Page 17 of Wrecked By You

She blinked rapidly and then stood. “Really?”

I nodded. And then a darkness settled over me as I thought about what I had just learned earlier that day. “I need to tell you something, though, on a different topic. I don’t know if it will affect whether you want to work here or not.”

“What is it?”

I had to brace myself. I’d had a lot of practice handing out bad news since becoming a cop. I knew it was better to just rip it off like a Band-Aid. “Your father is up for parole. He has a hearing in two weeks. I don’t know if you knew that.”

“What?” she asked, and her voice was small. She grimaced.

I tried to be steady, to be the friend that I should’ve been to her all these years. “I don’t feel bad telling you about this, because you deserve to know, and you are his relation. Your mom is going to testify on his behalf. If things go well, he could get out.”

She shook her head. “It’s only been eight years.”

I nodded. “It is a twenty-year sentence. With good behavior, they could let him out. Especially if they believe he’sreformed.”

She looked like she would cry, like she would fall apart, and then her face turned hard. She stood up and smoothed out her shirt. “Well, I guess you have to take the good with the bad.” Shelet out a light laugh. “I came to Refuge Falls to get away from my abusive ex, and now my abusive father might be getting out of prison. Perfect.” She straightened her hair and moved toward the door.

I stood, confused. “Are you going to take the job?”

She turned to me and looked surprised. “Am I hired?”

The hope in her voice made me happy. “You’re hired. Can you start next week? Mrs. Friendly needs to train you for two weeks, but she’ll be happy about that, because as I said, she wants to retire.”

She blinked and then swallowed. “I’ll be here Monday. What time?”

“Six a.m. That’s when dispatch starts.”

“Okay. I’ll see you after the weekend. Thank you.” She paused. “And thank you for the pizza and gummy bears.”

I was more than happy that she was taking the job, but I still had to resolve something. “Wait. Can I get your number?”

Isla frowned. She had just opened the door, and through the doorway I could see Mrs. Friendly turn to look at me.

I didn’t care. “I want to be able to check on you. Plus, you kept the gummy bears. That means we’re friends again.” Since eighth grade, we’d give gummy bears in exchange for peace and forgiveness.

She looked uncertain.

I took a step toward her. “Please. I regret a lot of things in my life, and you’re in the top two.”

She looked confused, and then she nodded. “Here’s my number.”

Eleven

Isla

I lay in bed that night, thinking about the fact that I had given Damon Armstrong my phone number. Was I crazy? And I had fallen for the old gummy bear trick, which I should have thought of when I didn’t return the gummy bears. Seriously, what did all of it mean? I was taking a job at the police station, where I would surely be seeing him all the time. And now he had my phone number. What was I doing?

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was not even ten o’clock yet, but I had become an early bird.

I saw the text.It’s Damon. How are you doing tonight?

I hesitated, my heart racing, both grateful it wasn’t from my ex and conflicted that Damon was checking on me.

Damon texted again.Hey—are you okay tonight?

I was annoyed, but I answered.Why are you checking on me?

Because that’s what friends do, if you’ll have me back as your friend.