her a look. ‘You want me to stop.’
‘I do.’ Jess braced for her move. ‘Maybe we can get his license plate number when he goes around.’
Lori let off the accelerator and then eased down on the brakes. Tires squealed in protest but the Mustang came to a smooth stop in the middle of the road.
The dark sedan careened to a stop far enough behind them that making out the driver’s face was impossible. Jess turned all the way around in her seat to stare at him. She wanted him to know he was caught.
He did nothing. Just sat there. A horn blew as a minivan drove around.
‘Well, aren’t you just full of yourself,’ Jess muttered.
‘What now?’
‘Start backing up. He won’t have any choice then.’
The instant the Mustang was in reverse and the backup lights flashed a warning, the driver of the other car backed up, then spun around and raced off in the direction they’d come.
Jess committed the first three numbers of his California license plate to memory but that’s all she got. ‘What’re you doing so far from home, Mr Corolla?’ She turned and settled back into her seat.
‘You want me to follow him?’
‘That won’t be necessary. If he has something to say, he’ll find us again.’
‘Home or the office?’
Her Audi was at the lab. ‘Do you mind dropping me at my place?’
‘No problem. So what’s the deal with Corlew?’ She glanced at Jess. ‘You two looked pretty tight in there.’
Jess had wondered when Lori would get around to that question. ‘We went to high school together.’
‘Was he pre-Burnett?’
‘I knew Corlew first, if that’s what you mean. He and Burnett were mortal enemies. Their football rivalry was legendary. Burnett was the rich kid from the right side of the tracks and Corlew was his opposite in every way.’ Except that they were both devastatingly handsome and too sexy for any female’s good. That part she would just keep to herself.
‘You and Corlew had a thing?’
Jess considered how to put the answer. ‘We had a moment . That moment is dead and gone. I had known Corlew for years and I can’t deny having fantasies about him. Any girl breathing at the time would have admitted the same. But he never paid any attention to me until Burnett and I became an item. Then he wanted to take what belonged to Burnett.’ As young as she’d been, she hadn’t been stupid. ‘It wasn’t really about me. It was the rivalry between those two.’
‘But you had a moment,’ Lori reminded her.
‘The night before the homecoming game of our senior year, I was angry at Burnett for something. We were always fighting and then making up.’
‘Does that ever stop?’ Lori sent her a look. ‘I mean, really, do you ever outgrow that need to best each other?’
Jess wasn’t so sure she could give Lori an answer she wanted to hear. ‘I don’t know. I’m still waiting for that to happen.’
Lori groaned. ‘So you were mad at Burnett,’ she prompted.
‘I guess word got around that we’d had an argument and lo and behold, who shows up at my door on his big sexy Harley?’
‘He took you for a ride.’
‘He did.’ Jess would never forget that night. The wind in her hair and the absolute terror as he raced down a long dark stretch of highway. She’d held on to him for dear life. At some point they’d ended up at one of his hangouts and he’d tried every way in the world to seduce her.
‘Earth to Jess,’ Lori teased.
‘We kissed. That’s it.’
‘Does Burnett know about that night?’
‘If he found out, he never mentioned it.’
‘The chief might need to worry,’ Lori noted. ‘I saw the way Corlew looked at you. That moment might still have a little life left in it.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Jess shook her head.
‘So you and Burnett made up after that moment ?’
‘He climbed into my bedroom window sometime after midnight. My foster mother was out of town. Gambling in Mississippi with her old lady friends, if I recall correctly.’
Lori
‘I do.’ Jess braced for her move. ‘Maybe we can get his license plate number when he goes around.’
Lori let off the accelerator and then eased down on the brakes. Tires squealed in protest but the Mustang came to a smooth stop in the middle of the road.
The dark sedan careened to a stop far enough behind them that making out the driver’s face was impossible. Jess turned all the way around in her seat to stare at him. She wanted him to know he was caught.
He did nothing. Just sat there. A horn blew as a minivan drove around.
‘Well, aren’t you just full of yourself,’ Jess muttered.
‘What now?’
‘Start backing up. He won’t have any choice then.’
The instant the Mustang was in reverse and the backup lights flashed a warning, the driver of the other car backed up, then spun around and raced off in the direction they’d come.
Jess committed the first three numbers of his California license plate to memory but that’s all she got. ‘What’re you doing so far from home, Mr Corolla?’ She turned and settled back into her seat.
‘You want me to follow him?’
‘That won’t be necessary. If he has something to say, he’ll find us again.’
‘Home or the office?’
Her Audi was at the lab. ‘Do you mind dropping me at my place?’
‘No problem. So what’s the deal with Corlew?’ She glanced at Jess. ‘You two looked pretty tight in there.’
Jess had wondered when Lori would get around to that question. ‘We went to high school together.’
‘Was he pre-Burnett?’
‘I knew Corlew first, if that’s what you mean. He and Burnett were mortal enemies. Their football rivalry was legendary. Burnett was the rich kid from the right side of the tracks and Corlew was his opposite in every way.’ Except that they were both devastatingly handsome and too sexy for any female’s good. That part she would just keep to herself.
‘You and Corlew had a thing?’
Jess considered how to put the answer. ‘We had a moment . That moment is dead and gone. I had known Corlew for years and I can’t deny having fantasies about him. Any girl breathing at the time would have admitted the same. But he never paid any attention to me until Burnett and I became an item. Then he wanted to take what belonged to Burnett.’ As young as she’d been, she hadn’t been stupid. ‘It wasn’t really about me. It was the rivalry between those two.’
‘But you had a moment,’ Lori reminded her.
‘The night before the homecoming game of our senior year, I was angry at Burnett for something. We were always fighting and then making up.’
‘Does that ever stop?’ Lori sent her a look. ‘I mean, really, do you ever outgrow that need to best each other?’
Jess wasn’t so sure she could give Lori an answer she wanted to hear. ‘I don’t know. I’m still waiting for that to happen.’
Lori groaned. ‘So you were mad at Burnett,’ she prompted.
‘I guess word got around that we’d had an argument and lo and behold, who shows up at my door on his big sexy Harley?’
‘He took you for a ride.’
‘He did.’ Jess would never forget that night. The wind in her hair and the absolute terror as he raced down a long dark stretch of highway. She’d held on to him for dear life. At some point they’d ended up at one of his hangouts and he’d tried every way in the world to seduce her.
‘Earth to Jess,’ Lori teased.
‘We kissed. That’s it.’
‘Does Burnett know about that night?’
‘If he found out, he never mentioned it.’
‘The chief might need to worry,’ Lori noted. ‘I saw the way Corlew looked at you. That moment might still have a little life left in it.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Jess shook her head.
‘So you and Burnett made up after that moment ?’
‘He climbed into my bedroom window sometime after midnight. My foster mother was out of town. Gambling in Mississippi with her old lady friends, if I recall correctly.’
Lori
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