“Yeah?”
“Tell Hayden I said thank you. And thank you for asking her. I hate that I need it, but the truth is, I love that you thought of it.”
“That’s a given, Firefly. Always.”
“I feel safe with you,” I admitted. “I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Me too. I can’t wait. I’d love to talk more, but I want to confirm with Hayden before I get called out. Go get your coffee and get back to work. I’ll send you her number soon.”
How many people would have thought of doing this? And of all the cops he could have called, he chose a woman. He would never let his kids be abused right under his nose. He would never be oblivious if I was lost in the past while we were together. What would it be like to enjoy sex without having to worry aboutthat? My heart pounded at the thought, at the hope of how good it could be, and I clenched my thighs together to stop the unfamiliar feeling down there.
Feeling more like myself—well not totally, but part of that was in a kinda good way now—I got back on line, and inspiration struck. I texted Izzy to meet me at Joe’s in five minutes. I had this. It would all work out. I just had to get through two days of work, then I could show Liam exactly how good and safe I felt with him.
Izzy hurried in just as I placed the last of my order on the table closest to the door, and the confused look on her face morphed into laughter as she took in the mountain of pastry boxes and cardboard trays filled with coffee. “Um, I know you really needed coffee and a donut, but this is way too much.”
“Come on, help me carry everything, and let’s go to befriend the workers. If we want this sensory room done right, Dan, Matt, Alex, and Carlos need to be our new BFFs.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Jenna
“God, the way he looked running. His muscles have their own muscles, but still, he moves so gracefully.” And when he stretched, his shirt straining against all those muscles, the ridges of his six-pack and pecs defined enough to show through the fabric…yeah, that did funny things to my insides.
“Aww,” Nicky crooned, and she, Juliette, and Hayden all smiled at me. Big, goofy, grins. I grinned back. Girls’ night was even more fun when I had my own boy talk to share.
“He’s an amazing cook too,” I said, unable to stop gushing. “And his parents are awesome.”
“Woah, you met his parents already?” Hayden asked, dipping a chip into the guac.
“Not in person.” I explained our call and how enthusiastic they were and how endearing Liam was. “He even said he could see me with—” A tingle of apprehension ran down my spine.
“See you with…” Nicky prompted, leaning in.
Hayden didn’t miss a thing. “What’s up?” she asked, her casual words at odds with the tension in her tone.
It was on the tip of my tongue to say it was nothing, just out of a knee-jerk habit and maybe some wishful thinking too, but I caught myself. Was I subconsciously thinking about what had happened after Liam so sweetly said he could see me with his family, when I’d freaked out over a little hug?
Or was this the feeling of being watched—and if so, was it in my imagination? It was so unlikely, but if there was even the tiniest chance Snake Eyes was here, it would mean he knew about my friends now, and that was unacceptable. “I’m not sure, but I kinda have that feeling like someone’s watching me,” I admitted.
Hayden quickly scanned the restaurant, half standing and obviously trying to look natural even though she looked every bit the sheriff’s deputy to me. After a tense moment, she sat back down, and said, “I don’t see anyone suspicious, just a table of cocky dudes. See if you recognize anyone.”
We stood to see over the booth and looked around, not the slightest bit casual or natural. I didn’t see Snake Eyes or anything out of the ordinary. Just those guys a few tables behind us. They raised their glasses and smirked like they’d caught us checking them out. I almost laughed. Any other time, they’d make me nervous. Now I’d be thrilled if they were the ones giving me the chills.
“Could’ve been those guys,” I said with a shrug as we sat back down. It was possible. It was also possible I was losing my mind. It was a small restaurant, and Snake Eyes was so creepy, Hayden wouldn’t have missed him. Neither would I. This wasn’t big like Market Square or filled with nooks and crannies like the library. He wasn’t here.
“I’ll take a lap around the restaurant,” Hayden declared, her jaw set.
I grabbed Hayden’s hand to stop her. “No! It’s fine.”
“Just to be sure so we don’t have to keep worrying about it.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that. “Thank you,” I said with a tight smile.
We watched Hayden scope out the restaurant, including poking her head into both bathrooms, and she was back only a minute later, because the restaurant really was that small.
“Are you worried because of what happened last night?” Juliette asked gently.
"Yeah, that’s probably it,” I said, latching onto the excuse. But even if it was true, falling into that spiral was almost as scary as Snake Eyes.