Page 40 of Abandoned

“It wasn’t. That was the stupid thing. I was distracted and wrote it off as an easy A, so I focused on other classes.”

“Then what happened? Why not retake it and move forward?”

“I wanted to be a cop so much that I decided to go to the academy that summer. When I got a job back home, I simply didn’t go back to school. I was going to but never made the time to take my remaining classes.”

“Then why were you so worried about me seeing you as a failure about it?”

He shrugged as best he could with her against his shoulder. “Because that’s how I’ve always seen myself. And I don’t have the best track record for completing things.”

“That scares me, Will.”

“I can see that, and I’m sorry. I wish I could say I’m the best at follow-through, but I’m not. But I am loyal. Ask Logan.”

“And AJ?”

Zara was testing those waters again. Hadn’t he asked her to leave it alone?

Will sighed. “I never know what AJ will say, but I think she’d say I’m pretty loyal.” Even if he hadn’t been a loyal friend to her over the years. But Logan was his best friend.

“I’ve had more than one boyfriend ditch me when things got difficult.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He pulled his truck into her parking lot.

He turned the vehicle off. “Is there more to it?”

“Yeah. But let’s go inside and get my air working.”

“Absolutely.” He slid out of the truck and offered her a hand. Part of him still wanted to pull away from her. If she was so volatile as to run off at the little argument they’d had earlier, how much worse could her reactions be? But he could tell it was her fear that was driving her. If they could work through that, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Her hand met his, and a bolt of electricity shot up his arm. The draw to her was much stronger than the urge to pull away.

They walked into her apartment, and she punched in the code.

The air in the apartment was thick and warm. Not quite unbearable yet, but it was moving in that direction quickly.

He checked the unit itself, and it was definitely not getting any power, so he tried a charger in the outlet the AC was plugged into. No power.

“It might be the breaker. Do you know where the box is?”

Zara yawned. “I have no idea. Might be in here.”

He followed her into her bedroom. “For being such an independent woman, I’m surprised you didn’t think to check this.”

“Out of sight?” She went to her closet and shoved her hanging clothes aside. “There it is.”

He stepped up beside her and opened the box. “Can I ask you a perhaps personal question?”

“We’re spilling our secrets tonight, so why not?”

“Where are your closet doors?”

“In the storage unit out back.”

“Why?”

She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I just don’t like them.”

He gave her a sideways look before flipping the breaker. The AC kicked back on.