“You do that.” I nod.
Her smile fades, and she bites her lip nervously. “Honestly though, I don’t think I ever thanked you.”
I stop eating and look up, confused. “For what?”
“Justin told me it was you who explained to him what happened and why I left. If you didn’t tell him, I don’t know how long we’d have been apart.” She shrugs. “You know, like the more the distance between people grows, the more difficult it is to step over it once the issue is resolved.” She starts fidgeting with a lock of her hair. “So yeah, thank you.”
“He’d come around eventually anyway. His puppy eyes make me wanna vomit.” I remember how he came to the bar seeking a fight and how the night ended with him gearing up to get his girl back. I still have no idea what possessed me to even talk to him.
“You just wait, Mark.” She laughs and refills my cup.
“For what?”
“For the right woman to snatch you.” She points a finger at me again.
I snort loudly. “That’s not going to happen. You know my story. No, thank you.”
“You just watch.” She releases a devilish laugh. Chills run down my spine. I don’t like where she’s going. “I think I know what type of woman can breach this hard façade, and I’ll be right here to enjoy the show.” She winks and walks away, humming a song under her breath.
Women and their charades. I finish my food, drop cash on the counter, and leave the diner, waving at Kayla. I love her like a sister, I do, but sometimes she acts like an annoying little pest, and I need to get away.
The station is quiet; everyone’s moving at a snail’s pace, gearing up for the next twenty-four hours. We love mornings like this, but no one would ever say it out loud. The moment we do, that’s it. We’re getting the craziest shift of our lives. Jinxing is a very real thing in our profession.
“Sup, Mark. Got a minute?” Austin walks out of the chief’s door and calls out to me. A heavy weight settles in my stomach. No one likes that type of question from the boss this early.
“Sure.” I follow him as he gestures for me to join him. “What happened?”
“Oh, nothing. Chill, man.” He laughs and slaps my shoulder. “I just wanted to ask how your new neighbor is doing.”
A wave of irritation washes over me. Why is everyone so concerned with my neighbor all of a sudden?
“She’s fine.” I clench my teeth, not wanting to go there.
He gives me a curious look, looks around, and asks, “Where’s Ghost?”
“Stayed home.” My jaw is so tight, I’m about to crack a tooth.
His brows shoot upward. “Alone for the whole shift?”
I usually bring him here so everyone can dote on him. The bastard always pretends to be grouchy, but I know he secretly loves it.
“I have someone to watch him.” Do I? I didn’t explain jack shit to her, and it’s my dog we’re talking about. The dog I left with a complete stranger… “But I’ll need to go and check on him before the end of the night. Maybe I’ll bring him back with me.”
“All right.”
Time has never moved slower. I swear the oldest snail in the world could move faster than time moves right now. I itch to go check on my dog. I’m a tool to leave him with a total stranger in my bed.
At 1:30 p.m., I tell Austin I’ll be back and run to my truck.
When I walk inside my place, I notice the harrowing absence of sloppy kisses. My dog isn’t here. I check the house just to be sure and look out the window. My neighbor sits in a plastic lounge chair in her backyard, laptop on her lap and my idiot dog at her feet. She’s feeding him little pieces of something she’s got on a plate next to her. Ghost looks incredibly happy.
I walk outside and toward her. Finally, Ghost notices my approach, and I give him two seconds to react before I give up on the traitor and our friendship. He senses my not-so-sunny mood and jumps to greet me. Nearly knocking me down with his massive body, he slumps into me with the full force of his doggy happiness. I crouch next to him, patting his ears and feeling my anxiety melting away.
“Hey.” Her soft voice reminds me she’s there.
“Hey,” I respond grouchily.
“I thought you were working today.” She closes her laptop and places her hands over it. She’s wearing black-rimmed glasses, and I get a pinch in the bottom of my stomach upon seeing them.
