That Sweeter Grind place was founded by a couple sisters from Heart抯 Edge, and their locations have partly taken off thanks to the notoriety of that little town抯 craziness in the national press.
揕inc, you disappoint me,?Wyatt says. 揥ith Dakota being new and all, why don抰 you take her for a ride in that fancy car and show her around? Like I said, I抳e gotta hit the hay. Oh five hundred and all.?He stands and lumbers back to his tent.
I watch him unzip the flap, crawl inside, and zip it back up, blotting out the world.
Don抰 get me wrong.
I wouldn抰 ever wish for Wyatt抯 anguish, but there are times when I envy him for being able to disappear at the flick of a zipper.
Also, I make a mental note to kick his ass for egging on Dakota the next time I visit.
揘ow that you抳e had your ghost story, guess that抯 our cue to go,?I say.
揧our friend has a knack for storytelling. He sucked me right in. Umm梬hat should we do with the cups??
揧ou have any coffee left??
She nods and hands me a lukewarm cup that抯 still half full.
I gulp it down梠ne more caffeine hit for the road never hurt梐nd stack her cup inside mine.
揑t抯 dark, so stay close,?I say, reaching for her hand.
It抯 raw instinct. I抦 not sure how she抣l respond.
She laces her fingers through mine, twining our hands together with a tightness that surprises me.
揧ou know what I hate about you stalking me??I ask as we walk through the cool, oddly quiet night.
揥hat??she clips, already over my crap.
揧ou had fun so you抣l keep doing it,?I say with deadpan delivery.
揙h my God! Stop. I am not stalking you. I don抰 stalk anyone, especially not you. I wouldn抰 even stalk you if we had a zombie apocalypse and you were the only person left alive who I could trust not to eat my face.?She makes a frustrated sound. 揋et over yourself. I just wanted to see what you were doing with the flowers...?
揑 gave them to a homeless person just like I said, didn抰 I? And I still haven抰 acquired a taste for human faces. Sorry, that抯 a deal breaker,?I tell her, fighting back a smirk.
揧ou抮e so dumb sometimes.?
I lash her with a look. 揂nd you could learn to take a joke, Miss Tight-ass. I抦 in charge of a forty-year-old fashion powerhouse and I still ham it up.?
揙h, what-the-hell-ever,?she whispers. 揧ou did surprise me playing matchmaker. Who knew??
She抯 right. It is out of character, but I couldn抰 resist.
Besides, Wyatt got even without knowing what I did, so I抎 say winning him a little attention from something that isn抰 a cinnamon roll is fair game.
揇id you have fun, Nevermore??I ask her more seriously.
揧es! Thanks for letting me hang out. You could抳e just run me off.?
揚urely for Wyatt抯 sake. The company is good for him,?I tell her, frowning because I抦 barely a better liar than she is. 揑t抯 still early. Should I show you around Seattle or have you seen most of it already??
For a moment, she hesitates, looking at me like she wonders if I抦 setting her up for another kiss neither of us can bear mentioning.
揊ine. What can it hurt? Let抯 cruise.?
Her smile hooks my gaze as we walk. I quicken our pace, leading her closer to Louis and the waiting car.
揇amn you! I told you for the last shitting time棓 A huge guy in a stained wife beater shirt comes barreling out of the last tent before the sidewalk, swinging a bottle of whiskey and waving his arms at someone else still inside. 揑抦 tired of this shit, you bitch. Try me again and I will burn this whole fuckin?place down.?
Dakota gasps and leans into me, damned near jumping into my arms.
I lock a protective arm around her.
揑t抯 okay. He抯 just drunk and angry. I抳e got you,?I whisper, picking up the pace as I shepherd her out of here.
I don抰 blame her for being scared, even if there抯 no direct threat.
It抯 nothing I haven抰 heard here before.
Life in the camp is hard. It抯 an explosive stew of hurt people, and a few of those people are one bad argument and too much booze away from violence.
