What Lies in the Darkness (Shadow Cove Book 1) by Jessica Sorensen Page A

without Logan.”
    “Sure,” I say, fiddling with the keychain dangling from the ignition. “I’m always down for anything that has to do with skating.”
    “I know you are.” He gives me this weird, indecipherable look before backing away. “See you later, Mak.”
    The second he’s out of earshot, Kennedy erupts in laughter.
    “Oh, my God, that was so entertaining to watch,” she says through her uncontrollable giggling.
    I poke her in the side. “What the hell’s so funny?”
    “Rylen trying to ask you out.” She dabs tears from her eyes with her fingertips. “And you being completely clueless about it.”
    “Hey, I know when a guy’s trying to ask me out.” I pinch her arm, but she only laughs harder. “Oh, will you shut up? You read that totally wrong. Rylen and I are just friends … No, we’re not even that. We’re just two people who share a mutual skating obsession and enjoy a little healthy rivalry.”
    “Oh, my dear, sweet, little, naive Mak. Take it from someone who deals with guys asking them out all the time. Rylen wants you. Badly. He just about asked you out.” A giggle slips from her lips as she stares at Rylen’s Land Rover backing out of the parking space. “I can’t believe you couldn’t see it. He looked so nervous I thought he was going to throw up. And then Logan totally ruined it for him.”
    “Yeah, right. You’re so wrong. I mean, can you imagine someone like Rylen liking me? That would be crazy.”
    “Why? You two have so much in common. He loves skating. You love skating. You’re both hot.”
    I snort a laugh. “I’m so not hot.”
    “You are, too. You just don’t flash it around by wearing slutty clothes.” She scrutinizes my plaid shirt, torn jeans, and sneakers. “But you’ve got killer legs and eyes. Seriously, Rylen couldn’t stop staring at your eyes.”
    “Maybe that’s because they’re on my face.” My tone drips with sarcasm. “And generally, people tend to make eye contact when they talk.”
    She shakes her head. “Not the way he was. Trust me. And that whole thing about hanging out at the skate shop with him was just a backup plan because he chickened out on asking you out.”
    I don’t know how to process what she’s saying, and honestly, I really don’t want to. While Rylen is completely gorgeous, nice, and we do have a lot in common, there’s no way he could like me in the way Kennedy is implying. Even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. We’re from two different worlds; his being all shiny, sparkling, and respectable, and mine is all dull, grey, broken, and sometimes borderline crazy. We would never work, and all of his friends—particularly Dixon—would make sure of that.
    I straighten in the seat as I spot Liam booking it out of the school. “And there’s our man of the hour.”
    Kennedy tracks my gaze. “Took him long enough. What the hell was he doing in there, playing with himself in the bathroom?”
    “You can be so gross sometimes,” I tease with my gaze secured on Liam. “Ready to get this show on the road?”
    She nods, buckling up. “I just hope he goes some place interesting because, so far, this stakeout has been the most boring twenty minutes of my life.”
    As Liam nears our car, I snag Kennedy’s sleeve and yank her down with me as I duck for cover.
    Her eyes pop wide as she moves closer to the console. “Shit. Did he see us?”
    “No, but he walked right by the car.” I wait about thirty seconds before peering up over the steering wheel, right in time to see Liam hopping into his car.
    I sit up in the seat as he pulls out of the parking space and draw my seatbelt over my shoulder.
    “Don’t follow too closely,” Kennedy warns. “Or he might notice your car. And if he does, he’ll know it’s you.”
    “Yeah, I know.” I shoot her a confident smile. “Don’t worry; I’ve got this.”
    Liam drives onto the road, and I wait a couple of seconds before following. I maintain a good distance as he drives up