Trust Me .(26)
As he drops his phone back into his shirt pocket, he lets out a big sigh.
“She’s got a date. Won’t tell me who it is. How am I supposed to scare the living shit out of him if I don’t know who I’m threatening?”
I pick my words carefully and say, “She must have a good reason to not want you to know right away.”
“Yeah, she says it’s too new and she doesn’t want me interfering. Says it’s nothing for me to get excited about…yet. I know what guys are after, and he isn’t getting it from my sister. Not if I can help it.”
“She’s a grown up, man. She’s gonna go on dates, you know. She’s got a kid.”
“Man, what is up with you? Did you lose your balls or something? You used to stand back and hold my beer while I was dealing with the assholes who messed with my sister.”
“Nothing is up with me. I’ve got your back one hundred percent. I just don’t think you should get yourself worked up until you have something to get worked up about.”
“Whatever.” He crosses his arms over his broad chest and turns to face out the passenger window basically ending our conversation. We hit a drive-thru for lunch and are heading back to the precinct when my phone chimes. I pull it out and notice a text from Avery. I glance at Jake out of the corner of my eye but he seems to be focused on a couple walking down the street. I open the message.
Are we doing the right thing?
I don’t hesitate in my reply. YES. I hit send.
Another ding. What if he finds out?
When we stop at the stop light, I type another quick reply. Then it’s on me. I’ll handle it.
You won’t deal with him alone. I’m a big girl and can handle Jake.
The light is getting ready to change back to green so I type quickly. Trust me, I know you’re a big girl. See you Friday
I put my phone away as we pull away from the intersection heading back towards the other end of town. We have a few more hours left of our shift, but I’m anxious to get home and burn off a little energy with a run.
“What are you doing tonight?” Jake asks after several minutes of silence.
“Probably going for a run and then relaxing with a little Sports Center.”
“Mind if I tag along? I’m not feeling like hanging out at home tonight.” I look over at my best friend and notice for the first time the dark circles under his eyes. He looks beat.
“You feelin’ alright, man?”
“Yeah,” he replies as he rubs his hand through his hair and down his face. “Just not sleeping well lately.”
“Something you want to talk about?”
“No. Just have a lot on my mind. I’m good,” he reassures me as he continues to rub the top of his forehead. He lets out another sigh, and we enjoy more comfortable silence. I should probably push him a little harder and find out what’s eating at him, but my mind keeps going back to planning my date with Avery. I know she’s a simple girl who doesn’t need fancy restaurants where she has to dress up and be someone’s arm candy for the night, which is good because I sure as hell am not into that scene. Me? I’ll take the tailgate of a pick-up truck in the middle of nowhere with some classic rock music, and I’m good. Avery and I spent a lot of our youth swimming in the river and hanging out with our friends in the middle of nowhere. That’s where we are both comfortable.
After our shift is over and the paperwork is wrapped up, Jake and I each jump into our own trucks and head back towards my place. He has to swing by his place and grab a change of clothes before he comes over so I take the opportunity to drive by Avery’s house. I tell myself that I’m just fulfilling my civic duty as a police officer to make sure everything is okay in her neighborhood, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’d drive by and check on her even if I wasn’t a cop.
As I approach her little house, I see her gathering groceries from the back of her little jeep. I decide to pull in and give her a hand, especially when I see Brooklyn running from the front yard, up the stairs, and back again. I stop the truck and jump out. Avery noticed me pulling in and stands there with a beautiful little smile on her face. I decide that she has the bags already in her hands, so I head for the three year old running amuck in the front yard. Brooklyn notices me and heads in my direction, arms out, legs pumping as fast as they’ll carry her petite three foot body.
I scoop her up, and she throws her little arms around my neck. It’s actually a pretty amazing feeling. “Maddox,” she yells, giving me a kiss on my cheek. “You’re itchy,” she giggles as she rubs her hands over my dark five o’clock shadow.