Fatal Exposure - By Gail Barrett Page 0,62
it can be with pregnant girls.”
“Good.” She prayed it stayed that way.
“You mind if I use your computer for a minute?” Parker asked Haley. “I’d like to check my email.”
“Go ahead. I need to see about those cookies. Jessica tends to get distracted and forget.” She rose and caught Brynn’s eye. “Come on. I’ll bag up some cookies for you to take with you.”
Resigned to the inevitable grilling, Brynn followed her into the kitchen. Haley had begun renovating her shelter years ago, and only had the kitchen left. It desperately needed updating with its gold linoleum floor, cheap particle board cupboards and the ugliest avocado-green countertop Brynn had ever seen. But French doors opened onto a pretty patio. A farmhouse table lined one wall, more flowers sprawling over the top. Chocolate chip cookies cooled in racks on the counters, the sugary scent making her stomach growl.
“So what gives?” Haley demanded as soon as they were inside.
“I told you. We’re investigating—”
“I mean with Tommy’s brother.”
“Nothing.”
Haley snorted. “Nothing? The way he looks at you?”
Brynn’s face warmed, a kaleidoscope of erotic images flashing through her mind. And she knew she’d never fool Haley. Her friend knew her too well. “Okay, fine. I’ll admit it. We’re having a...a thing. But it’s not serious.”
Haley raised a brow.
“It’s not. It’s just...I don’t know, a fling.”
“You’re not the type for a fling.”
“Well, I’m not the type for fairy-tale endings, either, so don’t you dare start in with that.”
Haley’s eyes instantly softened. “Of course you are. You just haven’t met the right guy yet.”
“Right. Well, maybe in my next life.” Shaking her head, Brynn snatched a cookie from the rack and took a bite. The argument wasn’t new. They’d been debating this for years. Brynn was a die-hard realist. She knew her limitations and never indulged in dreams. Whereas Haley was an eternal optimist who clung to the misguided belief that true love awaited her someday no matter how much evidence proved her wrong.
“Great cookie,” she mumbled, hoping her friend would take the hint.
But Haley wasn’t easily deterred. “Tommy was a good guy, you know.”
“So?”
“So maybe his brother’s like him.”
Brynn released a sigh. “Maybe he is. In fact, I know he is. But that still doesn’t make him right for me.”
“You’re sure about that?”
Brynn rolled her eyes. “I’m sure. Now can we please let this go?”
Haley raised her hands as if to ward her off. “Fine. If you want to reject a man like that, it’s up to you.” She took a paper bag from a drawer and piled some cookies inside, then handed it to Brynn. “But guys like that don’t come around twice. Don’t mess this up because you’re scared.”
Scared? Stung, Brynn gaped at her closest friend. “How can you say that? I’m not scared.”
“Not of the big stuff, no. But sometimes I think...”
“What?”
Haley leaned back against the counter, then sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. I really admire your work. It’s brilliant. You’re brilliant. And you know I love you. You’re the best friend I have. I wouldn’t even be here without your help. But sometimes I wonder if maybe you aren’t hiding behind your work, using it as a way to keep people out.”
Brynn’s jaw dropped. She stared at her friend in shock. She didn’t hide behind her work. She used her photos to expose the evil in the world, to show the unvarnished reality of homeless life—not as a crutch.
“Maybe I’m wrong,” Haley added quickly. “I hope I am. All I’m saying is...you had a terrible past. You had every right to retreat. What you suffered...no one should have to go through that. But don’t let the evil you’ve suffered rob you of a happy life.”
“I won’t. I’m not.”
“Good.” Haley gave her another hug. “Now go give that man those cookies while I clean up.”
Still reeling from the accusation, Brynn left Haley to her cookies and went back down the hall. Sure, she was cautious around people. Why shouldn’t she be? She had killers tracking her down, her stepfather trying to do her in. She’d be foolish not to fear for her life.
But as for her relationship with Parker...Haley was wrong. She simply wasn’t the happily-ever-after type. And it had nothing to do with fear.
Parker looked up as she entered the office. His somber eyes stopped her cold. “What happened?”
“I got the list.”
The officers who’d worked in Homicide when Tommy had died. Her pulse quickening, she set the bag of cookies on the end table and sank onto the sagging couch. “Any surprises?”
“A couple.”