Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 103552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Whatever,” she said. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the Post-it. “This is the address of the jewelry designer we’re looking for.”
West reached for it. Sterling yanked it out of reach. “You have to take one of us with you, if not both of us.”
“I’m not going to investigate while trailing a team of civilians behind me,” he said.
“Not a team of civilians,” I added. “Just me.”
“Hey,” Sterling said.
“You want to go instead?” I asked.
She handed the address to West and shrugged. “Actually, I get more of a kick out of finding the information, though Emmett did most of the work this time. And that address is up by the Highlands. It’s going to take more time than I have to spare to go out there and talk to her. So, fine. But you have to take Avery. No going off on your own with our info.”
“Agreed,” West said. He looked at the address. “We don’t have time today. I’ll pick you up after work. We can look at our schedules and figure it out.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, trying to keep the flush of pink out of my cheeks and failing as I felt them get hot. He wasn’t even doing anything—hands to himself, not staring at my boobs, no smirk. He didn’t need any of that. Just those dark eyes on mine, the promise in them, the way his strong hands folded the Post-it so precisely before tucking it in his shirt pocket. I knew what those hands could do. And then there was that mouth.
I let out a breath and looked back at Sterling. She was observing the two of us, her eyes bright. Fucking fuck. She didn’t know where I’d spent last night, I was sure. But now...
“You’re picking Avery up from work?” she asked innocently.
West shoved his hands in his pockets. “Griffen, Hawk, and I agreed that since the incident at the Orchard, we don’t want her on her own too much. Not until we figure out what’s going on.”
“Good plan,” Sterling said.
“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side,” I said.
“Not in this.” Sterling shook her head. “I like you in one piece without, you know, knife wounds and stitches. So, yeah, I’m with them.”
“Do as I say, not as I do?” I asked, making sure my voice dripped with sarcasm, remembering the way she’d gone running off with Forrest on their scavenger hunt with the mob following them. She hadn’t exactly been playing it safe then.
“Something like that,” she said, and sent me a prime little sister smirk. “Anyway, you should know,” she said to West, “Matthew’s spreading gossip about Avery, like she’s in over her head, can’t handle the brewery, bullshit like that. Avery just lost the thing she was going to do with Wild Haven Brewing and Sweetheart, and that barbecue place. I just thought you’d want to know.”
“Sterling!” I shouted. I did not need my baby sister telling my—whatever West was—about Matthew’s big mouth.
“Hey, am I wrong?” She looked back at West. “You want to know that, right?”
“Yes,” he said, his eyes on me. “Yes, I want to know.”
I knew he wasn’t talking as the police chief now. He was talking as my lover. Ugh, weird. “Fuck, Sterling,” was all I could come up with.
She was completely unrepentant. “He should know.”
“Fine,” I spit out.
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” West said.
“You’re not going to go beat him up?” Sterling demanded.
“I can’t assault a citizen of my town for spreading gossip, even if he is a raging asshole,” West said.
As ticked as I was at the two of them talking about me like I wasn’t there, I found myself smiling at his reaction.
“You’re not going to do anything?” she pressed. “I told you, so you’d do something.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to do anything,” West said.
Sterling grinned. “Ooh, sneaky West. All right, I’ll be patient.”
“I need to talk to Avery, get more information,” he said to Sterling before turning to me. “Are you two done here?”
I knew if I stayed, Sterling would just give me the third degree about whatever was going on with West. I didn’t have an answer, which meant I wasn’t sticking around. “I guess.”
“Then let’s swing by Sweetheart and grab something, and then I’ll walk you back to the brewery.”
“If you’ve got time,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind a cookie and a chai.”
Sterling watched the two of us, her arms crossed over her chest, one eyebrow raised. I knew she was recording every detail for later, but later was later. And now I was headed for a cookie and a tea with my new boyfriend, lover—I didn’t know what he was. I didn’t like any of those words. I just knew as we walked out the door that there wasn’t anyone I wanted to be strolling through town with more than Weston Garfield. And that was enough for now.