moving his hands to mirror her posture.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Seylah wanted to know.
August took in a deep breath and looked away from her. “It means...it means that perhaps you should be more choosy when it comes to accepting possible suitors, and not leap at the first bit of attention that comes your way.”
Seylah jerked back as if she had been slapped. “You cad!”
“I am no such thing. I am worried about you, Seylah.”
“Oh, please, you are a selfish man, August Leclaire.” She shook a finger at him and ignored the looks they were garnering now from passerbyers, all of whom were newcomers to town. The old locals were quite accustomed to the sight of Seylah and August bickering.
“Me? Selfish? If I’m selfish, then you’re a violent woman.”
Seylah scoffed and set off marching towards the Sheriff’s department. “Oh, August, you are so dramatic. I am nothing of the sort.”
“You took the breath out of me with that elbow,” August told her as he followed her.
“You quite deserved it with your behavior, and I was not going to allow you to spoil such a special moment,” she said, speeding up her pace as the Sheriff's department came into view. The quicker she was indoors and at her desk, the quicker today would settle back down, and the quicker August would stop badgering her.
“That’s a tall tale you’re tellin’, Seylah.”
“I’m ignoring you now, August.”
“Very mature,” he huffed when she bolted up the stairs and tried to shut the door in his face, the latter was only deterred by him sticking his foot in to catch the door before it closed.
She whirled then and stuck her tongue out at him. “I never claimed to be mature,” she informed him and was pleased at the look of annoyance on her friend’s face. August’s handsome face twisted in a frown, but he said nothing else while she went about inspecting the office. She was not accustomed to coming in so late, but the day’s events could not have been helped or foreseen with Mrs. Rosemary’s fitting taking up a goodly portion of her time. She was relieved to see that the deputies hadn’t managed to cause too much trouble. The coffee they had prepared was unbearable, but that was to be expected, and of course, the common area was in disarray but still clean, even if there were scattered papers to set to rights given that none of the three other deputies were in the building.
Her fathers’ desks were empty and she figured they were making their rounds, which meant she had entirely too much time alone with August. She glanced over at him where he was going through paperwork, he was still frowning, his brow furrowed, and she bit her lip at the sight.
August was agitated. Though, where she was concerned, he seemed to agitate easily, or at least he did as of late. The thought made her stop, her own brow coming to a knot. They had been so close growing up, and after a brief awkward stage as young teens, had come back together as close as ever from the night of Seylah’s eighteenth birthday.
That night had been … healing.
All it had taken was a bouquet of flowers and a simple: “I’ve missed you,” from August for all of the distance and walls between them to come crashing down. Seylah hadn’t been able to keep herself from hugging him, from telling him how much she had missed their friendship as well. It was as if the years had melted away, and the two had picked up right where they had left off the night of the ill-fated dance. The reconciliation had been so very needed in their long relationship, because as far as anyone was concerned, August Leclaire was family, part of their clan, and there was no possible world in which August was not a part of her, or her family’s life.
A heavy sigh escaped August, and she swallowed hard, the fear that distance and coldness might settle between them again, might drive them apart until they were strangers, making her hands shake.
She couldn’t bear it again. Not ever.
Seylah didn’t expect that August could either, but then why were they so at odds these days? It seemed they misunderstood one another more and more each day. Perhaps he felt it too, and that was the reason for his reaction to Elliot’s acquaintance.
It was enough to make her gnash her teeth.
“August?” She tried breaking the quiet of the room.
His hands froze.