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“A felony. Two years,” Dex began to say as if I didn’t know. “But hitting the next chief of police…well, that’s a little more serious.”
My breath caught at what Dex had said. My previous annoyance and embarrassment was erased at all that Clark had achieved.
I was proud. It was stupid, but I couldn’t help the feeling. I remembered him telling me about what he had hoped to accomplish.
“You’re going to be the next chief?” My soft-spoken words left my lips before I could remind myself to use my inner voice.
Clark’s smirk left his face, replaced by a warm smile. “Yeah.”
The air grew heavy, and it felt suffocating to be standing here. I cleared my throat and looked at Dex, because keeping eye contact with Clark proved bad for my sanity.
“I need to get Lucas. We need to get going.”
Dex looked past me, as if waiting for something from Clark before nodding and moving out of the way letting me go past him. Once in the hallway, I was able to breathe properly. As soon as Lucas saw me, he came running toward me. He was so excited pointing at the badge sticker they had given him.
“I’m a cop!”
“I can see that.” I beamed at him as I crouched down to his level. “But don’t forget being a journalist is way better.”
I could hear snickers around me, but I ignored them. Since getting my phone had proven to be a bust, I needed to get some Wi-Fi and text Mom to see if she could get us and pick up my car. I grimaced at the thought. She would hate to come and step foot here, but I didn’t want to bother the guys any more than I already had. And Mom could blame Bethany for this. I knew this was on my long list of things she had done to make my life miserable.
Okay, that sounded harsh, because Lucas could never be an inconvenience.
“Oriana.” Clark spoke my name behind me.
I grimaced as I fixed Lucas’s hair. Taking a deep breath, I stood and hoped my wits stayed with me, because the last thing I needed was to revert back to that girl—the one who was obsessed with an unrequited love.
“Can I borrow your Wi-Fi? I need to send some messages,” I said as I motioned for the iPad that was inside my purse. “It doesn’t look like I’ll be getting my phone back.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked instead.
I scrunched my eyebrows.
“Down the street, there’s a diner. Best coffee in the county. Take Lucas for lunch, and I’ll see what I can do about your phone.”
This certainly brightened up my mood. A smile spread across my face.
“Really?” I breathed. “And don’t forget about my car.”
His eyes warmed, and his lips tipped up in the most adorable way. He smirked at me when he noticed my mouth had been fixated on his mouth.
Damn. I needed to get myself together.
“Go on. I’ll meet you there.”
With pursed lips, I nodded and practically dragged Lucas out of the station, because the air in there couldn’t be trusted. It had to be laced with some love particles, because I refused to believe I was losing my wits so quickly.
Hand-in-hand with Lucas, I walked down the streets that felt so bittersweet in the oddest way. There was something about the magic of small towns. How you could walk down the street with an air of peace and no sense of time. There was no rush to bustle and rustle to the next part of the day.
When I passed by Pete and Son’s, I almost stopped to take a peek in. Clark’s father used to own the store, and judging by the fact that his name was still on the sign, that must have still held true. It was part of my ten-step plan in making Clark fall in love with me. Any little thing my family needed, I would volunteer to get, just on the off chance that I would run into Clark while he helped his parents out.
Lucas was all too excited to walk down the street looking at all the shops. Once we made it to the end, it was hard to miss the diner. It was bright yellow. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was the blackboard. The menu was scribbled on one side, while the other had pastries and coffees. But in the middle of it all with bigger letters than the rest, it saidQuote of the Day,and underneath it was said quote.
I scrunched my nose at the quote.
“Ori,” Lucas practically drooled. “Brownies.”
Sure enough, they were nicely displayed in the counter at the front.
