Semi-Psychic Life (Glimmer Lake #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,77
through all that stuff?”
“The warrant doesn’t just disappear because everyone figures out the person making the complaint is a criminal. He’s going to have to go through the process.”
“And tonight?”
Sully shrugged. “He could sleep here at the station.”
Val grimaced. “Or… on my couch.” She sighed. “Ugh.” She couldn’t leave Josh to sleep on a broken couch or in a cell. Her boys would never forgive her.
Marie put her hand on Val’s shoulder. “Why doesn’t he sleep in our guest room?” She smiled. “It’s Josh. He may be a bit of a headache, but he’s Jackson and Andy’s father. At the end of the day, he’s still family, but you don’t have to do everything. Dad and I will take him tonight.”
Marie walked into the sheriff’s office, giving Val a curious look as Sully leaned on the truck next to her.
“What does that look mean?” Sully asked.
“It means she’s getting ideas.”
“About?”
“Us.”
“Good.” He handed Val his hat.
She took it, frowning. “Why are you giving me your hat?”
He wiggled his fingers. “I figured you could do your thing. Get the scoop on what’s going on with your ex.”
Val didn’t take her gloves off, but she smiled. “You’re giving me your hat so I can ‘do my thing’?”
“I figured it was more efficient for you to just… see what happened in there instead of me explaining everything.”
She fingered the brim of his hat. “Tempting. But no.”
“No?”
She smiled. “I don’t need to know everything. I don’t want to know everything. I trust you to tell me the important stuff.”
He angled his shoulders toward her, his arms crossed on his chest. “You mean that?”
“Definitely.” She wiggled her fingers. “You really think I like having this ability?”
“I figured you might have trouble trusting people,” Sully said. “I imagine a lot of what people say versus what they’re really doing or thinking doesn’t match up.”
She was shocked that he recognized it. Few people brought that aspect of her power up. “Yeah. I do have trouble trusting people,” Val said. “But not you.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “No?”
“No. You don’t hide much. When you want something, you say so.”
He nodded. “Good.”
She handed him his hat. “Who you are on the outside matches up with the inside,” Val said. “As far as I can tell.”
“I’m too lazy to lie.” Sully put his hat on his head and angled the brim over his eyes. “Lying takes a lot of energy.”
“So it won’t bother you? Really?”
“Your thing?” He raised an eyebrow. “I mean, it might get annoying around Christmas and birthdays. Don’t push it.”
Val smiled. “I won’t.”
“Good.”
Sully’s broad shoulder was right there and Val was tired, so she leaned her head on it. It felt nice. Solid and warm.
“…maybe think about how I could add something. How being with me could add something to your life.”
Val smiled. “I like you, Sully Wescott.”
“I like you too, Valerie Costa. Want to go out?”
“Yeah. I think I do.”
Chapter 25
Two days after the shooting in Keane, Val watched on the news as Savannah Anderson left the hospital with Josh at her side. Andy and Jackson were sitting next to Val on the couch, eating popcorn and waiting for the news to end so they could switch to watching Friends.
Because apparently that was cool again?
Jackson said, “You think this one will last?”
“She looks nice,” Andy said. “Her smile is really pretty.”
And visible, Val thought. That was a definite change. Savannah Anderson might have looked like she was still recovering, but she also looked like a new woman. There was a brightness in her face and the smile she aimed at Josh…
“I really hope he doesn’t mess this up,” Val said.
Jackson muttered, “Well, it’s Josh, so who knows?”
Her oldest had taken to calling his father by his given name. Val honestly wasn’t sure what to think about it, but she decided that since Jackson was the more responsible of the two of them, he could call his father what he wanted.
“I think she’ll be nice,” Andy said.
Of course you do. Val brushed Andy’s hair back from his forehead. “She seems like a nice person to me. I hope your dad is good for her.”
“Rachel was nice too,” Jackson said. “And so was Carrie. And Jess. And Melanie. I forget the one before Melanie, but Sarah—”
“He gets it.” Val put a hand on Jackson’s arm. “Just leave it, Jack.”
“Just saying.”
Hearing Jackson’s bitterness about Josh’s relationships made what she wanted to bring up even harder. Sully had asked her out on a date that weekend. While she knew