“Hey, beautiful. You must be Laura.”
He reached out his hand for me to shake, and I once again gasped at how warm he was to the touch. These guys were like human radiators, and all I could think about was curling up against one during a cold, lonely night. Yeah, it’s definitely been a while.
“Is it that obvious I’m new around here?”
He laughed and I smiled in response. This guy had to be the local heartbreaker around here, that’s for sure.
“You could say that. Also, I’d have definitely remembered seeing your beautiful face before.”
“Smooth. And you are?” I brushed off his compliment like he had no effect on me whatsoever, which of course was a total lie.
“I’m Blake. My brother’s told me all about you.” It was then that I noticed the small paw print tattoo on his left hand, although it was hard to see amongst all the other tattoos that decorated his hands and arms.
“Ah. I’m guessing your brother would be Jackson?”
“The one and only. I heard what you did the other day, rescuing my niece like that. I was just going to thank you and be on my way, but after seeing how hot you are I’m gonna have to ask you out for some food. Of course, a proper thank you does involve a kiss or three as well.”
I giggled at his blatant ways to try and chat me up, before I locked my car door and headed towards the bank.
“So, that’s a no then?” He shouted after me, smiling and throwing me a wink so I knew he wasn’t offended by my brush off.
“Nice to meet you, Blake! I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
“You can count on it.” I walked in to the bank, happy that at least one other person had treated me like a normal woman, rather than someone harbouring the plague.
****
Two hours later, and I was no further on in to my investigation to find out what the hell was going on in this place. Although there had been a few people looking at me strangely, there had been no whispered conversations about me or hostile vibes sent my way. In fact, everyone had been fairly pleasant, offering to help me find things when they could see me looking lost, and telling me all about the best places to eat in the local area. Although I was used to living in the hustle and bustle of the city, with streets full of restaurants and things to do, I found myself feeling an innate sense of peace here, and I quite liked the fact that everything was set apart. The people seemed quite happy, and the town was so clean you’d have thought the Queen was about to pay a visit. The only thing that worried me, was the amount of Jackson’s men I had seen walking around. I called them Jackson’s men but I still didn’t really understand their job roles, or why Jackson was so important here. They didn’t seem to be heading anywhere in particular; they were just walking around and talking to the locals. They would take the time to talk to me, offering me assistance if I needed it, and complimenting me enough to make me suspicious, but I presumed it was just because they were friends with Jackson, and they had seen us hanging out together. I knew I’d never be able to remember their names, but I was going to try my hardest to put in the effort, because for some reason I really wanted to belong here. I found myself wanting these people to like me, which could only lead to heartache for myself I was sure.
I was just walking back to the car when my phone started vibrating in my back pocket. I groaned when I pulled out the phone and saw Craig’s name flash up on the screen. I counted to five slowly before answering the call.
“Hello.”
“Hey, baby.”
“Baby? No Craig, you can’t call me that now. We’re not together anymore, remember?”
“Yeah, for the moment. You’ll change your mind eventually.”
“What kind of planet are you living on Craig? How many times do I have to tell you it’s over?”
“Oh come on! Over something so stupid?!”
“Stupid?! You slept with my best friend! In my bed!”
“It was our bed, babe.”
I screamed out in frustration, not even bothered by the amount of people who had gathered around and were listening to this embarrassing conversation.
“Look, just come home and we can sort it out.”
“Craig, get it through your thick head. I’ve moved away, forever. There’s nothing tying me there anymore, so don’t wait for me to come back. You’ll get the divorce papers soon enough.”
“You’re making a big mistake, baby.”
“The only mistake I ever made was marrying you, baby.” I ended the sentence with a shout, and my face flushed red as I looked up to find not only most of the locals watching me, but Jackson standing to the side of me, clearly witness to my humiliation.