“We believe you’re good for now,” Joe says. “Like I said… it doesn’t look like your information was compromised, but I wanted to let you know because nothing’s ever one hundred percent. If you want to relocate, we’ll make it happen.”
My gut twists, not knowing if I’m making the right decision. I’m hoping to fuck the feds have my back because part of this decision is for my own needs. “I’ll stay for now. But if you find out that the breach went as far as my information, you let me know immediately.”
“Will do, buddy,” he assures me. “Talk later.”
“Later,” I say before disconnecting the call.
CHAPTER 23
Jane
“Honestly… I just couldn’t stand one more night of that snuffling noise he made with his nose,” Miranda grumbles as she sips at her coffee across the table from me.
Kyle—who’s seated beside me—lightly knocks his leg against mine in solidarity of amusement, and I have to restrain myself from laughing.
Miranda and I didn’t get home until after one in the morning, and this came after a very messy breakup with her “snuffling” flame. She was extremely drunk, and well… she was extremely honest with him. She did not let him down gently, but her decision was at least ratified somewhat when he said, “I can’t believe you’re that shallow, Miranda, as to let something like that bother you.” Then he snuffled.
Miranda pointed at him and said, “See. You just did it again. I can’t take it.”
It was not a fun night for me, not only because of Miranda’s drama and drunkenness, but mainly because I would have rather spent the time with Kyle.
Tick, tock goes the clock on our relationship.
We’re having breakfast this morning at Tillie’s Shiny Diner and at the invitation of Kyle. He showed up bright and early at my door, waking both of us up—Miranda had passed out on my couch—and offering to buy us breakfast. I was all over that, because even though I’d had only about six hours of sleep, I wanted to spend whatever time I could with Kyle.
He said he was leaving at some point and I believe him, despite the fact we seem to be getting closer.
Tillie’s is a popular hangout and is indeed a shiny diner. The outside is done in bright, reflective silver aluminum, and the inside has red vinyl booths, a black-and-white tiled floor, and a long counter with spinning stools. There’s a vintage jukebox on one end that carries music from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Tillie serves breakfast at all hours, and she makes a killer fried egg.
“Miranda,” I say with a bit of brutal honesty myself. “All bodily noises aside, you need to stop getting charmed by a man’s pretty face and take closer stock of what they bring to the table.”
“You got sidetracked by Kyle’s pretty face,” she retorts at me, and Kyle actually snickers even though his head remains bowed over the newspaper he’s reading. “Actually, if I recall… it was his body. You were going on and on about how hot his abs were while he was pressure washing the lighthouse.”
“Miranda,” I exclaim indignantly at the same time Kyle’s head whips my way. I don’t bother looking at him as I glare at my best friend. She grins right back at me.
“Thought I was hot, huh?” Kyle says, and I turn my head to look at him.
“Oh, shut up,” I snarl to mask my total embarrassment. “You totally know you’re hot.”
Kyle’s eyes crinkle with amusement, and if I’m not mistaken, a little bit of pride. He shakes his head and goes back to reading his newspaper, but his hand slips under the table to rest on the top of my thigh. It’s a bold move, but it’s equally sweet, and there’s nothing but a gentle intimacy to the action. It’s something that Kyle has apparently been getting more comfortable with, as evidenced also by the spontaneous kiss he gave me yesterday during our picnic.
“Anyway,” I say as I turn back to Miranda. “Don’t you think it’s time you started looking at what’s underneath the hood rather than the exterior?”
Miranda snickers, totally reading my words as dirty rather than metaphorical. “I can’t help it, Janey. I love me a hot man, and it’s even better if he’s a bad boy. I personally don’t care about anything past that other than snuffling. I can’t deal with that apparently.”
I sigh. I love Miranda so very much, but I don’t think she’ll ever grow up. I’m pretty confident she’ll never settle down, and I’m outright positive she won’t get involved with a guy seriously. After what her parents went through and the public spectacle it made, she’s about the most anti-commitment person I know.
Well, other than Kyle.
“For example,” Miranda says dramatically and nods her head at something behind me. “That guy right there totally needs to be warming my bed.”
I roll my eyes but turn in the booth to look behind me. There’s a man sitting at the end of the counter, drinking a cup of coffee and looking right back at Miranda. He quirks a pair of sexy lips and nods at her. I can feel Kyle shift in the booth as he looks back as well.