CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Jackson
There was no one else around, so I didn't feel the need to watch out. Holding Bee's hand, swinging my arms to make her laugh as she held on to Finn with her other hand...
Well it all felt perfectly fine.
Even good.
For a moment, I forgot what Finn and I were up against and was able to just lose myself in this incredible girl and the weird but amazing way we'd come together.
The beach was strewn with algae and little bits of foam. I saw ripples rising from the surface and wondered if I'd ever get a chance to go fishing in these waters.
"So this is the lake," Bee exhaled in a little singsong sigh. She bent down and plucked a smooth gray stone from the pebbly beach and chucked it into the water with a surprisingly competent overhand throw.
"You've got an arm on you," I remarked as I followed the rock's arc. It fell to the water with a far-off plunking sound, sending ripples outward.
"Baker muscles," Bee declared with a proud grin, then flexed to show off her biceps.
"Ooh, remind me not to take you on in arm wrestling," I said with a grin.
"You'd better not," she laughed. "I could kick your ass."
"You wanna bet?"
"How much?"
"If I win," I growled, pulling her flush against me. "You owe me something sweet."
Her teeth dragged across her lip and she peered up at me with those warm brown eyes. "But not too sweet, right?" she breathed. "That's how you like it."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Finn turn away, giving us our moment and my chest squeezed gratefully tight that I had a friend like him.
Because as I bent to kiss her, my head swam in dizzying circles to realize that this was real. She was real. And she was mine. I didn't give a shit that I had to share her with Finn. Whatever she'd give me, I would take it and treasure it. Fuck, whatever scraps she'd throw my way I'd fucking love with all my heart.
I stiffened as it hit me like a blow to the head.
"You okay?" she asked, pulling back and peering at me again. And I realized I must have made a sound when I realized...
I loved her.
The words crowded my mouth so that when I opened it, no sound came out. Bee slid her arm up my shoulder — unaware of the tornado of uncertainty that was swirling in my brain — and turned to look out at the lake again. "It's funny how you can just go the whole time and not even appreciate how pretty it is," she mused. "A whole huge lake, like a hundred yards from the door to my store." She shook her head.
Finn sidled up again and nudged her with his shoulder. "I hear tell there's a waterfall too," he said with a grin.
Bee laughed. "Sometimes I hear it when I come out to my car at night and no one else is around. But I haven't seen it yet." She turned to me eagerly. "We should go up there! All three of us!" Her eyes were so delighted, and I still hadn't recovered my powers of speech, so the only way I could respond was by leaning over and kissing her.
Her sweet lips parted, allowing my tongue to sweep across hers in a slow, delicious dance. I heard the sound of Finn's lips on her neck and the way she sighed into my mouth made me wish this moment would last forever.
She pulled back and slowly smiled at me, and I felt just like I was falling. I'd never felt this tender, not with any one. Not even with Mercy. I wanted to keep feeling it. To stretch it out forever. "How about we go up there right now?" I urged her, tugging on her hand.
"Rain check," Finn growled. He sighed heavily and gestured up the street. I looked where he was pointing and saw it.
The winery truck was leaving, pulling out of our back lot.
That meant that Kyle had already checked the shipment in. My heart started to hammer. Bee looked between both of us, "What?"
The perfect moment was broken. I sighed heavily and tried to drag my mind back down from the clouds. "Hopefully nothing, baby girl," I said, trying to convince myself that it was all going to work out. "Hopefully nothing."
We walked hand-in-hand back up to the restaurant and I wanted so badly to just keep walking. Away from the stress and the suspicion. Away from the pressure and worry.
But Finn and I were a team and he needed me here.
He opened the door to Indigo, letting Bee through first. "After you," he joked with a small, sweeping bow.
"Now who's the asshole?" I joked.
He looked grim. "We're about to find out."
Then he raised his voice. "Hey Kyle, you around?" he called out. "I just saw the winery truck leave."
Kyle appeared in the front, his wide, puppy dog eyes somehow even wider.
Did he look scared or was it my imagination? "Yeah boss," he said with a faint tinge of irritation in his voice. "The list is on your desk."
"Showtime," I muttered, pulling my own handwritten list from my pocket.
At the winery, Mike had let us on the truck. We'd seen every single bottle in this shipment and taken pictures of the loaded truck.
Now it was time to see what had made it here.
Finn went over to his office and grabbed the inventory slip that Kyle had filled out. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kyle in the kitchen, pretending to be busy while keeping watch on us.
I unfolded our list and held it out to Finn. His eyes darted from one paper to other. Then his shoulders sagged.
Keeping his voice very low, he nodded to me. "Call the police."