Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
I trail off, realizing I sound like the biggest dork who has ever lived. His lip does that twitching thing again as if he sees me as somebody he can show a polite interest in but nothing else. I’ve got to remember that while he was a huge inspiration for me, I’m probably just one memory in dozens, if not hundreds of cases.
“You’re here alone?” he asks after a pause, those kind eyes turning searching. “Handling a case?”
I stand up straighter. Am I nuts, or did his gaze flit to my chest? Yes, that’s nuts. No, he’s not checking me out. “Yes, I am.”
“You’re a senior social worker already?”
“I’m doing my internship,” I tell him.
He frowns and moves closer to me, almost like he thinks we’ll be overheard. I don’t even care about the reason when I can savor his cologne, his presence. How many times have I remembered tall and intense Landon since he disappeared from my life?
“You’re here alone,” he says, his tone getting tight. “While you’re on your internship? Somebody’s fucked up.”
“Or maybe somebody realizes I can handle it,” I hiss. “They also realize that there’s only so many resources available in this city.”
When his lip twitches again, I almost want to slap him. It’s the confused emotions it triggers in me. One moment, it’s like he thinks I’m cute and that it’s quaint and silly that a woman like me would handle this alone. The next, it’s like he’s fiercely proud, and I care much more than I should.
“What if it gets dangerous? This sort of work can, sometimes.”
“You’re here alone.” When he laughs, I snap, “What? You don’t need to be afraid, but I do?”
“I don’t want to offend you, Lily …”
“Maybe I’m not very easily offended.”
“Then yes, I think I could handle myself better if something went wrong. I also think the sky is blue.”
There’s not much I can say to this, so I go the sarcastic route. “Actually, it’s pretty gray today.”
His laugh seems more genuine now, less mocking.
“Why are you here?” I ask. “Is it about the bar?”
He nods. “Noise complaints from some parents. They want to use the noise as a reason to shut the bar down.”
I debate if I should tell him. Landon is even better at reading me now than he was when I was a kid. Back then, when he helped my mom, he could tell I was trying to protect my dad; he could tell I was terrified of revealing the truth about Mom’s addiction. He could read it all, which made revealing it so much easier.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, leaning down even more.
He’s standing directly over me, emphasizing just how big he is.
“I’m here because a mother lets her kid hang out at the bar. The mother denied it to my face. I could tell she was out of it, just like…” My mom, but there’s no need to add that part. Landon’s being here brings back all those memories. “The daughter, Grace, said her friends like to go to the bar because they let them play video games and give them snacks.” I shiver. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they’re trying to make them feel comfortable … but for what?”
“Jesus,” he whispers. His expression gets that severe and strong-minded look I remember so well from when I was a kid. It was an expression that’s stuck with me, one that loudly proclaims, I will not let bad things happen if I can stop them.
“I don’t know what to do. All those kids belong in care, but …”
He reads me again. When he speaks, a tingle dances over my skin. It’s because he’s bringing all these buried memories to the surface. His voice takes me back to that time. “Just because care wasn’t right for you, it doesn’t mean it has no place,” he says.
“I know,” I sigh. “I need to speak with my boss and determine the best course of action. I can’t believe that bar is right there.”
He looks across the street, his jaw tight as he nods. He seems ready to tear the bar to pieces with his bare hands. “Some politician probably got some payment one day to sign some piece of paper that makes it okay. What, why are you smiling?”
Crap. I didn’t even realize I was!
“Am I?” I stutter.
“Grinning like a girl on Christmas morning.”
“More like smiling like a woman appreciating that somebody else cares about how corrupt this city can be!”
He narrows his eyes, furthering my obsession with watching all the different things he does with them, where he looks, and the thoughts they hint at. He’s my knight in shining armor, I once told Maddie, my best friend. She’ll freak when she finds out I’ve found him again.
“Yeah, it’s bad,” Landon says. “Some folk might even say it’s not worth trying.”