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He put on his cop voice. “We should get you all home. I’ll put a cone by the car, and you can call Al in the morning to come get it. Did you hit a tree?”
“No, miraculously.” Audrey inspected her car. “We landed in the bushes. I think the car is fine except for paint scratches. Unnecessarily expensive paint scratches.”
“Good driving, Aud.” Derek nodded. “Okay Jillene and Steph, you to go in Nick’s car, I’ll take Kylie and Audrey.”
The women got their bags out of the car, and Kylie bent to Audrey to say something.
“Actually, I’m going to go with Nick,” Audrey announced.
Okay, so Kylie wanted to ride alone with Derek. This was either a good or a bad sign.
They all climbed in their respective cars. Nick turned around first and headed back to the village, and Derek pulled his cruiser around. The road to Camden was fairly empty this time of night.
They sat in silence for a moment until Kylie spoke. “So can I turn the siren on?”
He laughed. “What are you, five?” He glanced over to see her watching him.
“We should probably talk,” she said.
He let out a long breath. “Yeah, we probably should.”
“I’ll go first.” She pivoted to face him. “I really like you, Derek, but I can’t make any promises about how long I’ll be in Camden.”
“I know. And I like you too.”
Another pause.
He kept his eyes on the road. “Did you really like me all of high school?”
“Oh yeah. Big time crush.” She giggled.
“Are we maybe just living out our high school fantasies here?” he asked. His emotions were such a jumble.
She sat there considering him for a minute. “I don’t think so. You’re a lot more than you were then.”
“You too.” He smiled at her.
“We’re not kids anymore though. We can talk about this like adults. If you don’t want to get involved, I understand.”
When he looked over at her, her gaze was trained on him, and her teeth worried at her bottom lip.
He could see the girl he was heartsick over in high school, but she was also this beautiful woman. She was generous and hardworking and kind.
She might have changed on the outside, but she was still the same good person, only maybe more confident now.
Surer of herself.
“I know you might not be around for long, but I think it would be hard to stay away from you. To be honest, I don’t want to stay away either.”
Her lips relaxed. “Okay.”
Derek stopped the cruiser in front of her house and cut the engine. “You sure you’re okay after the accident?”
“Yes. Honestly, it was the softest landing imaginable.” She unbuckled her seatbelt.
Derek reached for her. She leaned toward him, and their lips met. This time it wasn’t accidental or impulsive, but intentional.
She pressed her forehead to his. “I’d invite you to come in, but that might be really awkward if my parents are home.”
