What If You & Me (Say Everything #2) - Roni Loren Page 0,37
he’s agreed to watch some movies with me.”
A smile brightened Eliza’s face. “Oh, that’s great. Like watching movies at your place?”
“Pretty much.”
“Andi, you sneaky vixen. Getting the hot guy to agree to scary movies. Couch cuddling is almost inevitable. I’m so proud of you!”
Andi laughed. “It’s not some grand master plan. I just feel it’s my duty to introduce him to the best genre in cinema. Plus, he recently had a bad breakup and seems a little lonely.”
Eliza nodded. “Right. He’s the lonely one.”
Andi rolled her eyes. “Yes. I’m not lonely. I have tons of friends.”
“You do,” she agreed. But in that therapist way. Like she was saying ten other things, too. “Either way, I’m proud of you. Inviting a guy over to your place to hang out—whether anything romantic happens or not—is a big step for you.”
“Thanks.” Andi glanced at the clock. “I better get going. Your next client is probably already here. They pay better than I do.”
“I don’t know. This coffee is like magic.” She stood and smoothed her blouse. “Are you going to be okay tonight? Do you want to stay over at my place?”
“Part of me wants to say yes because that would be so much easier, but I’m afraid if I do that, I won’t ever want to sleep at home again. I need to get this first night out of the way.” Andi stood and rolled her shoulders, trying to work the tension out. “Hill is getting the locks changed and is looking into getting an alarm installed, so there should be extra protection. Plus, I can’t imagine whoever broke in would want to come back the next night.”
Eliza nodded. “Good. I’m glad you’ll have a few extra layers of protection to help you feel safe. Plus, you know, a hot firefighter neighbor.”
Andi laughed. “And there’s that.”
Eliza came around to the other side of the desk to hug Andi. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too. Thanks for the chat,” she said, releasing her friend.
“Of course.” She wiggled a finger at Andi. “And keep me posted on Operation Hot Neighbor.”
Operation Hot Neighbor. Sounded like a bad porn movie from the eighties. “Will do.”
Chapter Nine
Hill was eating lunch at the same place he’d been going every nonworking Friday for years. They served thin fried catfish at Lola-Ann’s on Fridays, and it was the best fried fish in the state. He used to make a version of it at the firehouse, but he never had the energy to make it for himself, so this was a treat. He could vaguely hear the phones ringing for takeout and the general bustle of the restaurant but otherwise was totally focused on enjoying his food and reading the words in front of him.
On the way to the restaurant, he’d ducked into The Dog-Eared Page, the little independent bookstore on the corner. Usually if he was in the mood to read, he went for travel or food memoirs, but today he’d found himself wandering past those aisles, through the large romance novel section, and finally to the corner in the back where Stephen King had an entire bookcase dedicated to him. But Hill wasn’t looking for a King novel. He scanned through the K’s and finally found what he’d been hunting for: A. L. Kohl.
He picked up the two books the store had and bought them without reading the descriptions. Now, at his table in the corner, most of his lunch consumed, he was ten chapters into Andi’s book, Thirsty, a story about an ostracized teen girl who gets humiliated by a viral video calling her thirsty, which apparently meant desperate. The girl is devastated, but the night she plans to end her life, someone sends her a mysterious computer program that lets her hack into her classmates’ phones and webcams to see their secrets. She starts using the secrets against them, but strange things are starting to happen to the people she’s watching.
Hill suspected some supernatural shit was about to go down. He picked up his iced tea, his eyes glued to the page, and sipped. But the sound of his name made him jolt, almost spilling his drink into his lap. “Shit.”
He set his glass down, annoyed that he’d startled like a damn cat, and turned toward the sound. His jaw tightened at the sight.
Christina was standing there in uniform, arms crossed. “I figured I’d find you here. I’ve been trying to call you.”
And he’d been trying to ignore that. “What do you want, Chris?”