure they don’t mess anything up, but you’re more important, Brin. If you need me there, I’m there.”

Brinley might not be close to her family, but Cypress more than made up for it. She’d always had her back, just as Brinley would do anything to have hers in return.

She walked over to her friend and pulled her into a hard hug. “I love you,” she said softly. Ever since she’d heard Dash’s eulogy for his mom, she’d been more open about how much her bestie meant to her.

“Love you too. What else do you have going on today?”

Cypress wasn’t big on touching. Which sucked only because of the reasons behind it. But Brinley didn’t take offense. She stepped back, giving her friend some space. “Finishing up another design, then that new client I’m working with, Natasha Blue, is arriving. We’re going to go over designs and fabrics and get to know each other.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to meet her here? Why don’t you go to a public place instead?”

“Because all my stuff is here. Look, I’ve talked to her several times. I’ve looked her up online. Watched her videos. She’s legit, Cypress.”

“What if she’s friends with Tamika and is just using you? She’ll show up and get you to open the door, then she’ll step aside and stupid Tamika will be there waiting to kidnap you.”

Brinley laughed. She couldn’t help it. “You really need to stop watching all those true crime shows. Natasha has been nothing but nice. She’s coming with her mom and boyfriend.”

“At least call Dash and have him be here when you meet with her.”

“Fine.”

“You will?”

“If it’ll make you feel better.”

“It would. Thank you. One of the things I love most about you is your innocence. But sometimes you just don’t see the bad in the world when it’s right in front of you.”

Cypress wasn’t exactly wrong, but Brinley didn’t want to go through life thinking the worst of everyone she met. It would paralyze her and she wouldn’t be able to leave the apartment at all. She also hated that her friend had such a paranoid view of people because of the things she’d been through at a young age. It broke her heart.

“I’m not the kind of woman anyone would want to kidnap.” Brinley wasn’t being dramatic, just pragmatic. “No one looks at me twice. They might use me, and attempt to scam me out of money, or try to take advantage of me, but I don’t think I’m in any danger of being kidnapped.”

Cypress blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re a woman, Brin. You could have a horn growing out of your head and some asshole would still decide he wants to exert control over you.”

“I swear I’m not dismissing your concerns. But I’ve been communicating with Natasha for weeks now, just as I do all the clients I agree to take on. But I hear you. I can let her know that there’s a change of plans, and along with having Dash with me if he’s free, I’ll meet her at the drive-through coffee place down the road. If nothing seems hinky, then we can come back here and get down to business.”

“That would make me feel a lot better. And you need to text me when you get there, and when you’re on your way back to the apartment, and when you get here, and when she and her entourage leaves.”

Brinley chuckled. “That’s a little overkill, don’t you think? You’ve got the tracker app, you can stalk me at any time.”

“I can stalk your phone, not you.”

“But if Natasha steals my phone and uses my face to unlock it, she could be the one sending you messages, pretending to be me.”

“You’re right. So make sure you use our code word then.”

Brinley smiled. Cypress was being ridiculous, but she loved her anyway. “Fine.”

“You remember what our code word is, right?”

Rolling her eyes, Brinley nodded. “Muppet.”

“I just need you to be safe. Without you…”

Her words trailed off, but Brinley knew exactly how she felt. Neither of them made friends easily. They’d leaned on each other for years now. She couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she lost Cypress. “Gonna hug you again,” she warned.

Cypress rolled her eyes this time, but Brinley felt her arms tighten around her more than usual when they embraced.