Page 40 of No Take Backs
“You’re adorable, you little heathen. Josh isn’t hurting me. He’s my boyfriend.”
That has Lyla looking outraged. “No.” She shakes her head. “You told me you hated boys just as much as I do.” With her arms crossed, she stares mutinously, not at me, but at Josh. “You stole my auntie away from me. I’ll get my revenge, just you wait and see.”
We both watch as she marches away with her blond hair swinging back and forth, and Josh leans into me.
“I don’t know why, but I’m terrified of her.” His whisper isn’t nearly as loud as Bee’s and Nox’s had been, but I still shake my head toward the sliding glass door.
Without saying anything else, I lead him back to the yard and make sure the door is closed behind us.
“Never show her weakness. Not only is her dad one of the best defense attorneys that I’ve ever heard of, but both Ella and I have raised that girl to be ruthless. I would literally sleep with one eye open if I were you. At least until you manage to win her over.”
Josh keeps laughing until he sees that I’m not. “You’re joking, right?”
I shake my head. “Not even close. She’s a ferocious little girl. Especially when it comes to protecting her family. I watched her lock Rich out of the house once because he accidentally closed the door on her. She’s not afraid of the dark or showing up at my house in the middle of the night. And she’s done it before.”
“You’re talking about her like she’s dangerous.” Rich shakes his head as he walks up to us. “She’s not. She has the same impulse controls that every little kid does. You’ll see. One day when you have kids of your own.”
I gasp. “You take that back, heathen.” Then, just for good measure, I pick up a stick from the ground and throw it at him. “Keep your baby-making germs on that side of the yard.”
When Rich throws a soccer ball at me in the next instant, I decide it is time to play dirty. Taking the back steps two at a time, I throw open the sliding glass door and laugh when I hear him pleading with me not to do what we both know is coming next.
“Lyla,” I call her name. “Your father’s being mean to me.”
There is nothing but silence for ten solid seconds. Then the sound of more than twenty footsteps fill the air and I step to the side just in time to avoid being trampled by the massive horde of children. Each and every one of them runs after Rich.
“That was mean, you know.” Josh pulls me into his arms.
With a laugh, I kiss him and then run to help Lyla and the other kids. “I never said I was a nice person.”
16
JOSH
Instead of going home and burying myself between Nia’s legs like I’ve wanted to do for the two days since I last had her, I find myself watching her drive away alone.
“Great,” I mutter before turning back to the administrative offices and cursing.
Being called into my boss’ office, like a child sent to the principal for something they did wrong, is not how I want to end my shift. Especially when neither Nia nor I have plans for the next forty-eight hours beyond getting naked and staying in bed as long as we can.
“Come on in, Harmon.”
Proving that I may be wearing a different uniform but will never lose the instincts I’ve had since I turned twenty-one and applied to be a cop, I know something is off as soon as I step over the threshold into his office. Not only from the lines I can see on the chief’s face, but the stack of paperwork that he normally never lets pile up. Combine all that with the fact that he called me in at the last minute, literally as I was walking out of the fire department, then top it off with the fact that he isn’t alone in his office, and I’m walking into something… I just don’t know what.
Standing just behind Chief Hayes, casually leaning against the wall as if he has all the time in the world, is Chief Townsend from Birch Harbor Police Department. His presence is like a shadow cast over the room, adding weight to the situation. Townsend isn’t the kind of guy who shows up for no reason. He’s methodical, precise, and always in control. The last time I saw him, we were both dealing with a particularly messy case. The fact that he’s here now, in this office, with that same unreadable expression on his face, tells me that whatever’s coming isn’t just routine. It’s something big, something that’s going to demand my full attention.
“I’m not getting fired, am I?” I sit down when no one says anything, taking the chair across from my boss. “I really don’t want to get fired. That means I’ll end up working in Bangor, and I hate that drive.”
When I realize they aren’t saying anything, I shut my mouth and do my best to keep my foot from tapping the floor like I feel the uncomfortable urge to.
“Of course not,” Chief Hayes says with a laugh after far too long of me sitting there uncomfortable. “Why would you think that?”
I don’t get a chance to answer his question because Chief Townsend cuts in. “Wouldn’t you think you were getting fired if you were called into the boss’ office at the very end of a shift and don’t know why?” He chuckles to himself. “Everyone knows you fire someone at the end of shift on a weekend.”
“Well, you’re not being fired,” Chief says succinctly. “In fact, we were hoping to use your particular skill set, since there are only four fire marshals in Maine.”
“No,” I answer without hesitation. “I’m not a cop anymore.”
“You weren’t just a cop, though, were you?” Chief Townsend unfolds his arms and stands up straight. “Which would have been good to know, since you didn’t even bother trying to get on with Birch Harbor PD or even the sheriff’s. You went straight for fire.”