The Do-Over (The Rooftop Crew #5) - Piper Rayne Page 0,33

up a box, but Knox walks in and takes it out of my arms without a word.

“Well, your friend of a friend needs to become a friend with benefits. I just want to smack his ass.”

Knox walks in as she says it, and he turns his attention to the floor until I pick up another box. He quickly grabs it from me.

“Let’s not sexually harass him,” I say.

Sally swivels around and I see a run in her nylons by her toes where she’s painted it with red nail polish to stop the run. “I meant to tell you, I saw one of those idiots yesterday.”

“Who?” I ask, collecting some of my stuff and condensing it into one container.

“One of the boys who got you kicked out.”

“You did?” My eyes fly to the door, but Knox hasn’t returned yet.

“Wanted to let you know that they’re around. Maybe your friend is too.”

Yeah, she probably is, but I honestly couldn’t care less. I’m on my own island right now, and I’m happy that way. How long can I let the guilt from what happened in high school overtake my entire future?

“He was talking to some other idiot who lives in the building and he said they’ve been staying at a place in New York City.”

“Who is they?” Knox walks in and I look at him. “What’s going on?”

“Sally saw one of the guys who was with Leilani. Apparently, he said they’re staying at a place in New York City.”

He grimaces. “Yeah, I figured they’d all left Cliffton Heights for good.”

“Cliffton Heights? Is that where you’re staying?” Sally asks with disdain in her tone.

“That’s where I live,” Knox says. “I’m a police officer there.”

“A cop? You’re a cop? You don’t look like any cop I’ve ever known.” Sally stands up and slide into her red heels. “I’d be less surprised if you told me you strip on the weekends.”

An image flashes in my head of Knox with a G-string on. Yeah, doesn’t fit him at all.

Knox nods at the final box. “Is this it?”

I grab the floor lamp. “Yeah. I rented the apartment furnished.”

Knox leaves, and Sally leans in. “Are you sharing a bed with him?”

“No!” I screech. “They had a buddy who just moved in with his girlfriend, so I have his old room.”

“Jeez, you act like it would be a bad thing.” She rolls her eyes.

Knox comes in and shoots me a look that clearly states he’s ready to go.

I try to hide my grin. “Thanks again, Sally. Have a great night out.”

“Anytime, sweetie.” She walks us to the door. “And if you have any older cop friends who look like you, give them my number,” she says to Knox.

He nods, smiles, and holds out his hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, we’ll be seeing each other tonight in our dreams.” Sally winks.

Knox’s mouth opens before he shuts it. This cannot be his first time being flirted with by an older woman.

We leave Sally’s and hop back in his Bronco. Which I love, mostly because it shows a side of Knox that I admire. The motorcycle is custom and decked out. He views this truck as a means to get him from point A to point B. He’s not all about his image and what others might think, otherwise he would’ve upgraded the Bronco a long time ago.

Silence falls over the car ride as he pulls onto the highway to head back to Cliffton Heights. I hate the way I pushed off his conversation starter about high school, but I figured he was looking for more information about Leilani because he still loves her. I like Knox, and if nothing else, I would love a friendship with him. But in order to do that, I need to be willing to have a conversation about Leilani.

“So are you in that spot in your life again after Leilani?” I ask.

He scowls out the windshield. “What?”

“You know… Leilani obviously hurt you. Your friends say it destroyed you. So are you looking for a good-time girl or a long-term girl now? Especially since you were so serious with Leilani?”

“Remind me to thank my friends.”

“I’m not trying to pry.”

His chuckles bring life to the truck. “How about we both lay out the cards?”

“Cards?”

He nods. “I hate fishing for information. It makes the cop in me assume the worst. I do want to get to know you, and the reason I apologized earlier was because I want to get rid of this wall I feel like is