side. Bucky was half blind, the fur around his snout a pale gray.
“Jordan, Tyler—hey!”
Tyler nodded in greeting, barely sparing her a glance. Meanwhile, Jordan’s eyes immediately snagged on her outstretched arm in Peter’s hand.
Wendy jerked it back and jumped to her feet. Peter also stood, giving Jordan a curious look. Wendy pushed her fingers through her hair, uncomfortable laughter clogging her throat. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m on my way to work,” Jordan said with an awkward laugh of her own, gesturing down at her apron.
“Right—obviously!” Dumb question, Wendy.
“We grabbed lunch at the brewery before I had to start my shift. Tyler and Bucky are walking me down to the pier.” Jordan’s eyes went right back to Peter.
Suddenly, he stepped forward. Wendy nearly grabbed him, anticipating that he might say or do something incriminating.
“Hey, can I pet your dog?” Peter asked Tyler, looking hopeful.
“Mm?” Tyler spared him a quick glance from his phone. “Yeah, go for it, man.”
Peter sank on his heels and buried his fingers in Bucky’s golden scruff, his face splitting into a wide smile.
Bucky, in kind, sat back on his rump, his tail sweeping back and forth as his tongue lolled to the side.
As soon as Peter ducked out of sight, Jordan’s eye bulged as she emphatically pointed down at him and mouthed in silent exaggeration, WHO IS THAT?
“Oh, uh, this is Barry,” Wendy said. “He’s from out of town, just visiting his relatives for the summer.” The lie was simple enough, as long as Jordan didn’t ask too many questions. She hated lying to Jordan. It didn’t feel right at all, but Wendy couldn’t just tell her the truth, especially in front of Tyler. “I’ve been showing him around town. Being neighborly and all that.”
Wendy hoped Peter wouldn’t say anything strange, but, apparently, she didn’t need to worry.
Peter sat cross-legged on the ground, distracted and chuckling as Bucky licked at his face.
Jordan gave Wendy a knowing look. “Uh-huh, neighborly.” The smirk on her best friend’s face let Wendy know exactly what she was thinking. But, just to be sure, Jordan mouthed, He is SO cute.
Heat rushed to Wendy’s cheeks. “Jordan,” she hissed. She felt silly and embarrassed under Jordan’s not-so-subtle interest.
Jordan’s smirk only grew, but she kept her thoughts to herself. However, when she spoke again, her tone shifted. “My dad told me he saw you in town earlier,” she said, drawing her attention away from Peter to look at Wendy. A delicate crease appeared between her manicured eyebrows.
Wendy knew—without Jordan outright saying so—that meant Mr. Arroyo had either seen her going into, or coming out of, the police department. “I tried to go by your house before work, but no one answered. I also tried texting you, like, a million times,” she added, her smile beginning to fade.
“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Wendy mumbled. Normally, Jordan would have been the first person she ran to, especially about something as major as being called to the police station. Wendy didn’t blame her for being suspicious or worried, or whatever she was right now. “I meant to text you back, but I’ve been kind of … distracted.” It wasn’t like Wendy, and she owed Jordan more than that.
Jordan quirked an eyebrow. “I can see that,” she said. More heat flooded Wendy’s face. Luckily for Wendy, Jordan glanced at her watch. “Ugh, I have to get to work,” she grumbled.
“Yeah, we were about to leave, too,” Wendy said, taking the out.
Jordan fixed her with a stern look. “Now, you.” Jordan took a step closer and dropped her voice to a quieter tone. “Will you please call me later? Or stop by? I’m off at five o’clock,” she said, eyes searching Wendy’s—for what, Wendy wasn’t sure.
She could feel Peter watching her, too.
Wendy nodded. “Yeah, of course,” she said, her voice small. She knew Jordan was worried about her. She had been so distracted by Peter and everything else she had suddenly found herself thrown into, that she was forgetting about the person who was always there for her.
Jordan gave a curt nod. “Good.” She tugged on Tyler’s arm, breaking him from the trance of his iPhone. “It was nice to meet you, Barry!”
Peter continued to scratch behind Bucky’s ears, murmuring happily to the dog.
Wendy nudged him with the toe of her shoe. “Barry.”
“Oh yeah,” he said, glancing up to flash Jordan a smile. “Nice to meet you, too.” Bucky climbed out of Peter’s lap and waddled off after Jordan and Tyler. Peter stood, let out a wistful sigh, and