Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
The same lips that had cast an unbreakable and unexplainable spell on me.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” I said, deciding to play along with this. If he wanted to cosplay as Sherlock and Watson for a little bit, then fine, especially if it meant getting to hang out with him more often. And if we ended up figuring out who was behind that box, then it would be a win-win situation. Well, maybe not for the sick fuck who’d sent me that threat, but I knew I’d definitely be winning.
“I was thinking about that, too, actually. I think we need to make a visit to the police station first. I want to put in a request for any evidence they may have collected. I did some research, and apparently, we can also request to see the police officer’s dash cam footage from when they were dispatched. It’s a long shot, but maybe you can spot a familiar car or face. Maybe whoever did it stuck around to see your reaction and fled once the cops got there, putting them in front of the dash cam.”
“It’s worth a shot,” I said. “I’ll tell Eric to come with us. He might know some officers there. Maybe that’ll help us get some good info.”
“That sounds like a solid plan to me.”
“Perfect,” I said, feeling a surge of hope swell up inside me. The sooner we could figure this out, the sooner I could get back to my normal life. I returned Jake’s smile before stabbing a fluffy yellow puff of scrambled eggs and cheese, biting into it, letting it practically melt in my mouth. “Damn, this is good.”
“Breakfast is my specialty,” Jake said, a little bit of pride slipping into his tone. “Wait until you try my famous french toast.”
“Does that mean I get another night at the Perez Bed and Breakfast?”
Jake winked at me. He bit into his toast, leaning back on the chair with an arm thrown over the back, his leg crossed on top of the other. “You’ve got an open reservation. Stay however long you like.”
I put on the voice of an older man and bent downward in my chair. “Fifty years later,” I said with a flair of my hand.
“Damn, well, you look great for—how old are you fifty years from now?”
“Thirty-two.”
Jake narrowed his eyes, the math not mathing in his head. I started to laugh, straightening in my chair. “I’d be seventy-six,” I answered truthfully this time.
“I’d be seventy-nine. Probably less hunched over than you. I’ve got good core strength.”
I cocked my head, lifting a finger. “Is that… I don’t think… whatever, fine. You’ll probably have a straighter back than me, but at least I’d have the bigger dick.”
Jake nearly spat out his orange juice. Yes. I’d timed it just right.
I started to laugh, Jake joining in the chorus. “You don’t even know if that’s true or not,” he said when the laughter died down.
“Alright, well, prove it to me, then.” I placed my open palm on the table and wiggled my fingers. “Let’s see it.”
Jake stood up and started to lower his shorts, far enough for me to see some pubes. I snatched my hand back and started to laugh again nervously. “Oh my God, I was joking. It was a joke.”
That I very much wanted not to be a joke, but I wasn’t about to say that part out loud.
Jake sat back down, holding his stomach from the laughter. “Unexpected, remember?”
“Unexpected,” I repeated, chuckling through my bites of eggs and toast, deciding in that moment that yes, this was in fact one of the best breakfasts I’d ever had, and not just because the food was perfectly cooked, but mainly because of the handsome company currently sitting across from me, keeping the giddy laughter going and the good feels flowing.
Unexpected. Pretty much sums this all up perfectly.
8
JAKE PEREZ
The police station smelled faintly of rotting eggs mixed with an overpowering pine cleaner. There was a small waiting room where the people that weren’t wearing handcuffs got to sit and get offered some of the most watered-down coffee in the entire world. The three of us turned it down, sitting next to a window that looked out at the cop-car-filled parking lot. It was a cloudy day with a near constant threat of rain, making it all the more gloomy inside these four walls.
Noah sat with his legs crossed, eyes bouncing around the room. Eric radiated a bit more confidence, which made sense, considering his past occupation. He’d already said hi to a couple of the officers and had one of them go speak to his captain for us. We were told we’d only be waiting for a couple of minutes, but it was already reaching half an hour without anyone calling us over.
I stood and stretched, deciding to go ask the uniformed man sitting at the desk if there was any movement on our case.