recognition set in by the way her shoulders relaxed.
“Hi, Brice…um, detective.” Her smile was slight and didn’t come close to quenching the misery in her emerald eyes. “Not well, I’m afraid.” She motioned to the items in front of her. “Can’t sleep, and yoga didn’t help, so…”
Brice looked at the choices of over-the counter sleep aids and reached out to rub a hand over her shoulder. He meant to keep it brief, but Terryn laid the side of her face on his hand before he pulled away. The soft skin felt like satin to him and he turned his palm until he cradled her cheek. Her eyes closed and a tear slipped out of the corner of one to trickle onto him. He stepped around the cart to bring her into his arms with a shushing murmur when she tensed, and then settled her against his chest.
With a sob, Terryn wrapped her arms around Brice and clung. It’d been two days since she found out about Katie. For two days she’d been alone with her grief. Nothing made it go away, nothing made it hurt less. She had tried eating, only to find it impossible to get food past her lips without gagging. She tried to just let herself cry, thinking it would empty her out and leave her blessedly numb, but the tears never stopped and it didn’t help the pain. It was relentless. Yoga and jogging were equally useless and even the ancient exercise video she tried had failed.
“Nothing helps. Nothing makes it better.” It wasn’t until his arms tightened around her and he murmured a “Shhh” in her ear that she realized she’d said the last thought out loud.
She heard him whisper, “C’mere.” Then he was leading her toward the café area, his cart forgotten. He guided her into a booth and sat next to her. Without reasoning the how or why of it, she just accepted the comfort he offered and snuggled into his side with a hiccupping sigh.
“I moved here from Nevada right after college.” She didn’t know why the words came pouring out of her, they just did. “We lived there my whole life. Not too far from Las Vegas. My parents still live there. It’s a small, dusty town with nothing to do and nothing to look at but sagebrush. I wanted out of there so bad.” Someone had left an empty water bottle on the table, so Terryn reached out and fiddled with the label as she spoke.
“I was sick of the desert and sick of small-town living. I wanted adventure and skyscrapers and a big city life that my mom could brag about to her friends. I thought I was prepared for this. I thought New York would be such an exciting and great place to live.” It was easy to look back now at how frightened and dismayed she’d been. She shook her head and told him, “I was scared out of my mind. How can such a small city be so big? It’s crowded and grimy and people are everywhere.”
Terryn snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around him again. “Katie was the first real friend I made here. We met at the Surf-N-Slurp. I was going to go back home that weekend and then Katie was so sweet to me. She made eye contact and when she asked me how I was doing, I thought she actually wanted to know.” When Terryn smiled at the memory, she realized that it was the first time she’d smiled in two days.
“Funny. We hadn’t even really made friends yet, but that night I cancelled my moving truck. Katie showed me that there was hope. New York wasn’t all bad.” Tears started steadily trickling down her cheeks again and Terryn said, “Now New York killed her.”
Brice clutched her tighter in his arms. “Aw, baby,” he said. “Not New York. New York didn’t kill her. Just one twisted asshole. I’m gonna find that asshole and put him in a cage.”
Terryn tightened her arms around him again and whispered, “Promise?”
“Promise,” he whispered back, and Terryn was sure she felt his muscles quake with his vehemence.
Chapter Seven
I can’t believe how brainless they all are! She was just another slut! Putting out on the first date?
“Hi, Brice…um, detective.” Her smile was slight and didn’t come close to quenching the misery in her emerald eyes. “Not well, I’m afraid.” She motioned to the items in front of her. “Can’t sleep, and yoga didn’t help, so…”
Brice looked at the choices of over-the counter sleep aids and reached out to rub a hand over her shoulder. He meant to keep it brief, but Terryn laid the side of her face on his hand before he pulled away. The soft skin felt like satin to him and he turned his palm until he cradled her cheek. Her eyes closed and a tear slipped out of the corner of one to trickle onto him. He stepped around the cart to bring her into his arms with a shushing murmur when she tensed, and then settled her against his chest.
With a sob, Terryn wrapped her arms around Brice and clung. It’d been two days since she found out about Katie. For two days she’d been alone with her grief. Nothing made it go away, nothing made it hurt less. She had tried eating, only to find it impossible to get food past her lips without gagging. She tried to just let herself cry, thinking it would empty her out and leave her blessedly numb, but the tears never stopped and it didn’t help the pain. It was relentless. Yoga and jogging were equally useless and even the ancient exercise video she tried had failed.
“Nothing helps. Nothing makes it better.” It wasn’t until his arms tightened around her and he murmured a “Shhh” in her ear that she realized she’d said the last thought out loud.
She heard him whisper, “C’mere.” Then he was leading her toward the café area, his cart forgotten. He guided her into a booth and sat next to her. Without reasoning the how or why of it, she just accepted the comfort he offered and snuggled into his side with a hiccupping sigh.
“I moved here from Nevada right after college.” She didn’t know why the words came pouring out of her, they just did. “We lived there my whole life. Not too far from Las Vegas. My parents still live there. It’s a small, dusty town with nothing to do and nothing to look at but sagebrush. I wanted out of there so bad.” Someone had left an empty water bottle on the table, so Terryn reached out and fiddled with the label as she spoke.
“I was sick of the desert and sick of small-town living. I wanted adventure and skyscrapers and a big city life that my mom could brag about to her friends. I thought I was prepared for this. I thought New York would be such an exciting and great place to live.” It was easy to look back now at how frightened and dismayed she’d been. She shook her head and told him, “I was scared out of my mind. How can such a small city be so big? It’s crowded and grimy and people are everywhere.”
Terryn snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around him again. “Katie was the first real friend I made here. We met at the Surf-N-Slurp. I was going to go back home that weekend and then Katie was so sweet to me. She made eye contact and when she asked me how I was doing, I thought she actually wanted to know.” When Terryn smiled at the memory, she realized that it was the first time she’d smiled in two days.
“Funny. We hadn’t even really made friends yet, but that night I cancelled my moving truck. Katie showed me that there was hope. New York wasn’t all bad.” Tears started steadily trickling down her cheeks again and Terryn said, “Now New York killed her.”
Brice clutched her tighter in his arms. “Aw, baby,” he said. “Not New York. New York didn’t kill her. Just one twisted asshole. I’m gonna find that asshole and put him in a cage.”
Terryn tightened her arms around him again and whispered, “Promise?”
“Promise,” he whispered back, and Terryn was sure she felt his muscles quake with his vehemence.
Chapter Seven
I can’t believe how brainless they all are! She was just another slut! Putting out on the first date?
Similar Books
