“We were nowhere near downtown, and I knew the area where we were swimming. I knew what to expect. Plus, I made sure no one too drunk went anywhere near the water, and I kept a head count of everyone in the river so we didn’t lose anyone.”
She frowns, that adorable little crinkle forming between her brows. “He didn’t tell me that part.”
“He probably didn’t even notice. I can never turn off the part of my brain worried about someone getting hurt or something bad happening.”
“Except when you’re making out with me,” she says sadly. Her eyes go wide. “Wait, if Brodie’s not that wild, what do your brothers do?”
“Competitions to see who can get the highest in a tree with no concern for safety. Sneaking into the quarry to ride dirt bikes and nearly eating gravel multiple times. Daring each other to sneak into the abandoned house on the outskirts of town even though there are fences and no trespassing signs.”
“What made you so concerned about rules and safety?” she asks. “Did something happen?”
I lean my head against the bars and think about it. “No one thing in particular. Mostly, I was probably just born this way. I’m the youngest, and I hate seeing my big brothers hurt. I also figured out pretty quickly that if I remembered bandages or snacks or napkins, they were more likely to let me tag along, to see me as useful.” I chuckle, remembering. “Deacon’s like a year and a half older than me, and he’d get so mad when our brothers took me along and left him behind. He learned to be the best prankster and to make them all laugh. That’s how he got in.”
“I never understood why you spent so much time at our house when you had such a fun, tight-knit family.”
“Sometimes, the constant competitiveness can be too much,” I say. “Quiet is a nice change.”
“Right,” she says. “Because our house was so quiet with two babies, and our parents constantly fighting.”
“I didn’t feel so lost in the crowd at your house,” I say, thinking back, trying to remember. “Your parents fought?”
She sighs. “I guess they were quiet about it, honestly. Mom would use the silent treatment like a weapon, and my dad would just bail when things got tense. He never deserved her.”
My stomach twists. I haven’t had a chance to really look into Gentry’s father, and the kind of hacking I need to do would require more secure Wi-Fi than I’ve been able to find around here. “Why do you say that?”
“He regularly made it very clear to her she wasn’t good enough for him. The house wasn’t clean enough, she wasn’t dressing up for him the way he wanted, she didn’t pay enough attention to him.” She sighs. “I didn’t even realize it until he left and I didn’t have to hear him complaining all the time or listen to my mother cry when he stayed out all night, flirting and charming half the town. Everyone in Catalpa Creek adored my father. Even I used to think if she’d just try harder, maybe he’d be happy. After he left…” She stares straight ahead, her voice going tight. “She could never get over him leaving, could never stop blaming herself. When she got the divorce papers, she didn’t come out of her room for a week. Then she got hurt in a fender bender driving home from work and got addicted to opioids.” She huffed. “He never beat any of us or even yelled, really. He was just all surface and no substance when it came to his wife and family.”
“I had no idea.” I wish I had my phone so I could call Brodie and tell him not to get in touch with their father. “And that’s what you think of me? Because I’m charming, I must have no substance?”
She smiles. “There’s at least one thing you’re very, very good at.”
My mouth goes dry and my stomach turns to acid. I want her to see me as so much more than the guy she had a night of good sex with. “We’re going to get out of this, Gentry, and I’m going to show you just how very good I can be.” At being her everything.
Her smile turns sad. “Levi, I—”
“You’ve both been bailed out,” Officer Jackson says as he walks over and unlocks Gentry’s cell. “The owner of the SUV says you two aren’t car thieves. And, since you’re both first-time offenders and there was not a soul out on the street, you just have to pay a fine for your sexual exploits.”
I have no idea how Brodie got here so fast, but I’m too glad to be getting out of here to care.
“Will this arrest be on my record?” Gentry asks.
Officer Jackson’s brow creases. “Shouldn’t be. It’s just a fine. Like if you’d gotten a speeding ticket.”
“So, if CPS looks into me, they won’t see a sexual offense on my record?”
Officer Jackson looks over at me, clearly confused.
“She’s the guardian of her teenage sisters,” I say. “She’s worried CPS might want to take them away if they find out about this.”
Officer Jackson’s frown deepens. “I’m not at all sure about that.” He lets me out and taps his fingers on his duty belt. “Just to be safe. How about we forget about the ticket and the fine, and you two make a generous contribution to the police fund?”
I insist on covering our donation, and ignore Gentry’s promises to pay me back. If she tries, she’ll just be waking up to breakfast on her porch for the next month. Assuming, as I am, that whatever we’ve had is ending.
She doesn’t touch me and barely looks at me as we start our march to the lobby where Brodie waits for us, a scowl on his face.
As we walk up to him, his eyes narrow. “I cannot believe you two had sex in my car,” he says through gritted teeth. “No one’s going to want to buy it now. I’m going to be stuck with that sex car for the rest of my freaking life.”
Next to me, Gentry starts shaking, her shoulder bumping mine. I turn to her, ready to rage at Brodie for making her cry, but her lips are pressed together tight, her eyes glazing over with tears of laughter.
