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“I’m John Sutton, and you are?”
“Luke Reilly.”
“I’m Olivia, but everyone calls me Liv.” I blurt it out even though he didn’t ask, but he saves me from embarrassment by smiling at me.
“Nice to meet you Liv. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”
We shake hands and he frowns and adjusts to hold my fingers in a light grip. “You’re shaking. Maybe you should sit down.”
John’s eyes wrinkle at me again.
“I’ll be fine, just a little rattled.”
“Understandable. You’re doing great.” Luke’s smile is reassuring as he squeezes my hand. The butterflies flop around again.
“Would you mind providing a statement?” John asks. Luke glances at me, then releases my hand.
“Of course.” The other officer talks to him and John pulls me off to the side.
I bite my lip and try to blink back the tears, but it’s no use. They trickle down my face. He pulls me in for a hug and I hold on to him.
“Five thousand things could have gone wrong. You got lucky. Why did you come this way?”
“I know. I’m sorry.” A sob escapes me, and he tightens the hug.
“I’d go out of my mind if anything happened to you. You should move back in with me.”
“I promise to be more careful. I wasn’t thinking when I came down the alley. It was stupid.”
He sighs and releases me. “I’ll take you to the station so they can do a sketch. Then I’m taking you to the doctor.”
“I need a minute, ok?” He nods and squeezes my shoulder before heading over to talk to the other officers.
A few minutes later, Luke walks over to me. I wipe the tears away and my lips curve into the hint of a smile. “Thank you so much for paying attention. I’d be in a body bag if you hadn’t come along.”
He appraises me, his expression serious, before responding. “You’re welcome, Liv.”
He stands next to me and shoves his hands in his pockets. We watch one of the officers inspect my spilled frozen yogurt. After a few seconds, he speaks. “So I own a gym with one of my best friends. We’re personal trainers.”
“That’s cool.” I swipe at a few errant tears.
“We offer self-defense classes. Have you ever thought about learning?”
That gets my interest. “No, but given the circumstances, it’s not a bad idea.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He takes his hand out of his pocket and hands me a business card.
“Why don’t you come by or shoot me a text when you’re ready and you can come try it out for free. No pressure.”
I take the card and look at it as I consider his offer. The idea of being able to kick that guy’s ass instead of just sitting on my own and crying over frozen yogurt is appealing. I smile and move to put the card in my purse, then sigh when I remember it’s gone. What a nightmare.
“I think I’ll take you up on that.” I smile big and he returns it. My heart beats faster.
“You can also call me if anything comes up with the case. Or if you, um, just need someone to talk to. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.” He straightens his hat that doesn’t need straightening and glances away from me when he offers the last part.
“Thank you Luke, that’s very kind of you.” He grins, and I avert my gaze before I blush again. I need to calm the hell down. He’s just looking at me. It means nothing. He’s just being nice. Right?
John interrupts us. “You ready to go, Liv?”
