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“I know. And you know I wouldn’t accept charity. And another big ass bill to pay back.”
The bell rings and I groan. “I hope it’s not someone coming to collect money I don’t have.”
“Look on the bright side, it could be something good.”
“With my luck this morning—doubt it,” I say, opening the door, and seeing the last person I ever expected to lay eyes on. “Isn’t there a rule about officers harassing law-abiding citizens?”
“Sure, but I don’t see any around.” He tilts his head to the side. “And it’s Noah.”
“All right, Noah, why are you showing up at my door unannounced?”
The sides of his mouth turn up, and he hands me my license. I thought he gave this back to me with the ticket and registration. It was a lot going on with Drew and Axel’s mouths actively working to ensure I got a ticket.
“Seriously, I don’t know how I didn’t notice. Thanks.” Nice of him to come here to give it back in person. “I appreciate it.”
“Instead of thanks, how about you let me take you out?”
Didn’t see that request coming. Okay. Hot cop wants to take me out! Okay…this is the point when I should stop acting like I’m mute and turn him down. Right? Of course, I’m saying no—in a non-offending, don’t give him a reason to look around and give me another ticket way.
From the corner of my eye, Shauna scurries quietly over to the door, out of sight from Noah, making kissing faces, crossing her arms, and running them along the side of her body. I smile and shake my head making sure I keep my eyes on Noah. “I can’t.”
“You can’t. Why? Are you married? Boyfriend? Life-long commitment and pledge to no dating?” He leans in closer from across the threshold, leaning a hand on the door frame, unduly scrutinizing me in a way that has me mentally shifting back. The most important thing you can do dealing with a cop with rapid-fire questions like this is to show unwavering certainty.
“Are you going to slap cuffs on me if I answer wrong? Last I knew, I had the right to turn down a date.” Even if you are very cute leaned up against my door, looking too good and stuff I shouldn’t care about. Real good.
“You have a right to say no. I have a right to inquire why that would be.” He shrugs. “It’s in my nature. Habit and all.”
“Well then, it’s in my nature to say, thank you again, would you please step off my porch? Unless you have another ticket to hand me.”
He smiles. “It’s like that?”
“It’s like that.” I smile back, waving my fingers at him.
“You have a good day, Lexi,” he says, backing off the steps. “I’ll see you around, and tell your friend across from you behind the door, good day to her too.”
I close the door, grinning, and I look at Shauna. “What was that?”
“Girl, you know what that was. He could of at least let you off with a warning instead of a ticket for all the eye fucking he was doing at the door.”
“There was no eye fucking. Just me nicely turning down a date.”
“Well, how could you resist the S.W.A.T style date invite?” She laughs.
“He wasn’t that bad. I was just caught off guard by him asking me out.”
“You looked like Bambi with shotgun barrels between your eyes.” She sits back on her spot on the couch. “Earlier you should have led with he was hot. I’m not into cops…but yeah you should have taken that date, to see how much you could corrupt him. Bring him to the club. Give him a real, real happy ending.” She picks her soda bottle up and takes a drink. “It’s five o’clock somewhere and this needs a hit.”
“Perfect reason a cop is another trouble I don’t need. If he found out what goes on at the club, the only date I’ll get from him is behind bars for my next court appearance. After he clicks shiny silver bracelets around my wrist.” Maybe if I wasn’t doing the things I was doing things would be different and I could say yes to that date.
Who am I kidding; even if I did what the hell was legal, what would a man like that do with a ready-made family of responsibility waiting to weigh him down? From what I remember with Vanessa and any other man that’s ever come across that door, they don’t stay for long. Just long enough to make us believe things might be all right before they shattered those illusions with overwhelming reality and more trouble than we had before they came into our life.
Six
LEXI
“Ryan,” I say into the phone pressed against my ear and shoulder while breaking down a display near the front of the store. “I need you to tell Drew to meet me in front of the store when I get off. And he needs to get Axel from school today. I’m working later so we can go to Grandpa’s early. Vanessa called and left a message telling me she’s stopping by for a visit soon.”
“Did you tell her don’t? No one wants to see her.”
