Page 21 of Worth the Fall
Because I can.
The truth almost escapes but I stop myself before it does. Our eyes meet. Hold. Assess. Ask. And then I answer.
“I’m having a female emergency.” I ignore the fact that I’m wearing skimpy white shorts no woman on her period would be caught dead wearing and give him the number one response guaranteed to make a man uncomfortable.
His lips quirk for a moment before he leans down so that his elbows rest on the door. “And?”
“Well, I was rushing to the store.”
“And that’s why you were going so fast?”
“Yes.” I nod, hating that he isn’t shying away like any man in his right mind would.
“What were you going to the store to buy? Tampons? Monistat? Astroglide?” he deadpans.
If I could die a thousand deaths right now I would. My cheeks burn, and I’d give anything to crawl under the steering wheel to avoid having to make eye contact with him. “Yes.”
“All three? That’s a feminine emergency if I’ve ever heard of one.”
Already invested in my lie, I have no choice but to continue it. I clear my throat, but my voice comes out in a broken rasp. “Tampons. Just tampons.”
“I see.” He nods slowly. “Funny thing is, your car is heading in the wrong direction. All the drugstores are back that way.” He throws his thumb over his shoulder as I cringe at my mistake. “But being new in town and all that, maybe you got turned around, huh?”
There’s a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth while my embarrassment only intensifies. “Yes, that’s definitely why.” I squirm in my seat to try to sell it when I know he’s probably not buying any of this. “Can I go now, please?”
“Go? To the drugstore? Of course you can. I wouldn’t want your situation to worsen because of all this time we’re wasting. Tell you what, Em, if it’s such an emergency that you were willing to risk life and limb to get there, I think I should give you a police escort.”
“No! That’s okay—I—”
“Lights and sirens. The whole shebang all the way to . . . CVS, or is it Rite Aid? Which store has the brand you prefer?”
“A police escort, Grant? Really?” Irritation mixes with disbelief.
“Now that you’re a resident of Sunnyville, I’m at your service. Here to protect and to serve.” He flashes a grin that tells me he knows exactly what I’m doing and plans to make me pay for it.
And pay for it I do. With lights and sirens. Parading me the long way through town until we pull into the CVS parking lot.
His cruiser parks beside me, and I have every intention of running inside and buying some damn tampons I don’t currently need just to get him off my back. So, I’m completely mortified when he climbs out of his car as I get out of mine.
“What are you doing?” I ask, eyes flicking toward the random people who are staring at the flashing lights and the police officer standing in front of me.
“Let’s go.”
I stiffen when he places a hand on the small of my back and starts ushering me closer to the entrance. He nods and murmurs a few hellos to people who address him by name, all the while I’m trying to figure how far we’re going to carry on this charade. He’s obviously trying to prove a point while at the same time, willing to make my life miserable in retaliation for my rudeness the other night.
When we enter the store, I immediately begin to scan the directory signs above the aisles to see where the feminine hygiene products are located. Anything so I can put distance between myself and him and this asinine predicament.
“Not so fast. Where are you going?” he asks as he grabs my bicep, keeping me in place.
“To find what I need.”
“No worries. I have you covered. It’s an emergency after all,” he says, leading me to the front of the store.
“What are you—”
“Shh. It’s under control.” He points to his badge and smiles.
“No. It’s okay. I can find them on my own—”
