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“What are you doing here, Allison?” Reid asked, disdain in his tone, though his gaze lingered for a few seconds.
“Someone reported a woman running from here, and I thought I’d investigate.”
The last thing Harley needed was for as Garret had said this to become town fodder. The fastest way for that to happen was for Allison to sink her claws into the story and blast it on to their local station. Harley might have been found, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to stay under the radar.
“There’s nothing here that concerns you,” Reid stated.
“A woman running out of the shop and Garrett running after her, which is what I heard from my very reliable sources, is not nothing.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but it is,” Garret said, and Harley exhaled in relief. “Just some teenager littering.”
“Littering?” Allison deflated, but then her eyes perked up as she took Harley in. “Why are you wet?”
Garrett stepped in front of her as if to shield her from Allison’s curious gaze. “Incident with the water cooler.”
Footsteps sounded outside, and a heavyset man with a camera on his shoulder came to a thudding halt outside the door. He poked his head in.
Allison spun on her high heel. “Nothing here, Larry.”
Her cameraman dropped the camera to his side, and his shoulders slumped forward. His chest exerted with his heavy breaths. Harley debated if she should offer the poor man a water, but she didn’t want to bring any attention to the water cooler.
“For now,” Allison added, and strutted past Reid, shooting him a glare. “Still waiting for your comment on the summer safety protocols for this year. The deadline is fast approaching.”
Reid rolled his eyes, and despite Harley’s mood, she smiled. “I’ll call you tomorrow with my statement.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“That makes one of us.”
Allison reached into a pocket inside her blazer. She retrieved a small card and walked to Harley, holding it out to her. “Just in case.” She spun toward the door, and with a pat on Larry’s shoulder, headed onto the boardwalk.
“I swear that woman has drones flying all over town,” Reid muttered. “If there’s nothing to report, then I’ll take my leave.”
Garrett stood his ground beside her, and although she didn’t need a protector, it felt nice to have someone in her corner. “Thanks for stopping in to check,” Garrett said. “I appreciate it.”
“Anytime. I’m here if you need me.” Reid’s gaze moved to Harley, and she nodded.
When Reid left and the door closed, Garrett hurried over and flipped the lock. “You okay?” he asked.
The concern in his eyes nearly undid her, but she wasn’t someone who fell apart easily anymore. She’d been through too much in her twenty-five years. Her skin was thick, and if those trolls wanted to break her, they were going to have to try a lot harder than water. “I’m fine. I just hope the sketch didn’t get too damaged.”
Chapter 5
After their talk, the fear and uncertainty in Harley’s dark eyes seemed to ease. The constant tugging at the hem of her tank top also ceased, but Garrett was still worried the little water incident was eating away at her. “If you want, we can do the outline another day.”
“Are you sure?”
“My thigh isn’t going anywhere. How about I buy you a drink instead? You look like you can use one.”
She glimpsed at her still wet shirt. “I look like a drowned rat.”
His gaze lingered on her face where the wet strands now sat pushed behind her ears. She looked nothing like a drowned rat. If anything, she appeared like a beautiful siren who had emerged from the water and was casting her spell.
“You look perfectly fine. But if you want a dry shirt, I have one in my gym bag.” He held up his hands. “It’s clean.”
A smile danced at the edge of her mouth. “That’d be great actually.”
“I’ll grab it for you.”
