Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“I think she’s fine. Just wanting attention like always.”
“Oh, come on, Rosette. She’s your friend. Don’t be like that.”
“We’re not friends anymore,” I reminded him.
“You can’t erase sixteen years of friendship that easily, sweetheart. She may have done some wild things; I get that, but writing her off would be like doing the same to Diana. That’s hard to do. And I know you. You’re not the kind of person to stay angry, Rose. You’ll find it in your heart to forgive her for whatever she did. But you can’t do that if she ain’t okay.”
“I know,” I murmured. “I’ll let you know when I talk to her.”
A siren blared and my eyes shifted to the rearview mirror again. Blue and red lights sparked behind me and my heart dropped a notch.
“Seriously?” I muttered.
“What happened?” Daddy inquired.
“It’s nothing. I’ll call you guys later, okay?”
“Okay. Drive safe,” he said.
“I will. I love you.”
I pulled the car to the side of the road. The cop parked behind me, and I sighed, shutting off my engine. I wasn’t speeding and I’d just had my car inspected a month ago, so it couldn’t have been a taillight or anything like that. What the hell did they want?
After about a minute, the officer stepped out of his vehicle. I kept my face forward and my hands on the wheel, but my eyes wandered to the side mirror. He walked slowly, hands on his waist, close to his belt. Well, more like on his gun. He stopped at my window and gave it a knock. I rolled it down, making sure to keep my movements slow and steady.
I looked up at him—a white man with aviator sunglasses on and a brown cowboy hat. His mustache was thick and seemed to cover his whole upper lip. His uniform was tan. He had to be in his mid-fifties and appeared to be in decent shape for his age. I studied his sheriff’s badge, surprised by the name.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“I’m great,” I replied, forcing a smile. “Is there a problem, sir?”
“In fact, there is.” He slid his eyes to my back seat.
“Okay. What’s that?”
“Your third brake light,” he said. “The strip on the trunk. I think the bulb is out.”
“Is it?”
“Indeed. Wanted to let you know, in case that was important to you. Also, may help someone traveling behind you at night and all.”
“Oh.” I relaxed a bit, loosening my grip on the steering wheel. “Well, thanks for that. I’ll have it looked at.”
He said nothing in response. Instead, he looked through the window of my back seat again. This time I frowned. What was he looking for?
“Is that all?” I asked.
He turned his attention to me. I couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
“Sage Hill,” I answered, though I didn’t understand how that was any of his business.
The sheriff smiled. “Ah. Heading to my little town, I see.”
I gave a nervous laugh. His town? Right, of course it was. I noticed my hands were shaking and tried to control them. “Guess so.”
The sheriff noticed my hands too, studying them a moment before looking at me behind those dark lenses. “What’s the matter? You nervous?” he asked.
I blinked, then swallowed. “A little,” I admitted.
“Well, don’t be nervous now. The only reason you would need to be is if you’re guilty of something, right?” He chuckled.
I forced a laugh, despite my rapidly beating heart.
“Anyway, my nephew’s a pretty good mechanic if you’re looking for someone local. Can give you his number if you want it,” he offered.
“Oh, that’s okay.” I waved a hand. “I won’t be here long.”
He pressed his lips and nodded. “Suit yourself. Well, you have a good one. And lose the nerves. Sage Hill is a beautiful place.” He gave the top of my car a rapid knock. “Drive safely.”
“I will. Thank you, sir.”
When he walked away, I rolled my window up and started the engine again. I watched him open the door of his truck before putting my signal on and veering onto the road. I glanced at the rearview mirror again. He was watching me go as he spoke into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. The stop wasn’t horrifying, but something about it unnerved me. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly.
It took another five minutes for the nerves to melt away and for me to realize what it was about the stop that bugged me. The name on his badge was Reed.
Like Alex Reed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When I felt Sheriff Reed was far behind, I cracked the windows to let some air in. There was a bit of a chill now—a comforting one that screamed autumn. Fall was my favorite season. It meant getting to wear sweaters and hoodies. Cozy up in blankets. Sit around bonfires with wine and snacks. Taking strolls through the park and enjoying the foliage.