Page 19 of Whisk Me Away
"Oh, um. What about our parents? We were waiting for them before returning to the ranch for our normal Sunday dinner,” Eden said with ease.
"My folks invited yours over, so it's Sunday dinner together at Gram's house,” again, that deep baritone voice coaxed me to bring my gaze to meet his.
When I’d yet to make a peep, Eden jumped in again.
"Awesome! Okay, well.. let us use the restroom and then we’ll meet you at your truck!" Eden grabbed my bicep, yanking me to a standing position before shuffling me to the bathroom next to Dad's office door. All the while, my eyes never drifted away from the black ankle boots that covered my feet.
Once in the safety of the bathroom, Eden swung me around. "Okay, what the heck was that?" She demanded.
I let out a long sigh, knowing I wasn't leaving this bathroom until I gave her something.
"I may or may not have a teeny, tiny, minuscule really, crush on the Sheriff,” the words came tumbling out of my mouth so fast I could have given Lorelei Gilmore a run for her money.
The squeal that left Eden's mouth was filled with pure joy and excitement.
Swatting her arm, I whisper-yelled, "Shush! Would you knock it off?! He could still be out there!"
The glare I was giving her must have been scary enough for her to rein in her overflowing emotions.
"Sorry!" She whisper-yelled back at me. “But this is so exciting!"
"No! No, it is not! I’m almost one hundred percent certain these feelings are one-sided, and the last thing I need is to make the Sheriff of Ashwood Falls uncomfortable with my unwanted feelings!" I sucked in a breath before continuing. "I have interacted with him so many times over the last few months, and he has been nothing but a gentleman. It's exactly how a guy in his position should treat one of his constituents."
Eden stood stock still, staring at me with wide eyes. I pulled in another slow breath, holding it for five seconds before releasing it. Eden had yet to say anything, so I went on.
"Please, Eden. Don't say anything. Let's just go out there, get this dinner over with and pray I'm not too much of an awkward weirdo,” I nudged her in the side with my elbow before reaching for the door handle.
Eden’s hand came down on top of mine before I could twist the nob.
"Fine. You win… for now,” she said with a wink before pulling her hand back and allowing me to open the bathroom door.
Much to my delight, Brant was no longer standing in the office's doorway, so we gathered our things and headed for the parking lot.
Lord, give me strength.
This was going to be an interesting evening.
CHAPTER 13
BRANT
The squeal that came from the bathroom was my cue to leave. I chuckled to myself as I closed the door quietly and walked through the lobby to the parking lot.
When I overheard my parents inviting Pastor Walter and the entire Thompson family over for Sunday dinner at Gram’s, a war of emotions battled for the top spot. I was excited to spend more time with Karis, nervous for that time to be spent in the presence of both our families and annoyed at myself for being excited to see her. It’d taken every ounce of control I had to keep from stopping by the bakery every morning on the way to the station.
I didn’t want her to think I was stalking her, but I was slowly losing the battle to keep my distance. There was just something that drew me to her. I couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but I was getting very close to throwing caution to the wind and just going for it.
Not tonight. We didn’t need to complicate things and drag our families into it, but one day soon, I would convince her to let me take her out.
I dug through my front pocket, pulling out the keys to my SUV. As I slid in behind the wheel, I started the engine. I had no idea how long Karis would squeal in the bathroom with her sister, Eden. Still, having a warm vehicle for them to slip into was the kind thing to do.
It was December, and while it wasn't freezing, Ashwood Falls could still get pretty cold in the winter. Some part of me wanted to ensure she was comfortable in my space. I felt this strong desire to make sure she was taken care of.
Again, feelings I wouldn't allow myself to dwell on today.
I picked up my phone from the center console and opened the social media app I hardly used. I only had it to keep tabs on the things happening around town. I felt like it was my duty as the Sheriff to know what the kids were up to these days.
Today's aimless scrolling had nothing to do with a certain blonde beauty occupying my mind more than I'd like to admit. Ignoring the words shouting at me to leave it alone, I pulled up Karis' page and looked around. From what I could tell, she didn't seem active on this site either. She had tagged her bakery handle in her bio, which was probably what she used the app for.