Puritanical either, and my bare arm is under her bare legs, and I’m trying really hard not to think about that too much.
Stan’s going to flip his frigging lid. I’m glad he’s home, though. He can be a witness to the fact that I’m being a perfect gentleman.
I think about her warm body in my arms and almost wish he wasn’t home.
My mother would be smacking me on the back of the head right about now.
Charlotte clears her throat, and I wonder if she’s found the silence as awkward as I have. “My friend said she saw you on the news last night.”
I nod. “Yeah. It was great. There was a news van in front of Stan’s house this morning, too, but apparently the mayor was caught with his pants down somewhere, and they went chasing a better story.”
“There was one in front of my house, too.”
“What, your brothers didn’t open fire on them?” She looks taken aback, and I sigh. The not-being-shitty thing still needs work. “Sorry.”
“No. You’re right. I’m not happy with them either.”
“I’m sure they think they’re being protective.”
“More than they should be. Part of it is the diabetes, but I also think it goes along with the cop thing. You spend all day trying to keep citizens safe from stupid people, and it leaks into your personal life.”
“Am I the stupid person in this scenario?”
She blushes and looks away. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
My grip is starting to slip, and I have to readjust her in my arms. She wasn’t paying attention, and she catches my shoulders. A quick gasp escapes her lips.
“Sorry,” I say.
“I’m too heavy.”
“You’re not. It’s just hot and you’re sweating.”
The words come out like they’re loaded with double-meaning. She’s blushing harder now. She doesn’t have a response to that.
But she’s not shoving at me to put her down.
I can’t decide if that’s progress or not. She’s not a potential girlfriend. I might as well just ask Stan to shoot me if that’s what my brain is considering.
“How much farther?” she asks.
“Not much.” I’m starting to feel it in my back and shoulders now, and I have to adjust her again . She doesn’t ask me to put her down this time. I grunt. “Had to be the boonies. Mom couldn’t marry some guy who lived in a major metropolis. I almost want to blame her for this.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize what I’ve said, and it’s like someone punched me in the back. All the wind goes out of me. My feet stop, but I have to keep walking or I’m going to drop Charlotte.
I force my feet to move. My eyes feel hot, and I have to take a long breath to settle my voice. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“I know.”
I glance at her. “I just meant we wouldn’t have been in the woods.”
“It’s okay.”
It’s not okay, but it’s nice of her to say so. She is kind. I’ve only known her for a day, but she’s probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
Kinder than I deserve, for sure.
I clear my throat. “A city probably would have made this whole thing more likely.” I grimace. “Not some little town where no one’s ever been killed before.”
She inhales quickly, but then doesn’t say anything.
It was a loaded breath, though, like she was going to correct me. My eyes zero in on hers. “What?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You were going to say something.”
Her face squinches up like she doesn’t want to answer. “I’d like to plead the fifth.”
I sigh. “You’re one of two people who will speak to me, and now you’re crossing yourself off the list.”
“I just—” She hesitates, biting her lip. “It’s not the first murder in this area.”
“I was kidding. I’m sure someone was probably run over by a Model T back in nineteen-ten . . .”
“No, two years ago,” she says. “Someone was killed two years ago.”
She sounds like she wants to say something else, but she doesn’t. Her voice is too hesitant to be
Stan’s going to flip his frigging lid. I’m glad he’s home, though. He can be a witness to the fact that I’m being a perfect gentleman.
I think about her warm body in my arms and almost wish he wasn’t home.
My mother would be smacking me on the back of the head right about now.
Charlotte clears her throat, and I wonder if she’s found the silence as awkward as I have. “My friend said she saw you on the news last night.”
I nod. “Yeah. It was great. There was a news van in front of Stan’s house this morning, too, but apparently the mayor was caught with his pants down somewhere, and they went chasing a better story.”
“There was one in front of my house, too.”
“What, your brothers didn’t open fire on them?” She looks taken aback, and I sigh. The not-being-shitty thing still needs work. “Sorry.”
“No. You’re right. I’m not happy with them either.”
“I’m sure they think they’re being protective.”
“More than they should be. Part of it is the diabetes, but I also think it goes along with the cop thing. You spend all day trying to keep citizens safe from stupid people, and it leaks into your personal life.”
“Am I the stupid person in this scenario?”
She blushes and looks away. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
My grip is starting to slip, and I have to readjust her in my arms. She wasn’t paying attention, and she catches my shoulders. A quick gasp escapes her lips.
“Sorry,” I say.
“I’m too heavy.”
“You’re not. It’s just hot and you’re sweating.”
The words come out like they’re loaded with double-meaning. She’s blushing harder now. She doesn’t have a response to that.
But she’s not shoving at me to put her down.
I can’t decide if that’s progress or not. She’s not a potential girlfriend. I might as well just ask Stan to shoot me if that’s what my brain is considering.
“How much farther?” she asks.
“Not much.” I’m starting to feel it in my back and shoulders now, and I have to adjust her again . She doesn’t ask me to put her down this time. I grunt. “Had to be the boonies. Mom couldn’t marry some guy who lived in a major metropolis. I almost want to blame her for this.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize what I’ve said, and it’s like someone punched me in the back. All the wind goes out of me. My feet stop, but I have to keep walking or I’m going to drop Charlotte.
I force my feet to move. My eyes feel hot, and I have to take a long breath to settle my voice. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“I know.”
I glance at her. “I just meant we wouldn’t have been in the woods.”
“It’s okay.”
It’s not okay, but it’s nice of her to say so. She is kind. I’ve only known her for a day, but she’s probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
Kinder than I deserve, for sure.
I clear my throat. “A city probably would have made this whole thing more likely.” I grimace. “Not some little town where no one’s ever been killed before.”
She inhales quickly, but then doesn’t say anything.
It was a loaded breath, though, like she was going to correct me. My eyes zero in on hers. “What?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You were going to say something.”
Her face squinches up like she doesn’t want to answer. “I’d like to plead the fifth.”
I sigh. “You’re one of two people who will speak to me, and now you’re crossing yourself off the list.”
“I just—” She hesitates, biting her lip. “It’s not the first murder in this area.”
“I was kidding. I’m sure someone was probably run over by a Model T back in nineteen-ten . . .”
“No, two years ago,” she says. “Someone was killed two years ago.”
She sounds like she wants to say something else, but she doesn’t. Her voice is too hesitant to be
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