feet, she swiveled her hips and tried to get a view of her rear. “Is my butt bigger? I thought my jeans felt a little tight the other day.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She put her hands on her hips. “What did you mean then? Just tell me, Liz. You’re my friend. If I’m turning into a Moo Moo Cow, it’s your job to tell me. No. Not just your job, it’s your obligation. It’s like a rule of friendship.”
“A Moo Moo Cow?” My anxiety fled. I pursed my lips so I wouldn’t laugh.
“Forget it. If you refuse to answer my question then it must be true.” She crossed her arms and stared at me, her lips twitching.
“If you keep squinting at me like that, you’ll get wrinkles around your eyes,” I teased. “Wrinkles age you, so watch it.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re a brat, Elizabeth Stevens.”
“This brat is tired. You’re not gaining weight. You look terrific. There’s a lot of sugar in the cookies, and you know how sugar affects you. You’ll be awake all night.”
“I’ll just come wake you up then.”
After a hug and a good night, I took the stairs to my apartment. It was going to be fine. I’d only wished for Maddie to relax and not feel like she had to be a walking cover model every second of the day. To have a little self-confidence, to not be so self-conscious all the time. How could that hurt her?
In front of my apartment, I knelt down and reached under the nearby plant to pull out the key I’d hidden there earlier.
“I told you to move that.” The now recognizable voice came once again from behind me. At least this time my cellulite was safely hidden beneath denim and my rear wasn’t hanging out of a window. Good news on both accounts.
Still crouching, I flipped my head to get a look at the cop. Kinda cool, running into him. “Hey there, you.”
“You really can’t keep your key there. What if I was a major lunatic? Or, as you said, a madman? I would now know how to get into your apartment whenever I wanted. I could hurt you,” Nate said.
“Lucky for me you’re not a major lunatic.” I stood and tilted my chin so I could look him in the eye. I hadn’t remembered him being so tall. “Or a madman.” He was in uniform again. The pants, while not tight, easily accentuated his taut, muscular legs. My stomach quivered—just a little—as I took in his full appearance.
Nate rubbed his hand over his face. “Tonight I responded to a rape call. Please, do not keep your key out here.” His voice carried through the hallway, anguish and maybe a little anger evident in each abruptly spoken word. But it was his expression that really got to me. More than tired, he looked beaten down.
“Is that why you’re home early? I thought you were on the late shift.”
“They needed me early tonight, but don’t change the subject. This woman’s life is forever altered. It’s not her fault what happened, but hell . . . if she’d been more aware of her surroundings, she might have stayed safe.” Slowly, he stepped toward me, his gaze even. “If you don’t make sure of your safety, you won’t be safe. It’s really that simple. So much of what I see could be avoided by taking precautions.”
Stopping, he held out his hand. I dropped the key into his open palm. He unlocked my door and pushed it open. I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to react.
“Go inside. Take this key and lock your door. Take my advice.” He voice was clipped and sort of cold, more like the cop I’d met that first night than the man I’d started to get to know.
“Look, it was just for a few minutes while I ran up to see my friend Maddie. It seemed simpler to leave the key here because my hands were full, that’s all.”
Nate frowned. “That’s not a good enough reason. It’s too easy to feel safe in a locked building. You don’t know all of your neighbors, and you don’t know who they might have coming to see them. Trust me on this.”
“This woman, will she be okay?”
“Physically, probably. Mentally? Who knows. It depends what type of help she gets and how strong she is. This job . . .” He broke off and shook his head. “It’s rough sometimes.”