He laughs. “If you gave me your number, we could rectify that.”
“Who said it was a problem?” I ask, smiling as I open the door and duck out of his car. When I turn to close the door, he’s grinning at me and I can’t help but feel like I just laid down a challenge for him. “Bye.”
“Mm-hmm,” he hums and that’s all it takes to tell me I’m in big trouble.
Chapter Five
Lincoln
“The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the following parishes…”
“Yeah, no shit,” I mutter, leaning forward and turning down the radio as the deep automated voice starts listing parishes around the Baton Rouge area. Glancing up at the windshield, I watch the rain fall in sheets all around the Camaro and sigh. It’s been pouring for the last two hours without any sign of letting up and I’m starting to worry that we’re going to have a flooding problem. Sighing again, I grab my phone and fire off a text to Storm to check how many sandbags we have at the clubhouse.
Turning toward the diner window, I wonder if Tate’s house will be okay when I catch sight of her in the window, standing next to a customer’s table as she talks to them with a wide smile. The kind of smile that lights up her whole face and draws people in. Even out here in the car, I can see the way folks gravitate toward her and I can’t say that I blame them. Since finally meeting her face-to-face last night, all I want to do is find an excuse to be near her again. The man sitting at the table in front of her reaches out and grabs her hand and I’m gripping the door handle before I even realize what I’m doing.
Blowing out a breath, I release the handle and cross my arms over my chest. She effortlessly wiggles out of his hold and backs away from the table. My mind flashes back to last night when her hand was in mine and my heart pounds in my ears as my fingers twitch to touch her again. It was only a few seconds but it shook me to my core.
Fuck.
Since the moment I first saw her in that folder Blaze gave me, I could tell there was something about her, something different, something I can’t quite put my finger on but yesterday when she was right in front of me, I saw just how truly enchanting she is. Even pissed as hell and ready to rip me a new one, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and if I thought I was obsessed with her before, it’s nothing compared to how I feel now. I can’t force her out of my head no matter how hard I try but I don’t do this.
I don’t get attached.
I don’t develop feelings.
Except I can feel them already growing inside me and there’s no way to stop them, nowhere to hide, and nowhere to run. I’m not even sure that I want to. I’m standing in the path of a tornado and my feet are glued to the concrete. All I can do is pray that this time, it doesn’t destroy me.
Last night, I sat up half of the night, watching the cameras in her house and thinking of new ways I could see her. And then she gave me the perfect excuse. Glancing over in the passenger seat, I grab the ad for someone to take over her lease that I printed out. It’s so perfect that I just couldn’t ignore it. Glancing down at my phone, I find the ad online and email her.
________________________________________________________
From: [email protected]
Subject: Apartment lease
Date: February 6, 2018 7:52:36 PM CDT
Saw your ad and I’m interested in taking over the lease. When would you have time to show me the apartment?
Kodiak
________________________________________________________
I toss my phone back in the passenger seat and glance back up at the diner. She’s behind the counter now and I smile as she pulls her phone out of her pocket and starts typing. As soon as she slips the phone back into her apron, mine dings with a new message.
________________________________________________________
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Apartment lease
Date: February 6, 2018 7:55:15 PM CDT
I’m free tomorrow morning. 10:30 work for you?
Tate
_______________________________________________________
The sooner the better as far as I’m concerned. I’m thoroughly grossed out by how much I can’t control myself when it comes to watching her on the cameras and lying to her last night when she told me about Sarah dying was hell. Pretending that I don’t know things about her when I’ve studied her file inside and out at least a dozen times feels disgusting and I wish I knew why Blaze has me doing this.
Sighing, I type out my reply.
_______________________________________________________
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Apartment lease
Date: February 6, 2018 7:56:48 PM CDT
Sounds good. See you then.
Kodiak
________________________________________________________
* * * *
“Do y’all need anything else?” the waitress asks, flashing me a smile. I look around the table at the stack of pancakes I ordered along with the eggs, hash browns, toast, and bacon before shaking my head.
“No, I think we’re good.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything. My name is Gabby.”
I nod and she lingers by the table for a second before turning and heading back to the kitchen.
“What is up with you?” Izzy asks and I glance up at her.
“What?”
She glances toward the door where the waitress disappeared. “She was totally into you and you barely looked at her.”
“Just wasn’t feelin’ her,” I lie and thankfully she buys it. My mind flashes to Tate and I glance down at my watch, eager to see her again.
Izzy tries to maneuver my plates to fit her juice glass on our little table before giving up and standing up. She marches over to the table next to us and pulls it up to ours, giving us twice the room, as I laugh.
“Jesus. I don’t know how you eat that much,” she complains, eyeing my plates.
“What? I’m hungry.”
In true Izzy fashion, she arches a brow and mutters, “Clearly.”
“What have you been up to?” I ask as I cut into my pancakes and shove some into my mouth. She shrugs and cuts into her omelet.
“Same old.”
“Breakin’ hearts all over town, then?”
She giggles. “Yeah, something like that.”
I met Izzy just shy of a year ago and we were hot and heavy for one night before we realized that we would be better as friends. Carly and Ali are her best friends and married to my brothers so it could have easily gotten messy and turns out, we’re pretty similar when it comes to relationships. She’s become a really good friend and someone I can talk to about things I would never even dream about saying to the guys.