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I open my mouth to respond, but she holts me with a finger in the air between us.
“And if you did by chance see your mark in the café, you would have done the smart thing and come out to ask me or Snow to accompany you while you arrested him, right, Kida?”
I maul the corner of my bottom lip with my teeth, hating the disappointed look in my sister’s eyes. Gulping, I lift one shoulder in a timid shrug. “Umm, yeah, well… I mean, I would have, but—”
“Don’t,” Ariel says, finally turning away to face forward in her seat. “We’ll discuss this when Snow gets back in the car.”
A heavy silence fills the cab as Ariel sits stewing and I make myself comfortable on the floor.
I was so sure he was my guy. He had the same color hair, the height was right, his build, too. Age-wise, he fit the profile, as did the brief side-on view I got of his face. It wasn’t until I had him pinned beneath me that I noticed the slight curve to his nose, the hypnotizing chocolatey depths of his soulful brown eyes, and the sharpness of his cupid’s bow.
No, that guy was most certainly not Neil Berkley. Where Neil is undoubtedly cute, this guy is a freakin feast for the senses. Dude even smelled good. I’ve never seen him before; there’s no way I’d forget that face. And after what I just did, I’m pretty sure I never will.
I can picture him right now, staring up at me from the floor—confusion, and if I’m not mistaken, lust—swirling in his eyes.Ugh, he was so freaking hot.But who is he? And what was he doing in Perky’s? If he’s a student, he’d have gone to the campus coffee shop. He could be visiting a relative in town, maybe? But surely I would have noticed him before today if that was the case.
Shiloh Springs isn’t a huge place. Everyone pretty much knows everyone else. If not personally, then by association. I suppose there’s always the possibility he’s new in town. We’ve had a few transplants since that fancy apartment building that Ariel’s boyfriend Kass lives at went up.
A developer built it in anticipation of growth in the region over the next five years and wanted to get in before the boom. Said developer is Jethro McGilligan, the grocery store owner who inherited a butt load of money from a long lost relative and suddenly thought it made him smart.
The town population hasn’t moved an inch in over twenty years, God only knows where Jethro got his intel. At least the building looks nicer than the vacant block that used to be there.
Maybe my guy is a new transplant, and I just made a huge dick of myself before I even got the chance to meet him. My shoulders slump at the prospect of having to avoid him for the foreseeable future. No way I can face him after what I just did. He probably thinks I’m an escaped mental patient.
Why am I such a fuck up?
An intense desire to disappear into thin air consumes me, and I huddle farther into the well between the front and back seats. It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try or how good my intentions are because I always manage to screw everything up. I’m so over it.
I want one thing to go my way, just once. I’d probably die from shock, but it would be worth it.
I arriveat the community center with not a minute to spare and shake the light dusting of snow from my coat before making my way across the lobby to the reception desk. A chick maybe a few years older than me dressed in a green turtleneck with black and pink overalls sits behind the desk and smiles up at me when I come to a stop in front of her.
“Hi,” she says, her sparkly pink nails glinting in the overhead light as she gives me a little finger wave. “I’m Chance. I don’t normally work here, but I’m filling in today. What can I do for you?”
I offer her my hand. “Hi, Chance, I’m Arlo Blaine. I’m starting as the new youth social worker today. Mind pointing me in the right direction? I haven’t been here since the day I interviewed a few months back and have no idea where I’m supposed to go first.”
Chance beams up at me, her big green eyes taking me off guard. She’s stunning despite the odd wardrobe choice.
Is there something in the water around here that makes all the chicks super hot? If so, I’ll be buying bottled water for my little sisters when they visit.
She spins on her chair and reaches down, scooping a baby up from a playmat I hadn’t noticed on the floor behind her. The baby gives me a big drooly grin and reaches for me. I chuckle and take one of her chubby hands, giving it a little shake.
“Hello, beautiful. What’s your name?” I coo.
She babbles and blows a spit bubble, then claps at her neat trick before reaching for me again.
“Oh, you little flirt,” Chance says rolling her eyes. “This is my daughter, Ari. And as you can see, she loves the boys already. God help me.”
I laugh and trail after her as she leads me across the foyer to the left. “My baby sisters are the same. Every man in our family is wrapped tightly around their little fingers.”
Chance chuckles, and Ari squirms in her arms until she can see me over her momma’s shoulder. She reaches one hand out to me, and I give her my finger to hold onto.
“Seriously, Ari?” Chance mumbles. “I’m sorry, she’s not usually this persistent.”
“I don’t mind holding her if you’re okay with it. Like I said, I’ve got baby sisters back home. Aria is four and Aylin is fifteen months.”
“Nice names!” Chance smirks, then hands Ari over to me.
As soon as the little girl is in my arms, she snuggles into my neck and then pats my chest. I melt. Give me a baby and I turn to putty. It’d be embarrassing if I didn’t love them so much.
