Winds of Fortune by Radclyffe

Sheriff’s Department approached, Deo stepped back while Allie talked to them. Scanning the faces of the others gathered around, she saw Reese and Tory, Reese’s mother and her partner, and a couple of other law enforcement officers. With a jolt, her eyes met Nita’s. When she nodded, Nita tipped her head briefly in acknowledgment before looking away. Clearly having been dismissed, Deo leaned against the wall and watched Nita. As she had at the party, Nita appeared apart from the others. Not awkwardly or uncomfortably alone, Deo realized, but alone by choice. The circumstance was so different than Deo’s own isolation that she couldn’t help but be filled with questions. Questions and curiosity and an involuntary surge of sympathy. Alone was alone, and even if by choice, sometimes it spelled loneliness.
    Driven by an appreciation for their shared discomfort, Deo sidled through the people who stood talking quietly in pairs or small groups until she reached Nita.
    “Long day,” Deo said.
    “I was just leaving.” Nita picked up a leather bag and slung it over her shoulder.
    “Stay for a minute.”
    Nita blinked. “Why?”
    “I like your company.”
    “How much have you had to drink?” Nita asked sharply.
    “Two beers, six hours ago.”
    “Then you have me confused with someone else.” Nita stepped sideways and Deo lightly grasped her arm. “What?”
    “I don’t want to have to chase you down the hall again. It’s bad for my ego.”
    “I don’t imagine anything puts a dent in your ego.”
    Nita’s voice held an edge, but the barest glimmer of a smile showed for an instant and then disappeared. It was the first crack in her façade that Deo had seen, and encouraged, she leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Having you turn me down two days in a row hasn’t been so good for it.”
    “It’s in very poor taste to make overtures to a woman with your girlfriend standing a few feet away.”
    “My girlfriend?” Deo said, honestly confused. She followed Nita’s gaze to where Allie huddled with Reese and Bri and the other officers. “She’s a friend.”
    Nita sighed. “There’s no need to explain, although considering you disappeared with her last night after the party, I’d say your definition of friend and mine are slightly different.”
    “The way I see it, we’re just talking.”
    “Really? You weren’t going to renew your invitation for dinner ? My mistake again, then.”
    Deo did some fast thinking. She had been about to try again, and because she didn’t think of her relationship with Allie as anything that would prevent her from doing so, she hadn’t considered how it might look to Nita. Hell, when had she ever considered how anything might look to a woman she was interested in? “Jesus, you’re confusing as all hell.”
    “Look,” Nita began in a reasonable voice, determined to control a potentially uncomfortable situation that showed no signs of going away. Admittedly, she’d had a visceral response the instant she’d seen Deo enter the waiting area. Before she could contain herself, she had been both happy and excited to see her. That Deo had been with the pretty young brunette from the night before had helped her gain some perspective. There wasn’t much doubt in her mind where the bite on Deo’s neck had come from. Like a dash of cold water, the sight of the two of them was a blunt wakeup call and a stark reminder of just why Deo was dangerous. “This is a small town and we have a lot of acquaintances in common. We’re going to be running into one another all the time. Why don’t we just decide right now that the best thing we can do is have a nice casual friendly association.”
    “I wasn’t proposing marriage.”
    “I know what you are proposing. I’m not in the market.”
    “And if you were, it wouldn’t be with me, right?”
    Nita shrugged. “No. It wouldn’t be.”
    “Because I’m not your type.” Deo made it a statement, not a question.
    “I think I already