I抦 almost dragging Dakota along with me. Three paces later, we抳e passed the guy, and I look back to make sure he isn抰 moving on whoever抯 inside that tent.
Sure, I mind my own business. Though if I thought he was putting anyone in danger, I抎 step in to stop it after a quick call to the police.
Dakota doesn抰 move away until we抳e reached the car, and I make no effort to let her go. Wyatt抯 words from earlier echo in my ears.
In an alternate universe where tonight was a date, this could be a chance for a life beyond work with a beautiful woman. Wyatt doesn抰 know she抯 also brilliant.
There抯 some truth to it, dammit.
Trouble is, it抯 the most dangerous truth. There are days when I wish I抎 lost my leg in Iraq instead of him.
Then I wouldn抰 have seen the ravages of love with Wyatt, with my mother, with Regina.
I wouldn抰 have taken a dagger in the back from someone who fed me poison from her lips wrapped in promises.
I love you, Lincoln. Now and forever.
My brain throbs, remembering the most toxic phrase of my fucking life.
I should just bring Dakota home. Call it a night and not indulge fantasies that can only grind what抯 left of me to a nub. But a promise is a promise, and I抳e always kept mine.
When we reach the car, I throw open the door for her.
揇o you see why you shouldn抰 follow me here alone now??I whisper gently once I抦 in the seat next to her.
揧-yeah. I抦 sorry,?she says glumly.
揟hat抯 not an I-told-you-so, Nevermore.?I抦 actually glad she followed me today. 揓ust a nasty reminder that this place can ambush you.?
She nods slowly. The soft city lamps catch her hair and light it like rose gold.
揑 get it. I抣l stop stalking you now.?
I give her a serious look.
揘o need to do anything so extreme.?
She smiles. 揑f I抦 not supposed to follow you here because it抯 unsafe...what抯 the alternative??
揘ext time, before you turn into the park, call me first. Tell me you抮e behind me,?I say.
揂nd you抣l do what? Give me a raise for eavesdropping??she jokes hopefully, raising her eyebrows.
揘ah. I抣l tell you to get lost or escort you in.?
揙h, Linc, you抮e hilarious tonight,?she says with a small snort.
揙nly Wyatt calls me that,?I growl.
揂nd me,?she says insistently.
Brave girl.
I pause to mull it over before I give her a firm look and say, 揙kay, Nevermore. And you. I suppose it抯 fair considering what I call you梐nd Linc is a big improvement on Captain Dipshit.?
Damn if we don抰 both laugh at that.
Damn if I don抰 fall deeper into her while her face screws up, her cheeks glow, and her green eyes catch this honest, happy fire that traps me in the sweetness that is Dakota Poe.
We drive around Seattle for over an hour梡robably to Louis?delight and fat overtime pay梐nd when I抦 out of places to show her, I take a chance and throw my cards on the table.
揇o you want to come back to my place for a glass of wine??
She gives me a worried look. I抦 about to tell her I misspoke when her lips turn up.
揑 dunno. Can you cook? I抦 about to gnaw my own arm off.?
揑 can order the finest takeout this city offers. Pizza or Thai??
揑 can do DoorDash on my own and you didn抰 answer my question,?she says with a smile. 揇o you cook??
I shift in my seat before I glare at her.
揊or you, Nevermore, I抣l surprise you.?That抯 putting it mildly. I haven抰 done a simple spaghetti aglio e olio in ages and hope I remember how.
Her laughter echoes through the back of the car.
揝o, that抯 a yes then? Linc, you抎 better wow me.?
Goddamn, do I want to.
And you抎 best believe I don抰 mean with food.
Dakota stands against my balcony railing, peering out at the night sky after dinner.
She sips from her wineglass when she抯 not wearing a permanent smile.
I抦 feeling mighty proud I put it there. Thank God I remembered how to make that stupid pasta without burning the garlic into a rancid mess.
Deciding to try my luck, I step up behind her, closing the space between us.
揊air is fair, Nevermore,?I say, feeling my blood heat when her eyes catch the city lights.