LAINIE WALKED INTO Everglades, relieved that her official first day of being a new deputy had ended. The boredom had almost killed her. Chet had offered for her to take the day off after everything that happened yesterday with Miles, but Lainie refused. She would not admit that the encounter in the woods shook her up, not in front of people who expected her to have their back in case of trouble. Luckily, her friends were there to protect her.
She glanced around the inside of the bar and noticed Josh sitting alone at one of the high tops. Searching the rest of the bar, she noticed Alanna was nowhere in sight. Maybe at work? Then it dawned on Lainie, she had no idea what the other woman did for a job. She waved hello to Wes, asking for a beer as she did, and weaved her way through the tables toward Josh. He glanced up as she got closer, smiling at her. “Drinking alone?” she asked as she slid into one of the chairs. “Isn’t that a sign of a drinking problem?” She giggled a little as she settled into a seat.
Josh just laughed as he shook his head. “Just a sign of a long couple of weeks.” He sighed as he twirled his beer bottle. “I think more shit has taken place in this town since we left Draven Falls than in my entire life back home. It’s crazy. First, Bane and his bullshit plans, and then, Miles coming after you.” He glanced over at Lainie, his expression serious, his eyes pinning her in place with their intensity. “He almost killed you, too.” He shook his head again, blowing out a breath. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t gotten there in time.”
She bumped shoulders with him. “Good thing we didn’t have to find out,” she said, laughing slightly as she tried to make light of the situation. “I’m glad you came to the rescue, though. I’ve never been so close to being shot, even as a deputy. You’re my knight, Josh Rayburn. Always have been. I knew I’d be all right, because I have you and my brother.”
He grinned over at her. “I like being your knight,” he told her, giving her a weak smile. He turned his gaze back to his beer. “You know, when we first came out here, I thought since we were both leaving the shadow of your father, we’d be able to pick up where we left off.”
She nodded as she turned her gaze to her own hands so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “I thought the same thing,” she admitted. “I had even planned on it up until the moment I walked into your apartment and saw Alanna sitting on your couch.”
Wes walked over, setting the beer bottle on the table in front of her. “I heard what happened yesterday,” he said. “Sorry I wasn’t there to help, but I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thanks,” she said, smiling. “So am I.”
“This one’s on the house,” Wes told her as he pointed to the beer before turning and returning to the bar.
Lainie watched the bartender walk away, her mind back in Draven Falls to that day when she walked into Josh’s apartment and saw him all giddy with Alanna. “I knew almost immediately that something strong existed between the two of you,” she said, her voice low. “I knew our time was over.” She turned back around to face him, her lips curving up into a smirk. “Of course, I didn’t know we would have a threesome as a parting gift, or I would have been more excited.” She giggled as she lifted her beer to take a sip.
“Hey, that was all Alanna,” Josh said, feigning innocence. Then, he gave her his shit-eating grin that always made her melt. “I won’t deny enjoying the hell out of it, however.” He smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. “She’s my destined mate. I know that, even though I have no idea what the hell that even means. She’s not making it easy to figure out, either.”
Lainie felt the conflict of wanting to rekindle the embers of the past and seeing Josh move on to the future he was fated to embrace. “I kind of think she’s worth it, though,” she said, doing her best not to sound jealous or hurt. “She’s good people. I like her.”
He grinned over at her. “I like her, too,” he whispered. “A lot.”
“Enough to wade through whatever has her spooked or hurting?” she asked, giving him a serious look as she did. “You don’t know what baggage she’s carrying. Are you willing to help her unpack it?”
He smiled as he lifted his beer to his lips. “What choice do I have? She’s my destined mate.” He then took a long pull of his drink.
“I’m glad you found her,” Lainie said, and she meant it. She wanted Josh happy, even if it wasn’t with her. She would find her mate one day, and it would be by her own choosing, not by her father’s meddling ambitions.
“Speaking of…” Josh motioned toward the door with a gentle lift of his beer bottle.
Turning, Lainie spotted the redheaded vixen weaving through the bar toward them, smiling and waving. “I see you’ve managed to stay out of trouble for at least one day,” Alanna said as she sidled up next to Josh. “That’s good, because I just had my nails done, and they always look like shit after a shift. I hate for the clients to see me looking anything but amazing.”
Lainie just laughed as Josh leaned over and gave his girl a kiss. “What do you do exactly?”
Alanna turned serious a moment as she gave a weak shrug. “I work for a domestic abuse center in Melbourne.”
Lainie waited to see if the redhead would say more, but Alanna just reached for Josh’s beer and took a sip. When she finished, she reached out and squeezed Lainie’s wrist. “Seriously, you doing all right? I know that must have been one hell of a scare.” The topic of her work dismissed.
Lainie nodded, accepting that her friend needed a change of subject. “I’m fine. It’s over. I can move on now, leaving the Hemingways and my father in the past.”
“What did they wind up doing with the guy who attacked you?” Alanna asked as she leaned on the table.
“Sheriff Einstein arrested him and sent him to Kissimmee to await trial,” Lainie said with a shrug. “I’m sure Miles’ father will be down here to bail him out as if he did nothing wrong. I think Lars is as much of a sick pervert as his son. Probably taught him.”
“Hey, not all perverts are sick,” Josh said feigning hurt. “Some of us are downright fun in bed.” He winked at her.
Lainie laughed as she shook her head.
“Speaking of fun in bed,” Alanna started with a twinkle in her eye. “I think we should go for round two of what happened back in Draven Falls. I’m ready for a little action to help me unwind.”
Lainie glanced over at Josh who was already looking at her, his face blanketed with hope mixed with concern. She understood the concern. Would the two of them ever simply be able to be friends if Alanna kept throwing them in the sack together? Sex definitely kept the emotional bonds pulled tight. She was about to decline the offer when Nathan and Ash joined them, cutting off the topic.
For now.
Josh still looked at her, shooting her his devilish grin. She already knew what his answer would be to Alanna’s suggestion. She just shook her head. Ah well, when in Bull Creek…