Page 124 of After the Storm

Both of them stare at me.

I spread my hands. “That’s it.”

Charli leans back slowly. “So, he didn’t say he’d call?”

“Nope.”

“Text?”

I shake my head.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Shelby and Charli exchange a look.

The kind sisters share when they’re thinking something they’re not saying out loud.

“It’s fine,” I say quickly.

They both look back at me.

“I’m a big girl,” I continue. “I’ve had one-night stands before.”

Charli raises an eyebrow. “You have?”

“Not a lot,” I admit. “But, yes, I have.” I pick up my sandwich again. “It’ll be like nothing happened when I see him on Tuesday.”

Shelby nods slowly. “Sure.”

Charli nods too. “Absolutely.”

But then they glance at each other again.

That same look.

“What?” I demand.

Charli takes a sip of coffee before answering, “You may think that. But the way Porter Garrison was looking at you last night?” She shakes her head. “I doubt it.”

I roll my eyes. “You were imagining things.”

Shelby laughs. “Harleigh.”

“What?”

“That man looked at you like you were a steak and he hadn’t eaten in days.”

Charli nods. “And that was before the shots.”

I feel warmth creep up my neck. “He’s a man. And wasn’t exactly being subtle.”

“Maybe,” Charli says. “But I’m telling you.” She leans forward, resting her elbows on the table. “He did not look like a man who was just looking to get laid.”

The memory of the way Porter looked at me in that cabin this morning slips into my mind.

Soft.